Is SEO already dead or is SEO still evolving?

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a vital element in digital marketing. But with people finding a shortcut to work around this, is SEO dead in 2022?

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Since the beginning of the internet, there has been a lot of talk about SEO being a dying craft. Although there have been significant changes to the way SEO is now handled, it would be a massive exaggeration to suggest it is now dead.

Let’s take a look at why there’s a rumor that SEO is on its final legs every now and then. When SEO first began, it was all about link building that was excessive and unrelated, keyword stuffing, invisible or buried texts, and other black hat SEO techniques. Although these approaches are now regarded as spammy, they were popular at the time since they produced excellent results in a short amount of time. However, we must keep in mind that what is popular today may become obsolete tomorrow.

Those who are still involved in SEO realize that it is changing at a quick pace. And it was at Google that this requirement for ongoing innovation was first noticed. Webmasters were engaging in a variety of spammy behaviors in order to improve their search ranks, according to Google. As a result, the company’s goal of better addressing customer searches was harmed, as less-relevant results appeared.

In November 2003, they sent out their first search algorithm upgrade- the Florida Update. Since then, Google has released thousands more changes, all with the same purpose in mind: to offer consumers high-quality, relevant information.

How is SEO still not dead?

A channel isn’t dead just because the analytics aren’t working in your favor. When it comes to search as a whole (and I’m not just talking about Bing and Google; people search on other sites and platforms as well), Google still has a huge 92.6% market share.

People still use Google and prefer it as a search engine. What has changed, though, is how Google is used. It used to be that networks like Instagram were utilized for discovery and Google was used for commerce (purchasing). Over time, the tendency has shifted to Instagram being heavily utilized for commerce and Google being mostly used as a discovery engine. ‘

So, SEO cannot be dead for the reason that people are engaging in shady activities. Google can work around its way to figure out what can be done to tackle this. Not all SEO is dead, but there are a few methods that are no longer effective. Outdated SEO strategies might lead to a dip in rankings and a decrease in traffic. Over time, Google has picked up on dodgy practices and fine-tuned its ranking elements. They’re better than ever at promoting useful information, which implies that in some circumstances, SEO specialists will have to take a different approach

How to use SEO in your favor?

Internet marketers must adapt their strategies as algorithms are tweaked and redesigned. The trick is to use Alive and well SEO strategies. SEO is a labor of love that demands constant administration and tweaking. SEO that thrives in 2021 follows Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and keeps current with industry news.

It’s vital to keep track of industry leaders and resources in order to understand what’s doing well. The SEO tactics listed below can help you remodel your site and increase revenue in 2022.

Is SEO Still Relevant in 2022?

Yes, SEO is more important than ever before. In the United States alone, different organisations and agencies spent over 65 billion dollars on SEO operations in 2016. The figures jumped to 72 billion dollars in 2018 and are predicted to exceed 80 billion dollars in 2020.

For instance, if you search for the phrase “what is off-page SEO,” you can see how many people are attempting to answer the question.

To put it another way, this incredible development proves that SEO is here to stay!

Every year, Google conducts 2 trillion online searches, or 5.5 billion requests every day. Organic or unpaid traffic accounts for 51% of all website traffic. And the majority of these individuals are being sent to sites that rank in the top five search positions on Google’s SERPs. Consider how much money you could make from organic traffic. As a result, having your website optimized is critical if you want to stay at the top of search results or outperform competitors in your niche.

Over time, changing user behavior has necessitated a rethinking of optimization strategies. The following are some of the most significant changes in the field:

  • Increased Mobile Search

Google moved to‘mobile-first indexing’ after a surge in the number of individuals using smartphones or mobile devices. This means that when indexing and ranking a website, Google will take into account the mobile version of the material.

  • Rich Snippets

Rich snippets, first introduced by Google in May 2009, have let consumers find a lot of information right on the SERP (search engine results page) without having to go to any other websites. Ratings, votes, read time, calories, and other data may be included.

  • Google AI Algorithms like RankBrain

RankBrain is a machine learning-based search algorithm that aids Google in processing search queries and providing users with more relevant, contextual results based on the search intent.

  • Featured Snippets

A featured snippet is a box of information that appears above a SERP’s organic search results. It holds the exact response to a user’s search query. In addition, the featured snippet may be displayed in response to voice questions.

  • Voice Search

Since its beginnings, voice assistants have come a long way. Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana have gone a long way, and customers have been enticed to use them. As a result, the number of voice search inquiries has steadily increased. If you want to optimize for voice search, keep in mind that longtail keywords are the key to success.

“This is the global smart speaker market share, according to a poll conducted by “voice bot,” which demonstrates how much smart speakers will be utilized in the coming years.”

Image Credits: Voicebot.ai

With the updates and tweaking that are happening around SEO, we can say that SEO is not dead in 2022, it is evolving. Old methods will no longer work and may result in severe penalties. In such a situation, staying current on all of Google’s search algorithm modifications is the only way to stay ahead of the game.

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