Matt Cutts

Anyone dealing with search engine optimisation sooner or later comes across the name Matt Cutts. The American headed Google's webspam team for many years and was therefore responsible for combating manipulation in the search results. During this time, he was Google's most important voice for many SEOs: through his blog and numerous videos on the YouTube channel Google Search Central (then Google Webmasters), he explained changes to the algorithm, dispelled myths and answered questions – such as whether backlinks or good content are more important. Many of the principles he advocated back then still shape search engine optimisation today: write content for people rather than search engines, don't buy links, no black hat SEO shortcuts.

Who is Matt Cutts?

Matt Cutts studied computer science and mathematics at the University of Kentucky and earned a master's degree in computer science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined Google as a software engineer in 2000. There, among other things, he developed the first SafeSearch filter, which filters offensive content out of search results. This is where his nickname “Porn Cookie Guy” comes from: he rewarded colleagues who reported examples of unwanted results with home-baked cookies made by his wife.

Cutts was also known for personal challenges that he made public – such as 30-day challenges in which he tried out new habits or deliberately gave up certain things.

Matt Cutts' departure from Google

In 2014, Matt Cutts went on extended leave to spend more time with his family. At the end of 2016, he left Google for good and moved to the United States Digital Service, a US government unit that improves the administration's digital services and which he later headed. At Google, others took over his role as the contact for the SEO industry, today above all Search Advocate John Mueller and the Search Relations team.