If carried out responsibly, search engine optimisation is a positive
thing for the internet, according to the head of Google's quality
team.
Speaking to Wired magazine, Matt Cutts said that SEO is a lot like
tweaking a CV if done well.
"SEO is sort of like tweaking your resume . . . It's helpful if you
just think about which words people would use to search for your
content," the representative said, adding that this can be a "great
thing" if approached professionally.
According to Mr Cutts, anyone building a new website should
prioritise good quality content as one of the best initial online
strategies to get attention.
Honing snippets, changing meta-description tags and modifying text in
light of user search habits were also recommended by the expert.
The Google quality head has earned the industry nickname "porn cookie
guy" for offering his wife's cookies to anyone whose search results
featured unwanted pornography.
He regularly updates a personal blog called Gadgets, Google and SEO.