Are Matt Cutts and Google being dishonest, or at best misleading?

But I have seen if you create backlinks then it is giving benefit as well.

The thing is you need to create backlinks from where you can get traffic, it would help in seo.

From my experience Google mislead all the time, SEO is a game and you have to adapt to the changes to win!

No, they're not. They want sites in the top of the SERPS that get linked naturally by people who actually like the sites.

Not saying that's how it will work, but that's the ideal for Google.

That is what they really want. So no, they are not being misleading or dishonest. Doesn't mean that will work the greatest for everyone, but that is what they are telling the truth about what they want.

Apparently, today Matt Cutts is going to be explaning via video how to build links "the google way" after the protests from internet workers outside Google Mumbai.

So link building is allowed, I think Google are just against anyone using automated software to do it.

Google Penguin Creates Mass Unemployment in India | AffiliateTemple.com

If Google doesn't support backlinks so, how Google judge the website without any single backlinks

that's what they say.. we want only "whitehat" backlinks that comes naturally from real people who actually love and share your content..Yeah right! this means any new site will not be able to compete with already established gigantic sites which recieves thousands of links..it doesn't make sense..

they are making their algorithm smarter and smarter every day so you have to be as smart! don't use obselete linking methods like forum profiles and blog networks(famous ones)..vary your anchor text links and get social media signals from FB,twitter,youtube..etc . they want natural links so build them yourself but make them look natural!

SEO is the Work where downfall or upward is happen . so, please avoid yourself for this downfall

They don't want un-natural search results, if you make everything look as natural as possible Google will give you gold in return

link building still works you just need to be diverse and vary your anchor texts. Stop spamming the same keyword over and over.

Mix it up.

All Google wants is quality and they will try their best to get that, it's their business if they want to change the goalposts - let them do it? We just have to change with them, that's what we do.

@ OP - Don't listen to fat boys with double chins.

I am really getting tired of everyone saying to get natural links.
Yes that is the way it is supposed to be BUT that is impossible for some niches.
You can get the best writer in the world to write about toasters and nobody is ever gonna link to it or talk about it on facebook. They will read the review buy the toaster and never visit the site again.

A multi-billion dollar company and the man in charge of arguably their most important division being misleading? How silly!

I always find it humorous at the people who think Cutts speaks only truth. Yeah, the head of their Web Spam department is going to give 100% truth into helping game their results. :rolleyes:

Steadyon - Google meets with SEOs all the time and the following practices for link building are considered white hat by most SEOs

1) contacting webmasters for links
2) Press releases
3) guest blogging (lots of people running around claiming thats blackhat now but it isn't)
4) syndication of content
5) link bait (you can see it right in this thread with the photoshopped protest against Matt Cutts).
6) inclusion in trade and niche directories (the myth that directories no longer work is big here but truth is smaller niche directories work and work well. Its the general no name directories that took a hit.
7) branded links on created content (as in wordpress themes etc)

When you look at those you can figure out that anything that looks like those regardless of intent is going to be able to circumvent Google's radar.. So take number one

the grey hat version is buying links to get the webmasters to give you one and /or link exchange (please spare me that myth that they don't work - there is a huge difference between a two way exchange that leaves a footprint and a three way which leaves none) with a webmaster to give you them. Google cannot tell what is happening between webmasters agreeing by email. Bought or leveraged links can look identical to natural links and always will be able to.

So there are a number of ways to leverage natural looking links . Personally I think all the panic is not because link building is dead but because automated mass link building has been dealt a mortal blow and most people here don't have a clue about other kinds of link building.

I know some of you think it s horrible but for those who learn some new ways of link building the serps are wide open in alot of niches thanks to Penguin.

Building links is really not rocket science. Everyone just wants to do it as easily as possible and then are shocked that Google doesn't love the garbage. Not to say I don't still build garbage links anymore but I do it when Im being lazy not because I think it'll give me lasting SERP rankings. Just build links that actually look real. Thats it.

Yes they are misleading, if you really think about it,

[B]Why would Google tell you hot effectively rank?

Why would they want you to beat the system and achieve good rankings?

Content is important but it is nothing without good quality backlinks. It is that simple but of course Google tries to confuse you and it is quite hilarious how much Matt Cutts talks about high quality content being important.

If that was truly the case then any of us could create a site with high quality content and just let it be, naturally flow in the Internet without backlinking it at all. This is ridiculous.

Good relevant content targeting the topic (keyword) you want to go for along with good quality backlinks will be the key, it has always been and will continue to be as long as Google exists.

- Will

Yes they are misleading, if you really think about it,

Why would Google tell you hot effectively rank?

Why would they want you to beat the system and achieve good rankings?

Content is important but it is nothing without good quality backlinks. It is that simple but of course Google tries to confuse you and it is quite hilarious how much Matt Cutts talks about high quality content being important.

If that was truly the case then any of us could create a site with high quality content and just let it be, naturally flow in the Internet without backlinking it at all. This is ridiculous.

Good relevant content targeting the topic (keyword) you want to go for along with good quality backlinks will be the key, it has always been and will continue to be as long as Google exists.

- Will

On binshaker's point about new sites never being able to rank because they start with 0 backlinks: Google has said that new sites will continue to be given the chance to prove themselves.

This is one reason new sites tend to bob and up and down quite a bit in the months after they first start appearing in the SERPS.

I would guess that the majority of the sites built by the average small business or mom and pop never build links even semi seriously.

I would also guess that this is the single biggest reason that their ranking are usually disappointing.

The more I listen to Cutts & Co, the more I feel I have to second guess what he really means.

Good content is fundamental, but without backlinking who even knows it exists? Apart from the odd garbage site that currently ranks well since penguin, I have come across very few sites that rank well without at least some decent incoming links.

These links have to be gotten by the site owner, at least initially until a site gets some momentum.

Google doesn't automatically rank good content highly.

So its a catch 22. Without the links your site will just drift along in the doldrums.

Get some decent links and suddenly a breeze gets in your sails.

For google to suggest otherwise is a disservice to many honest marketers and website owners.

But I think Google care not even a little.

If people stop link building, and I continue to link build the smart way... then I will look forward to being at the top =)