I see the problem as Google having reached a large enough scale for them to affect the web in the same way that you affect the price of a stock if your trade order is large enough.
When Google first wrote their search algorithm, they tailored it to the web in order to produce good results. Now we're in the opposite situation where everyone tailors the web to fit the algorithm. I believe this is a worse world. I would rather see site creators focus on creating the best experience for visitors to the site instead of trying to play the SEO game, either white or black hat.
In addition, it probably creates a feedback loop that stifles innovation in search algorithms. Google issues recommendations on how to do SEO, so sites follow those guidelines, which in turn leads to the web conforming to what Google's algorithm wants the web to look like.
A concrete example: Newspaper editors used to pride themselves on writing witty and clever headlines for their stories. But SEO guidelines dictate putting lots of search keywords in the headline and page title, leading to bland and boring headlines. Google could change their algorithm to accomodate the way headlines are written instead of the reverse.
When Google first wrote their search algorithm, they tailored it to the web in order to produce good results. Now we're in the opposite situation where everyone tailors the web to fit the algorithm. I believe this is a worse world. I would rather see site creators focus on creating the best experience for visitors to the site instead of trying to play the SEO game, either white or black hat.
In addition, it probably creates a feedback loop that stifles innovation in search algorithms. Google issues recommendations on how to do SEO, so sites follow those guidelines, which in turn leads to the web conforming to what Google's algorithm wants the web to look like.
A concrete example: Newspaper editors used to pride themselves on writing witty and clever headlines for their stories. But SEO guidelines dictate putting lots of search keywords in the headline and page title, leading to bland and boring headlines. Google could change their algorithm to accomodate the way headlines are written instead of the reverse.