In Part 1 of our Search Engine Algorithm series on the Unbottleneck Podcast, Steve Wiideman welcomes CTO and Co-Founder at Market Brew, Scott Stouffer, to discuss Search Engine algorithms and how they continue to evolve. Get ready to hone in on Google essentials for digital marketers. 

About Our Guest: Scott Stouffer 

Scott Stouffer has spent the last 20 years building out large-scale, highly distributed, and scalable software systems, in both corporate and small start-up environments. He is the CTA and Co-Founder of Market Brew – the world’s first statistical modeling tool for search engines. 

As a co-founder, Scott has been instrumental in rapid prototyping and product market fit. He is an inventor and author of multiple utility patents in the software and search space,  as well as an accomplished musician, instrument pilot, and skydiver.

Sponsored by Ryte

Ask The Search Engineer 

Scott on Linkedin

Scott on Twitter


  • Understanding Google’s Algorithm
  • Is Google Biased? 
  • Are Keywords Still Relevant? 

Understanding Google’s Algorithm 

Google’s algorithm is always evolving which constantly keeps SEO practitioners on their toes. 

Throughout the years, Google has moved from a rules-based algorithm to a machine-learning algorithm. A rules-based algorithm is a set of rules that filter out the good and bad sites from a search engine. A machine-learning algorithm is based on a broader array of signals, including user intent and user behaviors within search engine results.

Is Google Biased?

The people who have the responsibility of optimizing Google’s algorithm are undoubtedly some of the most powerful people in the world. According to Stouffer, Larry Page of Google once said at a conference that “we believe we know what’s best” when it comes to organizing search engine results. 

This type of statement can only make one wonder, “Is Google biased?” Being the number one search engine in the world comes with the responsibility of influencing how the world thinks based on how information is organized.  

Do Keywords Matter? 

Within the SEO world, there have been conflicting opinions about the relevancy of keywords and if they still matter. As a search engineer, it is not a good practice to throw away a ranking signal. Therefore, keywords are still very important in SEO world. 


Keep up with the latest in Search Engines and digital marketing strategies. Follow Steve on LinkedIn!