Projecting and remaining true to its nature as a dynamic and ongoing process that requires constant adaptation and innovation, Search Engine Optimization has undergone a pronounced evolution from its earliest forms. These days, SEO is almost entirely unrecognizable from its earliest iteration, which could be easily exploited by keyword stuffing and other black hat SEO practices.
For students in digital marketing training, staying abreast of all the latest SEO trends and techniques is critical to your chances of success in the industry. It’s also important to know the processes, factors, and events that drove the evolution of SEO.
If you’re interested in digital marketing training, read on to learn about the evolution of SEO and identify some key aspects of its growth.
SEO’s Early Days
The concept of SEO predates the inception of Google and other search engines. The acronym “SEO” was first documented in 1997, marking its appearance in recorded history. Before the evolution of SEO, the functionality of search engines resembled that of physical directories found in large stores or malls rather than the online directories we are familiar with today.
Recognizing that their businesses were not receiving the desired prominence in directories, some business owners began exploring optimizing their directory listings. This marked the inception of what we now refer to as SEO, albeit under different names at the time.
During that era, enhancing SEO performance was relatively straightforward. It involved incorporating key elements like inbound and outbound links, strategic usage of focus keywords, and ensuring a functional website. As the late 1990s approached, numerous tech pioneers started implementing these tactics and experienced notable improvements in their SEO outcomes.
Aspects of SEO’s Evolution as Explained in SEO Courses
As mentioned earlier, SEO has changed markedly from its earliest forms. As the concept of SEO evolves, it sheds some of its features and takes on new ones. These are some areas where SEO has changed over the decades:
Shifting Focus to Topics From Keywords
One of the most significant changes in SEO is the shift from focusing on individual keywords to focusing on broader topics and user intent. Historically, SEO was mainly about optimizing web pages for specific keywords that users would type into search engines.
However, this approach became less effective as search engines became more sophisticated and were able to understand the context and meaning behind users’ queries. Nowadays, SEO is more about creating comprehensive and authoritative content that covers a topic in-depth and answers users’ questions. Cumberland College’s SEO course beams a more detailed spotlight on this.
Quality Over Quantity
Another necessary change in SEO is the shift from focusing on quantity to concentrating on quality. SEO is used to reward creating as much content as possible and stuffing it with keywords to rank higher in search engines.
With search engines becoming more selective and capable of evaluating the quality and relevance of online content, this approach became less effective. As you’ll discover in digital marketing training at Cumberland College, creating high-quality content today is more critical than ever before to rank well in search engines.
In our course, we equip students with hands-on experience by teaching them about real SEO projects. This knowledge will help our students, after graduation, to ensure that they provide high-ranking SEO keywords.
Some of these projects are:
- Complete an SEO audit of a website
- Define target keywords for SEO strategies
- Troubleshoot and fix technical SEO issues
Focus On User Experience and Mobile Optimization
User experience (UX) has gained immense importance in recent years, directly impacting SEO rankings. Search engines now consider page load speed, mobile-friendliness, ease of navigation, and overall user satisfaction.
With the surge in mobile device usage, optimizing websites for mobile has become a crucial aspect of SEO. Mobile-friendly websites are favoured by search engines, leading to higher rankings and improved user experience.
Are you interested in a digital marketing diploma?
Contact Cumberland College BC to get started.
