Search engine optimization (SEO) critics love to predict when SEO will die – often sooner rather than later. However, the death of SEO simply will not happen. SEO may evolve with modern technologies and marketing tactics but optimizing content for user searches will never go out of style. SEO is not only alive and well, but it’s 
more important than ever.
Google algorithm updates, speech pattern searching, and the involvement of artificial intelligence to show how SEO isn’t going extinct reveal how SEO is adapting to new user needs rather than dying.
The essence of a search engine’s function is to answer our questions – to provide content to inform the public about any given topic, person, business, or idea imaginable. The essence of writing content for the internet is to provide users answers to those questions, or in a Zen state of mind, to answer questions no one’s even thought of asking yet.
What’s SEO?
Search engine optimization is a marketing discipline focused on writing internet content that lands favorably in search engine results. Research shows that the top five search results on Google typically get 67% of all keyword-related clicks, and the top five is a good spot!
Some people think SEO is dead. SEO is not dead, but SEO is evolving – just as the internet has evolved during the past 10 years, just as technology has evolved, and just as humans continue to evolve.
How Is SEO Changing?
- Google Algorithms. Each year, Google changes its search algorithm between 500 – 600 times. What’s the goal of these updates? The overriding goal is to deliver answers to user’s search queries more effectively – via well-sourced, informative content. SEO continues to evolve to meet those changes – but, in the end, traffic is product of the quality of content on any give page – SEO matters, but, without top-quality content, your pages won’t rank high on Google’s current updates.
- Speech Pattern Searching. Voice searches are occupying an increasingly wider share of the search query space. We don’t type like we speak, so, in order to grab the voice searching market, the use of natural speech in keyword composition and the prevalent use of long-tail keywords is required. Instead using the keyword “office desk,” you might want to be more descriptive, and use “desk for college” as a keyword instead, to better encompass a demographic who might query a keyword such as that into a voice search (a college student for instance).
- Artificial Intelligence. Since the dawn of Google, a key element of its business model has always been to automate – to let machines do as much of the work as possible. Humans back most, if not all the algorithmic functions of the AI-based search components. But in the end, delivering content that provides answers to questions people have, content that provides useful information to users, is what drives search engine results.
SEO isn’t dead at all; SEO continues to evolve as internet users’ curiosity continues to grow. If your business is looking to rank higher on search engine results pages, contact the team at Steerpoint. Our full-service digital marketing firm can ensure you stay ahead of the competition.