Matt McGee on the Wild West days of SEO

Matt McGee was the former Editor-in-Chief at Search Engine Land, technically my boss at this site, for a period of time. I had the honor of interviewing Matt McGee, where we spoke about the early days of SEO, something he called the “Wild West” days of SEO, where you’d do keyword stuffing, cloaking and all sorts of what you would call today “black hat” tactics, to rank your content.

Times have changed but those old days were pretty fun and we spent some time reminiscing about the old days of SEO. But we also spoke about how SEO has changed over the years, including will AI kill SEO, and much more.

So check out the interview below:

Here is an outline of what we spoke about:

• Discovering search marketing in the late 90s.
• The era of self-taught SEO navigating the early web without established guides, leading to the discovery of Danny Sullivan’s early resources.
• The wild west: Keyword stuffing and early tactics reflecting on the conservative vs. aggressive tactics of the late 90s, including keyword stuffing and early link networks.
• Pre-Google search engines: A look back at ranking on Excite, AltaVista, and Northern Light before the checklist era of SEO.
• Founding small business SEM: Starting a blog in 2004 to translate high-level SEO concepts for small business owners.
• Meeting Danny Sullivan and joining Search Engine Land; the chance lobby encounter that led to a small business column and eventually a career as editor-in-chief.
• The most important eras in search history: Analyzing the impact of Panda, Penguin, and the public expose of declining search results.
• Will AI kill SEO? A candid discussion on whether AI-generated answers without citations could eventually end the industry.
• Behind the scenes: Google PR and Street View scandals. The challenges of reporting on the Google Street View wi-fi data collection controversy and dealing with corporate PR.
• Myths, click data, and the DOJ trials; debunking long-standing myths and reflecting on what the DOJ trials revealed about click data usage.
• Ridiculous historical tactics. Remembering the days of debating keyword capitalization and the slow realization that the user matters.
• Unsung heroes of search recognizing figures like Andy Hagans and Todd Malicoat who early on advocated for following the user.
• Advice to a younger self: The importance of networking and building a community presence within the industry.
• Proudest moments: Launching Marketing Land and MarTech, reflecting on the expansion of search coverage and the first interview with a Google Search Quality Rater.
• The vital role of Search Engine Land: How the publication serves as the voice for the on-the-ground SEO to the world’s major search engines.

To learn more about Matt McGee check out seosavvyagent.com.