Matt Cutts’ Search Engine Optimization Predictions (And My Surprise)

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Sunday, 9 of March , 2008 at 6:20 am

Matt Cutts finally got around to making his predictions for 2008. Aside from the disclaimer, I thought they were pretty interesting. Here’s what Matt Cutts think will happen this year:

2008 will be the year that hacking and search engine optimization (SEO) collide in a major way. By the end of the year, a nontrivial fraction of blackhat Search Engine Optimization will involve illegally hacking sites for links or landing pages. One webhost will get a significant black eye as hundreds or thousands of customers’ websites are hacked. The growth of illegal-blackhat Search Engine Optimization will leave traditional blackhats with a difficult choice: risk doing something illegal or sit out.

That’s a very interesting prediction. I can see it happening, but I don’t get the “doing something illegal or sit out.” Is he saying the only way blackhats will be successful is if they do something illegal because search engines will have figured out a way to shut them down from using legal, but “unethical”, tactics? That’s not likely, but I can the webhost getting hit with penalties due to a large number of blackhats acting like, well, like blackhats.

Someone will write a book or ebook about how to run a small start-up or internet business on a shoestring budget. The book will discuss how to squeeze the most value out of Google’s products and will also touch on Amazon’s web services.

If only I had the time.

Someone will launch a “baby startup” that gives advice on baby names, then offers to register a domain named for the baby. For $100, the start-up will power the baby’s domain for several years and will host baby pictures and baby videos. The baby’s domain will be protected by a password, but can be shared with family members.

And a new industry will be born: Cradle to grave reputation management.

A top-level domain (TLD registry) will offer domains for under $4. The result will be another TLD blighted by spammy domain registrations.

Yeah, and no doubt they will cater mostly to blackhat SEOs. I think this one might have some kind of tie-in with the blackhat Search Engine Optimization deal above.

Over 1000 people will begin recording the audio of their daily life, every day, all day.

Oh, yes. Then visually impaired people will be able to listen to audio blogs that describe their favorite non-celebrity’s eating habits in minute detail while hearing the background noise of the street workers’ jackhammers, the baby crying, and grandpa on the crapper. Can’t wait to miss that one.

The 2008 presidential election will capture much more interest in the U.S. than in recent elections. Most election drama will play out on TV and the campaign trail. We’ll see a few tie-ins with search, but internet-related issues won’t play the vital role in the election that the blogosphere would like it to.

Well, that one’s pretty easy to predict. If Obama were running against Ron Paul then the Internet might be a bit more relevant to this election. Instead, he’s running against John McCain, who has as much knowledge and experience of the Internet as he does in being a POW - no, wait! He’s actually got more experience in being a prisoner than the Internet. Don’t count on the Republicans using the Internet for electioneering until they lose a significant election as a result of their opponent using the Internet successfully. That likely won’t happen this year. Good call, Matt.

Matt had other cool Search Engine Optimization predictions as well. You can see them here.

                      Category: SEO                      

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