As Google continues to evolve, so have the capabilities (and limitations) of its search engine. With algorithm updates focusing on the human perspective of search, businesses are being forced to shift away from the traditional use of SEO as a marketing tactic, and instead focus more on the content that drives it.
These updates have many business owners and marketers questioning the future, and importance, of SEO. But is the fate of SEO actually doomed, or just misunderstood?
Check the video below as we review the evolution of search engine optimization: what it was, what's it becoming, and what the future holds!
Transcript
Thinking of optimizing your website for key phrases in order to help that page rank as a result? Forget about it.
What if we told you that none of that actually matters? Enter: The New Definition of SEO.
What It Was:
SEO began as the basic process of getting traffic from the listings on search engines. All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users.
What It's Becoming:
In recent years, the practice of SEO has evolved into a more consumer-centric focused means of search. It's no longer about ranking #1 in the results pages of Google. Rather, it is primarily concerned with creating fresh and original content that addresses the problems, needs, and wants of your target audience.
The Future:
As Google's algorithms continue to evolve, the interpretation of information will become increasingly similar to the process of the human brain. There will be a heightened focus on the importance of conversational concepts surrounding an idea, rather than singular keywords themselves.
Remember, people don't search for the specific companies to answer their questions, rather they search for the relevant information that will provide solutions.
Pay attention to your audience by crafting clear, concise, and relevant content that asks and answers those questions. Keywords are still relevant, but be aware of the semantic relationships between topics and phrases that your audience is trying to find. SEO is about the consumer, not the company.
As the digital sphere becomes more and more integrated with our physical, tangible environment, search will become a natural extension of the way we question the world we live in.