What is Search Engine Optimisation
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimising a website or web page to improve its ranking on search engines’ search results pages (SERPs). This is accomplished by ensuring that a website or web page’s content is relevant, informative, and easy to understand for both search engines and human visitors. SEO is a constantly evolving field, and it has undergone significant changes over the past decade due to the continuous updates and changes in search engine algorithms.
The history of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
The history of SEO can be traced back to the mid-1990s, when the first search engines emerged, such as Yahoo, Altavista, and Google. In those early days, SEO was a relatively simple process, and search engines relied heavily on the use of meta tags, keyword stuffing, and backlinking to determine a website’s ranking on SERPs.
However, with the rise of Google, the game changed. In the early 2000s, Google introduced PageRank, an algorithm that used the number and quality of backlinks to a website as a key factor in determining its ranking on SERPs. This shift marked the beginning of a new era in SEO, with more emphasis on high-quality content and relevant backlinks.
Google algorithm updates over the years
Over the past ten years, Google has introduced numerous algorithm updates aimed at improving the quality of its search results and weeding out low-quality websites that try to manipulate their rankings through shady SEO practices. Some of the most significant updates are:
Panda: Launched in 2011, this algorithm update focused on eliminating low-quality content from search results. It targeted sites with thin content, content farms, and sites with duplicate or plagiarized content.
Penguin: Rolled out in 2012, this update focused on identifying and penalizing sites that use spammy backlinks to manipulate their rankings. It targeted sites with unnatural link profiles, link schemes, and link networks.
Hummingbird: Introduced in 2013, this algorithm update marked a shift towards semantic search, which aimed to improve the accuracy and relevance of search results by understanding the meaning behind search queries rather than just matching keywords.
Mobilegeddon: Launched in 2015, this update was aimed at improving the mobile-friendliness of websites. It gave preference to mobile-friendly sites in search results, penalizing sites that were not optimized for mobile devices.
RankBrain: Rolled out in 2015, this update marked another shift towards semantic search, using machine learning to better understand the context and meaning behind search queries.
Possum: Introduced in 2016, this update focused on improving the accuracy and relevance of local search results. It gave more weight to the user’s location when delivering local search results and filter out duplicate or low-quality listings.
Fred: Launched in 2017, this update targeted sites that focused on generating revenue through low-quality, ad-heavy content rather than providing useful information to users.
Other updates and additions
In addition to these updates, Google has also made changes to its search results pages over the past decade, introducing features such as the Knowledge Graph, featured snippets, and local packs. These changes have had a significant impact on SEO, with marketers needing to adapt their strategies to optimize for these new features.
The positive effects of good SEO on a website cannot be overstated. A website that is well-optimized for search engines can enjoy increased visibility and traffic, leading to more leads, sales, and revenue. By ensuring that a website’s content is relevant, informative, and easy to understand, SEO can help build trust and credibility with potential customers.
In addition to these benefits, good SEO can also lead to better user experience (UX) for visitors to a website. By ensuring that a website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and provides useful information, SEO can help improve UX and keep visitors engaged.
