SEO Tips From Google Webmaster Central´s Matt Cutts

Matt Cutts has been releasing a lot of videos lately, answering to most common questions such as, guest posting, links from footers, article marketing, quoting another source, etc. With all the Google dance happening recently, I believe that Matt’s video responses tackles with issues that are constantly being asked by users who are interested in SEO and for those who want to know whether or not a specific SEO practice is good, bad, or somewhere in between.

If you are a bit interested on search engine optimization, I highly recommend you watching all of them. Obviously, some may lead to somewhat different interpretations, but, if you watch closely, you will see that in many cases there are specific messages that Matt is trying to get across and are really very helpful. All in all, the easiest way to ensure that you are on the safe side is to avoid black hat SEO techniques.

I would love to know what you think and what interpretation you have in any or all of these videos.

Is freshness an important signal for all sites?

In this video, Matt answers an interesting question that many bloggers keep talking about, fresh content. As you know, posting regularly is not an easy thing to do, and this is particularly true if you don’t have that much time to write articles on your own. While fresh content is important, Matt hints that writing “evergreen” stuff is probably a lot better, rather than having to worry about pumping in new content, unless of course you are a news site or related.

What is Google’s view on guest blogging for links?

Next up is a very interesting video, and one that clarifies a bit about the benefits guest posting, or not. IMO, Matt is saying that guest posting is actually a good thing, provided you write good stuff. That’s the short and simple version of it. The “longer version” is what you should really worry about, and that starts at 1:13. What do you think?

[note]Update: Google has changed their Link Schemes page, and “guest blogging” may now be considered spammy, so be sure to check that out[/note]

What is Google’s thinking about links from article marketing, widgets, etc?

The question that Matt answers here is another one of those that are really interesting. Basically it all boils down to “natural links”. Natural lilnks are those, according to Matt are links that are editorial and not just a bunch of “anchor text” splattered around, typical of those that we can find on free themes, widgets, etc. Another interesting bit, is just a tiny mention that starts at 2:34. Pay attention to what he says and tell me what you understood when he mentions “and not just because they are paid”…

If I quote another source, will I be penalized for duplicate content?

Ahh, this video finally sheds some light about “quoting” articles from another source. Matt tells you exactly how to do it legitimately, and what you should avoid from being considered as duplicate content. IMO, this also applies for content curation.

Should I incorporate synonyms for important terms into my site?

Often times, we all get too focused on using keywords on our post to make sure that Google and other search engines figue out what our post is about. Matt on this video sheds some light on whether or not it is a good idea to use synonyms. On a recent interview, he went as far as saying that as long as you don’t do it in a spammy way, it is actually a very good approach to use synonyms and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords mixed in within your post. This allows search bots to have a better idea of your content while making it readable for users. things sound mechanical.

and finally, the…

Disavow Links Tool

While Matt is not answering a question here, this video explains a bit about how the new disavow links works and when should you be using it. Note that Matt repeatedly mentions and reiterates that “most people do not need to use this tool”. Recent buzz from the SEO industry actually goes as far as saying that if don’t know what you are doing, perhaps it is better if you don’t use it at all. Improper use may “backfire” at you, so my advice would be to wait a bit. I’m sure that the industry experts will soon come up with case studies and tips on how to use it properly. Now, if you have received “unnatural link warnings” from GWT, maybe you can use it to request Google to disavow links, but as I said, do it with extreme caution, as you may be asking to remove links that are actually helping you. You can also find out more about the disavow tool, here and here.

[note]UPDATE 02/2013: This one just recently released on GWC Channel[/note]

What percentage of PageRank is lost through a 301 redirect?

A good question. According to Cutts, the dissipation of 301 redirects is ~~almost exactly~~ currently identical to a direct link, that being, about 15%.