Garrett
02-27-2004, 03:06 PM
Google representative Matt Cutts followed up on something Tim Mayer (http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?p=78155) had been talking about yesterday: robots.txt files. He said there are other ways to keep the robots out and prevent unintended indexes, including prohibiting robots in your .txt file. You can also set passwords at the .htaccess level to prevent access. The Google robot honors the NOINDEX tag. Another option would be using the URL removal tool (http://services.google.com:8882/urlconsole/controller?cmd=reload&lastcmd=login).
You can also use the email address webmaster@google.com if you need something out of the index overnight. For example, college webmasters have contacted Google before because, for some freak reason, they accidentally posted all of the incoming freshmen’s social security numbers on the Internet. Matt noted that things like this are rare, but hey, it’s happened before!
During his presentation, Matt answered questions he’d been asked from members of the WebmasterWorld forums. This is interesting because many people believe that Matt is the “Google Guy” from WebmasterWorld although this has of course never been officially confirmed.
Q: What's the future of search?
Matt said that the future of search for Google is a better understanding of documents, users and queries.
Q: Has Google ever removed sites for political reasons?
Matt: “I don't think we've removed sites for political reasons.” He said Google currently removes sites for legal reasons, trademark and copywriting reasons, specific requests for URL removals, and of course for spam.
You may recall reports of the Chinese government demanding that Google decrease the size of its index. The Chinese government maintains strict control over Internet activities and even threatened to ban Google for allowing Chinese individuals to access certain information. After reading about this, Matt contacted Google co-founder Sergy Brin and asked him if there were plans to remove this information from Google’s index. “No,” Sergy replied.
Q: Google continues to rotate data centers. Why? Does Google plan to keep doing this?
Data has to change, Matt said, and you can't have fresh content without changes in the search engine results pages.
Q: Is paid inclusion in Google’s future?
"No,” Matt said firmly. “If we thought it would provide value we'd do it." The reason Google is not heading in this direction, he says, is because it increases the need for Google to crawl regularly and it would also mean that dynamic sites could get listed easily in the Google index. Google insists on not making things easy for itself; instead, Google’s goal is to figure the methodology out on its own and index dynamic sites using crawlers. "We don’t think paid inclusion is right for us right now,” Matt added. “We're going to watch Yahoo and if it improves their relevance then we might consider it." As you can imagine, the audience laughed at this. Matt didn’t mean to cut on Yahoo’s behalf (and he said so) but the general consensus is that paid inclusion will reduce relevance. It was kind of funny.
Q: Is there an over-optimization penalty?
“At Google we're changing our algorithms all the time,” Matt replied. “Don’t over-optimize if you feel you've been penalized.” Instead, he says, look at your site structure.
Q: Is Google for or against search engine optimization?
"We don't sit around plotting against search engine optimizers," Matt replied. He added that some people are of the opinion that if you change one word on your site to get better Google rankings you are spamming Google. He said that's not necessarily Google's opinion but he has heard that definition mentioned before.
Matt’s definition of search engine optimization: "Search engine optimization is trying to show up well within search engine guidelines."
If search engine optimization makes results more relevant he's all for it. If it brings better content into the web he's all for it. However, he’s against hidden text. All in all, he believes search engine optimization is neutral or even positive in regards to Google because it can increase the quality of Google to the end users.
Q: Will Google ever update on a regular basis?
Matt replied that Google is currently updating almost every day. “We try half a dozen scoring techniques a month," he said, noting that the algorithm will continue to change. Google is constantly experimenting with new methods, and Matt adds, “Search engine optimization will not be static.” The Google coding half-life is currently six months. The algorithm changes that frequently as well. Any coding the programmers are doing on Google only lasts around six months before it's somehow updated, improved, or altered.
Q: Is AdWords Regional a success?
“Yes, it is,” Matt replied, adding that the more time you spend on AdWords, the better results you get. He also apologized for the delay in AdSense payments in November and December. He admitted to his disappointment in his own company for not making those payments. Matt didn’t explain why that happened but he did say that just like in an affiliate program, situations like that make people lose trust in your company.
Are there any users who would like to comment on this?
You can also use the email address webmaster@google.com if you need something out of the index overnight. For example, college webmasters have contacted Google before because, for some freak reason, they accidentally posted all of the incoming freshmen’s social security numbers on the Internet. Matt noted that things like this are rare, but hey, it’s happened before!
During his presentation, Matt answered questions he’d been asked from members of the WebmasterWorld forums. This is interesting because many people believe that Matt is the “Google Guy” from WebmasterWorld although this has of course never been officially confirmed.
Q: What's the future of search?
Matt said that the future of search for Google is a better understanding of documents, users and queries.
Q: Has Google ever removed sites for political reasons?
Matt: “I don't think we've removed sites for political reasons.” He said Google currently removes sites for legal reasons, trademark and copywriting reasons, specific requests for URL removals, and of course for spam.
You may recall reports of the Chinese government demanding that Google decrease the size of its index. The Chinese government maintains strict control over Internet activities and even threatened to ban Google for allowing Chinese individuals to access certain information. After reading about this, Matt contacted Google co-founder Sergy Brin and asked him if there were plans to remove this information from Google’s index. “No,” Sergy replied.
Q: Google continues to rotate data centers. Why? Does Google plan to keep doing this?
Data has to change, Matt said, and you can't have fresh content without changes in the search engine results pages.
Q: Is paid inclusion in Google’s future?
"No,” Matt said firmly. “If we thought it would provide value we'd do it." The reason Google is not heading in this direction, he says, is because it increases the need for Google to crawl regularly and it would also mean that dynamic sites could get listed easily in the Google index. Google insists on not making things easy for itself; instead, Google’s goal is to figure the methodology out on its own and index dynamic sites using crawlers. "We don’t think paid inclusion is right for us right now,” Matt added. “We're going to watch Yahoo and if it improves their relevance then we might consider it." As you can imagine, the audience laughed at this. Matt didn’t mean to cut on Yahoo’s behalf (and he said so) but the general consensus is that paid inclusion will reduce relevance. It was kind of funny.
Q: Is there an over-optimization penalty?
“At Google we're changing our algorithms all the time,” Matt replied. “Don’t over-optimize if you feel you've been penalized.” Instead, he says, look at your site structure.
Q: Is Google for or against search engine optimization?
"We don't sit around plotting against search engine optimizers," Matt replied. He added that some people are of the opinion that if you change one word on your site to get better Google rankings you are spamming Google. He said that's not necessarily Google's opinion but he has heard that definition mentioned before.
Matt’s definition of search engine optimization: "Search engine optimization is trying to show up well within search engine guidelines."
If search engine optimization makes results more relevant he's all for it. If it brings better content into the web he's all for it. However, he’s against hidden text. All in all, he believes search engine optimization is neutral or even positive in regards to Google because it can increase the quality of Google to the end users.
Q: Will Google ever update on a regular basis?
Matt replied that Google is currently updating almost every day. “We try half a dozen scoring techniques a month," he said, noting that the algorithm will continue to change. Google is constantly experimenting with new methods, and Matt adds, “Search engine optimization will not be static.” The Google coding half-life is currently six months. The algorithm changes that frequently as well. Any coding the programmers are doing on Google only lasts around six months before it's somehow updated, improved, or altered.
Q: Is AdWords Regional a success?
“Yes, it is,” Matt replied, adding that the more time you spend on AdWords, the better results you get. He also apologized for the delay in AdSense payments in November and December. He admitted to his disappointment in his own company for not making those payments. Matt didn’t explain why that happened but he did say that just like in an affiliate program, situations like that make people lose trust in your company.
Are there any users who would like to comment on this?