Google keeps "moving the goalposts"

This is one of my largest complaints when it comes to the Google search engine. Every couple months, the rules of the game change, and search engine optimizers are left guessing what we should or shouldn't do to stay within Google guidelines.

I read Matt Cutts' blog, but he sometimes seems as clueless as the rest of us. I find great information at his site, but it's hard to decipher what the "real" rules are. Sure, Google has a page of guidelines, but it doesn't answer many of the questions I have. For example, if I purchase a banner ad and the webmaster doesn't put the NOFOLLOW designation on it, will I be penalized for an issue caused by someone else? If I have organic reciprocal links on several of my websites, will I be penalized?

What makes it worse is that there isn't a human being who can answer these questions. I often feel like a blindfolded NFL kicker, and Google keeps moving the goalposts. They may or may not give me a clue about the new location, but me, myself, and I is the one penalized if I miss the kick.

Okay, enough of the football analogies. My suggestion: a more comprehensive set of guidelines for webmasters, and a place to post anonymous questions that can be answered by an expert at Google who has the knowledge to let us know yes or no (not necessarily the why). I'll be blogging about this a lot in future posts.