Search Off the Record

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**Search Off the Record**

Search Off the Record takes you behind the scenes of Google Search and its inner workings! In each episode, the folks from the Search Relations team will give you background info on the decision-making behind launches, feature prioritization in Search Console, and the projects Google Search teams are working on. They will share fun stories from the many conferences they attend as well as from their day-to-day working life at Google. They will also dive into the currently trending conversations in the SEO community at large. Have a listen!

Latest Episodes:

SOTR094_Transcript.pdf Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

https://search-off-the-record.libsyn.com/sotr094_transcriptpdf

What SEOs should know about devs Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

In this candid episode of Search Off the Record, Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt from the Google Search team peel back the curtain to reveal a more human side of their work and challenges. Instead of diving deep into technical concepts, they reflect on their personal journeys—touching on everything from public speaking nerves to building empathy between developers and SEOs. Through playful banter and thoughtful commentary, they share how communication, context, and curiosity play vital roles in their day-to-day roles, both internally at Google and in the broader web ecosystem.

The conversation also explores the evolution of Martin's career, his passion for the web, and how his developer background helps him bridge gaps in technical understanding. The duo navigates the complexities of delivering accurate guidance in public forums, the risk of being taken out of context, and the importance of clear communication across diverse audiences. It's a thoughtful, lighthearted, and occasionally philosophical discussion that reminds listeners that behind the guidance, there are real people striving to make the web better for everyone.

Resources: Episode 93 transcript→https://goo.gle/sotr093-transcript

Chapters: 0:00 – Intro & Setup 1:30 – Life at Google 3:30 – Speaking to Developers 6:30 – Early Speaking Days 10:00 – SEOs vs Devs 14:00 – Should SEOs Code? 19:00 – Context is Everything 23:30 – Clearer SEO Advice 26:30 – Why No Slides 29:00 – Wrap Up Chat

Listen to more Search Off the Record → https://goo.gle/sotr-yt Subscribe to Google Search Channel → https://goo.gle/SearchCentral

Search Off the Record is a podcast series that takes you behind the scenes of Google Search with the Search Relations team.

#SOTRpodcast #SEO

Speaker: Martin Splitt, Gary Illyes Products Mentioned: Search

SOTR093_Transcript.pdf Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

https://search-off-the-record.libsyn.com/sotr093_transcriptpdf

How Googlebot crawls the web May 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Search Off the Record, Martin and Gary from the Google Search Relations team take a deep dive into how Googlebot and web crawling work—past, present, and future. Through their humorous and thoughtful conversation, they explore how crawling evolved from the early days of the internet, when scripts could index a chunk of the web from a single homepage, to the more complex and considerate systems used today. They discuss the basics of what a crawler is, how tools like cURL or Wget relate, and how policies like robots.txt ensure crawlers play nice with web infrastructure.

The conversation also covers Google's internal shift to unified infrastructure for all crawling needs, highlighting how different teams moved from separate crawlers to a shared system that enforces consistent policies. They explain why some fetches bypass robots.txt (like user-initiated actions) and the rising impact of automated traffic from new products and AI agents. With a nod to initiatives like Common Crawl, the episode ends with a look at the road ahead, acknowledging growing internet congestion but remaining optimistic about the web's capacity to adapt.

Resources:

Episode transcript → https://goo.gle/sotr092-transcript

Chapters:

Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:53 - What is a Web Crawler? 3:11 - Building a Minimal Crawler 6:12 - Ethical Crawling: Robots.txt & Host Health 7:42 - BackRub and Early Crawling Challenges 11:02 - The Anatomy of a Search Engine Paper 13:09 - Crawling Across Google Products 16:51 - New Crawlers & User Agent Strings 22:38 - Crawlers Beyond Google 23:17 - The Evolution of Crawlers 26:32 - Bad Actors and Overpowering Servers 27:31 - Reducing the Footprint on the Internet 28:44 - The Future of Crawlers 31:29- Conclusion

Listen to more Search Off the Record → https://goo.gle/sotr-yt

Subscribe to Google Search Channel → https://goo.gle/SearchCentral

Search Off the Record is a podcast series that takes you behind the scenes of Google Search with the Search Relations team.

