{"id":514,"date":"2016-06-24T15:09:42","date_gmt":"2016-06-24T15:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webigg.com\/blog\/?p=514"},"modified":"2018-12-10T04:38:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T04:38:59","slug":"history-of-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/history-of-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"History of SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEO marketing has changed tremendously over the years since its birth, and it will continue to change in the future. In its humble beginnings, SEO marketing was less like a marketing strategy and more like a loophole or a cheat code. Over time, Google began building new algorithms that thoroughly analyzed keywords and how they\u2019re used. SEO became a full-fledged strategy and a full-time career.<\/p>\n

SEO started way back when people first started using search engines to scour the internet for pertinent information. Of course, \u201cpertinent\u201d back then was mostly geocities pages and dancing hamsters. In those early days, Google\u2019s first algorithms were straightforward and only ranked pages based on a small number of factors. It didn\u2019t take long for digital marketing strategists to figure out what these factors were and how to trick search bots into ranking their websites.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until around 2003 that Google finally starting tightening its belt and regularly updating its algorithms. At this point, Google search bots had the intelligence to analyze pages based on complex factors and even penalize those that didn\u2019t adhere to best practices. Marketers could still predict how Google would rank a certain page by using certain keywords and phrases, but the days of computer vomit were finally over.<\/p>\n

Since those first updates in and around 2003, Google algorithms have steadily grown more intelligent and complex. In 2011 and 2012, Google\u2019s Panda and Penguin updates further regulated the type of content Google search bots could analyze. The Panda update made sure content was relevant by penalizing sites that used filler, duplicate language, and keyword stuffing. To fend off sites built with fake backlink pages, the Penguin update learned how to analyze the legitimacy of links.<\/p>\n

Websites that had natural inbound links were rewarded with a boost to their page rank, while sites with faulty links were penalized. Now Google\u2019s algorithms are so smart they can tell the difference between what\u2019s actually relevant to a consumer\u2019s search term. That\u2019s pretty impressive for a robot.<\/p>\n

So, what does the future look like for SEO? Some people have thrown in their hats and emphatically declared \u201cSEO is dead!\u201d It\u2019s understandable to think that way. Google\u2019s ever-changing algorithms become more and more complex with each update. There\u2019s no longer an easy way to \u201ccheat\u201d the system anymore, and SEO strategizing is basically a full-time career.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean SEO is dead. It just means strategists will have to keep up with the changes and update their websites. Google\u2019s intentions are to make life on the internet easier for consumers. It\u2019ll continue to enact best practices that make high-quality, relevant content the most rewarded.<\/p>\n

The use of keywords won\u2019t fizzle out altogether, but it won\u2019t matter how many posts you publish or how many back links your page has. The bots will focus on finding content that answers a specific question quickly and honestly. To do that, algorithms will study:<\/p>\n