Search Engine Optimisation which is popularly known as SEO has come a long way since its inception. Not many realised the impact SEO would have on their online presence or their business in general. Well, it all started with the dawn of the internet. This write up will give a clear picture about the evolution of SEO trends that have emerged over the recent years.
Primitive Stage (1991 – 2002)
1991 – World’s first website was launched
1993 – Revolution of how information was catalogued
1994 – Yahoo was born
1996 – Google was born
In this primitive stage of SEO, marketers practised keyword stuffing, excessive tagging, and backlinks to generate high rankings in search. Often, major algorithm updates would take several months to complete, allowing black-hat SEO tactics to remain effective for long stretches of time.
Early Stage (2003 – 2005)
- Personalised search based on user history which improved the relevancy of results emerged.
- The birth of local SEO helped users to connect with valuable information near them such as maps, locations, store hours and mobile results.
- Inbound links were used predominantly to increase search exposure.
- Penalisation of bad linking practices & keyword stuffing was brought in to practice to improve indexing.
Middle Stage (2006 – 2009)
- More engaging content media in search results such as news, images and videos were added.
- Google Suggest was launched that offered more relevant content by displaying suggested search options based on user history.
- Marketers began optimising their content to increase search exposure.
Enlightenment Stage (2010 – 2012)
- Content became the king.
- Stricter regulations on keywords, content quality impacted search results.
- Google + was born.
- Google expanded Google suggest by providing faster results as the query was typed.
- Content that was shared created valuable backlinks & engagement that built credibility.
Modern Stage (2013 – Present)
- Shift towards relevant content & accessibility with mobile & local search.
- Websites which lacked mobile optimisation lost search visibility in Google.
- Personalisation & quality content became dominant.
The evolution of SEO over the years explains the need for ethically optimising your website with the help of a reputed SEO company.