#SOTRpodcast #SEO #SearchOfTheRecord

Speakers: Martin Splitt, Gary Illyes

Products Mentioned: Googlebot, Search

SOTR092_Transcript.pdf May 29, 2025

Show notes

https://search-off-the-record.libsyn.com/sotr092_transcriptpdf

SOTR091_Transcript.pdf May 15, 2025

Show notes

https://search-off-the-record.libsyn.com/sotr091_transcriptpdf

Debugging the Internet: HTTP, TCP, and You May 15, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Search Off the Record, Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt from the Google Search team dive deep into the foundations of how the web works—specifically HTTP, TCP, UDP, and newer technologies like QUIC and HTTP/3. The two reflect on how even experienced web professionals often overlook or forget the mechanics behind these core protocols, sharing insights through technical discussion, playful banter, and analogies ranging from messenger pigeons to teapots. The conversation spans key concepts like packet transmission, connection handshakes, and the importance of status codes such as 404, 204, and even 418 ("I'm a teapot").

Throughout the conversation, they connect these protocols back to real-world implications for site owners, developers, and SEOs—like why Search Console might report network errors, and how browser or server behavior is influenced by low-level transport decisions. With a mix of humor and expertise, Gary and Martin aim to demystify a crucial part of the internet's infrastructure and remind listeners of the layered complexity that makes modern web experiences possible.

Resources:

Episode transcript →https://goo.gle/sotr091-transcript

Listen to more Search Off the Record → https://goo.gle/sotr-yt

Subscribe to Google Search Channel → https://goo.gle/SearchCentral

Search Off the Record is a podcast series that takes you behind the scenes of Google Search with the Search Relations team.

#SOTRpodcast #SEO #Http

Speakers: Lizzi Sassman, John Mueller, Martin Splitt, Gary Illyes

Products Mentioned: Search Console - General

Launching Search Central Live Deep Dive May 01, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Search Off the Record, Google's Martin Splitt, Cherry, and Gary Illyes discuss the exciting expansion of Search Central Live with the introduction of Search Central Live Deep Dive. They share the history of Search Central events, the inspiration behind creating a more advanced, multi-day experience, and how community feedback helped shape the new format. Cherry explains how the Deep Dive events will offer in-depth sessions, practical workshops, and greater opportunities for networking within the Search community across the APAC region.

The team also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of planning international events, from budgeting and travel logistics to ensuring high-quality attendee experiences. They highlight plans for new locations including Budapest and South Africa, and outline how interested participants can apply. If you want to hear about the future of Google's Search community events and how to get involved, this episode is a must-watch.

Resources:

Episode transcript → https://goo.gle/sotr090-transcript

Listen to more Search Off the Record → https://goo.gle/sotr-yt

Subscribe to Google Search Channel → https://goo.gle/SearchCentral

How are web standards made? Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Ever wondered how web standards are made? Martin and Gary from Google Search take you behind the scenes of the internet's governing bodies. From the IETF to the W3C, learn about the consensus-driven processes that shape the web. Find out why these standards are crucial for ensuring a consistent and reliable online experience.

Resources:

Episode transcript → https://goo.gle/sotr089-transcript

Listen to more Search Off the Record → https://goo.gle/sotr-yt

Subscribe to Google Search Channel → https://goo.gle/SearchCentral

Search Off the Record is a podcast series that takes you behind the scenes of Google Search with the Search Relations team.

#SOTRpodcast #SEO

Speakers: Lizzi Sassman, John Mueller, Martin Splitt, Gary Illyes Products Mentioned: Search Console - General

SOTR089_Search_Off_the_Record_-_89th_episode_ Apr 17, 2025

Show notes