Think Like A Blackhat – Matt Cutts Strikes Again

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Famous / infamous Googler Matt Cutts is invited webmasters to think like a blackhat search engine optimization expert. In the video I’m about to share with you he shares his insight into the causes of spam blight, which he defines as what is left behind after the spam is dealt with. It’s a very enlightening video and if you’re new to webmastering then this is a definite must-see. If you are an experienced webmaster then you’ll still want to watch the video and perhaps you’ll be reminded of some things you’ve forgotten or learn a few new tricks.

Some things I like about the video (tips I picked up from) are:

• Use the nofollow tag on any links on your site to third-party sites you are not sure about
• Don’t let anyone else input code onto your website
• Extremely useful: Step off the beaten path with your URL names (login.php, login.html; instead, use a different name that can’t be guessed)
• Ask your webhost, before you subscribe to the service, if they’ve had any security breaks recently and find out if they’re using the latest version of cpanel
• Set up Google alerts for www.yourdomainname.com viagra (and other key spam terms) so that if they appear on your site at all, you’ll find out and can take care of it right away
• When starting out, be very strict (Matt says “prickly”) with spammers or anyone that looks like a spammer
• Ask yourself, “How can my system be abused?”
• Pay close attention to your domain names
• If you’re being attacked, chances are you’re doing it right

Matt Cutts shares a lot of other useful tips in this video as well.
Think like a blackhat SEO or you could be the victim of one!