History of SEO
As the amount of data, the number of websites, the the sheer mass of media—information on the internet is growing by the day, it can be nearly impossible to get noticed through all this white noise.
The key to standing out is getting on Google’s good side–the side where they rank you high on their search results page. Because only when you become a best match for user queries will you start to see your website traffic skyrocket.
But how are the best matches chosen? Every search engine has their own algorithm. They base it on a variety of factors, including keyword matches, trustworthiness of the website, and much more. And they do a good job of this. Unfortunately, because so many websites have information that matches the search query, there can be pages and pages of results. Yet users are 25% less likely to choose the fifth ranked website than the website that is ranked first on the search results page. Therefore, businesses looking to grow and reach a wider market need to rank high in the results. Thus the creation of search engine optimization.
Search Engine Optimization Defined
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is comprised of strategies used by professionals to rank higher on a search engine’s results page, or SERP. This leads to an increase in the number of visitors that a website brings in, and should result in more revenue for the business. Statistics show that the highest ranked pages are the most visited pages—internet users simply do not scroll through page after page of search results, instead they trust Google to find the best result and rank it at the top.
In short, SEO breaks down a search engine’s ranking algorithm to find out what it bases its rankings on. It then uses various methods for addressing each of these ranking factors, optimizing a website for the algorithm.
The Search Engine Optimization Industry
The SEO industry is big and it is growing at a rapid rate. In 2018, experts estimate that businesses will spend $72 billion on SEO services. By 2020, they expect this number to jump to $80 billion. A big part of these services is the SEO software that supports them, which is also growing rapidly—estimations show the market growing at a CAGR of nearly 15% between 2018 and 2022.
And it is not just the big, enterprise businesses that are contributing to this growth. Yes, enterprise companies do spend the most on SEO, with 45% of these organizations spending more than $20,000 each month. But medium and small businesses are spending significant amounts on SEO as well. 20% of medium-sized businesses are also spending over $20,000 on SEO monthly and 9.3% of small business are doing the same. The fact is that organizations of every size and from every industry are very aware that SEO needs to be a priority.
The History Of Search Engine Optimization
While many people think of SEO in only present terms, the practice has a history and it goes back further than most would think. SEO’s creation is closely linked to the search engine’s creation, which is why SEO popped up within a year of Archie’s development—the very first search engine.
The first SEO methods were basic because the search engine ranking methods were basic. The algorithm was solely based on keywords and authority—or how many backlinks a website had. Therefore, in order to rank higher, websites stuffed their pages with keywords, going so far as to even repeat words excessively. They would also use spam as backlinks, making it appear to the algorithm that they were an authoritative source.
In 1998, Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page put an end to this problem by creating Google and its more complex algorithm. The idea was to use website quality, rather than just keywords, in the ranking process. And to help quality websites make their web pages better, Google released SEO guidelines in the early 2000s. But until 2003, these guidelines were very much still in their infancy. It was only with Google’s “Florida” algorithm update that SEO truly began to take shape and become an industry in its own right.
Florida upended Google’s ranking system. Many sites lost their rankings, while others shot up to the top. The reason for this was that Google started penalizing sites that keyword stuffed and made other moves that prioritized the users’ needs. And this dramatic change to the algorithm is when many companies began to significantly invest in SEO.
After Florida came the Nofollow Attribute, which penalized websites for spam links. And then there was personalized search, allowing Google to use an individual’s history, both browsing and search, to provide more accurate results. Then came Caffeine, Google Instant, Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, Pirate, RankBrain, and all of their 2.0 and 3.0 versions.
Through each of these updates, Google has consistently perfected their algorithm, finding ways to root out spam sites and provide users with exactly what they are looking for. And as the algorithm has grown in complexity the SEO industry has grown. There are firms dedicated to SEO, software for perfecting SEO, and blog upon blog upon blog written on the topic. In all likelihood, SEO will only continue to grow as search engine algorithms transform and increase in complexity.
Because of these regular changes, as well as the fact that SEO impacts everything from a website to Tweets to advertising, companies need to take SEO seriously—with their business strategy and their annual budget. When SEO is prioritized it gives organizations a jolt of energy. The kind of energy that creates profits and excites the market.
You need to partner with the right SEO expert. We can assist with this. We have a comprehensive list of SEO providers, each with their own unique set of experiences and expertise. We look at your specific needs and match you up with providers who know SEO in your industry and have worked on projects similar to your needs. You then interview them to discover who is the right fit for your business and hire them directly.