The Historical Evolution of SEO

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Although, many people consider it a new terminology but the history of SEO is incredibly extensive. Well, it’s a not new thing because the optimization of websites was started right after the increase in web pages over the internet. Excite, a popular search engine of that time was the first which introduced a smart way of scrutinizing websites. However, it is a well-established fact that the evolution of the internet has given rise to the need for search engine optimization.

Interestingly, the phenomenon of SEO grew out symptomatically along with gradual developments in the World Wide Web. You might understand the sophistication of present-day advancement in search engines as natural languages and voice search is getting pervasiveness. It has compelled the web owners to strive hard for ensuring increased visibility of their website for sustainable business success.

One other factor that can be analyzed from the historical background of SEO is that it is getting complex with every passing day. So, it is not easy to get through the process successfully without getting active assistance from SEO professionals. The main reason is that experts understand how to apply the learned lessons from history while considering the future happening in mind.

Summing up, the pioneers of SEO learned their skills from one another. Although, they might not be alive today, the doors of learning are never closed. You may go through historical development to predict the future but, consultation with SEO company Dubai will help you create your destiny.

History of SEO:

The Historical Evolution of SEO
History and Evolution of SEO

“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future” – Theodore Roosevelt

Initially, search engine optimization (SEO) brought some light to the websites living in dark ages. However, seldom anyone has the idea that SEO will become crucial for web survival over the internet. Let’s consider the history of SEO to have a glimpse of the future:

Initial Signs of Existence: 1991 – 2002

  • Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website in 1991
  • Search engine “Excite” modified the ways of website accessibility in 1993 based on keywords
  • Yahoo (1994) and Google (1997) started indexing web pages to sort out information

Marketing experts benefited from such improvements by keyword stuffing, spammed backlinks and black-hat tactics

The Early Life Days: 2003 – 2005

  • Google updated its indexing methods to discourage unethical optimization tactics in 2003
  • Hilltop” algorithm was introduced by Google to restrict META description stuffing in 2004
  • Google, Microsoft and Yahoo collective updates the attribute of “Nofollow” to combat outbound link spamming in 2005.

Search engines collectively promoted their maxim of “Don’t be evil” through rigorous updates and personalized search history.

The Middle SEO Ages: 2006 – 2009

  • Google introduced Universal Search by mixing news, videos and other
  • Search auto-complete facilities were adopted by eminent search engine Google in 2008
  • The advancement in keywords insights given rise to efficient tools including Google Analytics, Google Trends, Keyword Planner in 2009

This user-focused approach to SEO significantly helped in laying the start of the more personalized and captivating web.

The Phase of Enlightenment: 2010 – 2012

  • “Google suggest” was made the primary component of the search engine in 2010
  • Google imposed strict rules on content quality and keywords usage through Panda Update in 2011
  • The Google Knowledge Graph along with SERP to understand people, facts and places was introduced in 2012
  • Penguin update was launched by Google in 2012 to make SEO more refined process of ranking websites

It was a phase of massive revolutions in SEO as the content is given central importance as well as severe penalties introduced by Google on non-compliance.

The Age of Modernism: 2013 – Present

  • Google introduced “image search interface” for photographs optimization in 2013
  • Hummingbird was launched as the part of Google’s efforts to determine scrape-n-displace efforts in 2013
  • Mobile search, segmented content, link building authority, and long-tail keywords gained higher popularity during 2014 onwards

Presently, the world of the internet is on the crossroads of the struggle for optimal ranking. The SEO is not just limited to the higher listing, but the strong footprint is crucial for success. Websites are struggling between privacy and personalization.

The Life Ahead: Future SEO

  • After considering the past and present of the SEO, a few predictions can be made with authenticity including:
  • Niche-specific and user intent focused experiences will be the two primary requirements for a website to stand out over the internet
  • The internet world is to transforming rapidly towards instant gratification of user intended results with minimal efforts – now and ahead
  • Context-based user intent recognition is growing in smart gadgets which will increase personalization in content optimization

SEO is expected to be entirely integrated into all the assets where Google can reach – so, the future belongs to those who adopt the right techniques of website optimization.

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