Barry and I live blogged PubCon's Search Engine Smackdown session last week but a number of folks have asked about notes. Here they areā¦.
Matt Cutts "State of the Index" PubCon (Las Vegas) November 2009
WHAT HAS GOOGLE DONE IN THE PAST YEAR?
- Chrome
- Android
- Wave
- Music OneBox (Matt added that Music OneBox allows lyrics search but that most folks don't know about this feature.).
- Squared
- Social & Social Circle
- Toolbelt ("Show Options" which provides sort options allowing users to slice and dice information in various ways. Matt added that Wonder Wheel is great for keyword research.)
WHAT HAS GOOGLE DONE FOR WEB DEVELOPERS?
- code.google.com/speed (Matt talked about speed maybe becoming a ranking signal, pointing out that users appreciate fast sites.)
- Closure for Web Developers
- Google Web Toolkit
- AJAX Library API (Interesting, I don't believe Matt mentioned Google's AJAX proposal.)
WHAT HAS GOOGLE DONE FOR WEBMASTERS?
- rel=canonical ( A great tool for webmasters when 301s aren't optional)
- Parameter handling (Google Webmaster Tools)
- Fetch As Googlebot (Matt said this is his favorite Webmaster Tool, that many times sites have been hacked or are cloaking Googlebot. "Fetch As Googlebot" helps webmasters see these issues. Better malware warnings to show webmasters exactly where Google sees malware have also been added. Google now sends emails to webmasters via Google Webmaster Tools.)
- Keyword Significance/Details (Google Webmaster Tools, Added earlier today)
- Communication (80 posts on Google Webmaster Blog, Google SEO Starter Guide, Webmaster Console now in 40 languages & all of Wysz's great videos on YouTube)
- Caffeine (Matt said, Caffeine will help Google index in seconds and that it will be available on one data center in a week or two but, that Google won't fully roll out Caffeine until after the holidays!)
TAKEAWAYS
- Try Social Search
- Speed up your site
- Dig into webmaster console
- Subscribe to official blog,video channel

Matt Cutts Takeaway slide from PubCon Las Vegas