1: Do you feel Google's results are better or worse since "Big Daddy" and why?
Worse. Too much trust is placed on authority sites. In many areas the organic results are quite irrelent, showing only slightly relevant authority site home pages or incorrect sub pages from authority sites.
2: Do you feel link building is dead for Google?
No. There is a move to valuing quality links though with their algorithms.
3: How would you promote or push a new site with little or no budget to get some action on Google?
Don't base your marketing around what you lack. Base it around what you have and can do that is unique and useful.
4: How does site/page age play a role in Google?
Old sites are trusted way too much, even cross topic. It is pretty easy to spam Google if you have access to a couple old trusted domains.
5: What do you feel are Google's biggest factors in ranking sites?
Link reputation and site age. They may also check page content for linguistic patterns, although there still is a ton of cloaked garbage in Google's serps today.
6: How do you feel Google should look at links and link building?
I am not sure how relevant my opinion on this issue is. They should create the most relevant results they can, and do whatever they need to in order to do that.
I do think their hatred toward paid links is a weakness in their business model though.
7: What do you feel is the best way to build natural links to a site?
Create something useful and be an active participant in your community.
