Some of the marketing channels have progressed as quickly and dramatically as search engine optimization (SEO). In its early years, SEO was a shady practice of keywords stuffing, tweaking backend code and spamming link till the time the keywords ranked well. Thankfully, Google stamped out all these shady practices and its search algorithms have been evolving continuously.
The foundation of Google was laid in place by the mid of 2000, but its algorithms were hard to define. This changed our approach to SEO in the past 10 years.
#1. The Usability of Contents
The rise of content marketing became an essential part of a successful SEO strategy. Google has always clarified what it meant by good content. The Panda Update in 2011 has finally served the death blow to the spammy content and keyword stuffing. After this update, it really became impossible to move on with gimmicky content-based tactics. Content marketing companies who offer content marketing services ensure their text contents are free from spammy information and keyword stuffing. They still consider that contents are the king today.
#2. The Death of Link Schemes
Google has defined in their own way what a ‘link scheme’ actually is along with some examples. Some of them find these points ambiguous, but the simple meaning of this is that no deliberate influence you’re ranking with the links will qualify the Google parameter.
#3. The reshaping of Local
Compared to 2006, local SEO today is completely a different animal. There have been lots of small redundancy and changes to the layout, but the biggest change occurred in the ranking factor took place in 2014 with the Pigeon Update.
#4. SERP Overhauls
There are very few who can bet on the number of time the search engine results pages have changed. These changes are so small, that it is debatable whether to count them or not.
#5. The Rise of the Knowledge Graph
Knowledge graph is a major influence in modern SEO which emerged in the scene in the year 2012. The purpose of it is to give the user a direct, concise answer to their query. This is great for the users but it often takes precedence over the organic results.
#6. Mobile Prioritization
Mobile devices have exploded its popularity since the iPhone got launched on the market in 2007 and Google has done its best to emphasize the importance of optimizing websites for those mobile users.
#7. The Gradual Death of the Keyword
Panda and Penguin have ultimately killed the practice of keyword stuffing but a smaller but more curious update in 2013 spelled the gradual death of keyword optimization.
#8. Update Pacing and Impact
Earlier Google stressed on search optimizers by releasing some major updates to search algorithm that fundamentally changed the way the ranking was calculated. But now the significance and pacing of these updates have declined. Today the updates are less noticeable, smaller and roll out gradually.
Therefore a good SEO company in Kolkata will have an idea from where SEO has come from and where SEO stands today which helps them to eliminate the black hat techniques in their strategy.
HEY ! I’m Nil (Founder of OnlineDrifts.com), Digital Marketer, Affiliate Marketer and a blogger writing about blogging tips, SEO, Tech Tips etc.