History of SEO

I remember the days!

When (shock, horror!) there was no Google.

Hardly anyone had a website and SEO was unheard of.

This is a short precis on a History of SEO

1990s
Back in the 1990s, you just needed a website. It didn’t have to look good or have much text and so long as your pages linked together, it was just fine! But what happened next put some websites in deep trouble. It’s surprising how many people still think that if they just have a website, it will automatically act as a magnet and people will somehow just find it without you having to do anything.

The early 2000s
Then Google gained traction and Keywords became important in making your website searchable. But as more and more websites were launched online, some people started to fill their pages up with loads of Keywords that made the written word useless for humans but great for SEO. Fortunately the people at Google decided this practice had to stop and radically changed their algorithms, penalising sites that ‘Keyword Stuffed’. If you used Backlink farms too, your site would be sent to the back of the queue, natural organic growth, well written copy with relevant keywords plus authenticity is the order of the day.

Now we need to build websites with interesting, compelling content that entices people to engage with your site. Being honest and authentic is as important for humans as it is for Google and Bing.

2012 onwards
Over the years, we have worked hard at building websites that are planned for both human interaction and successful SEO. But it is up to you to continue to manage the content on your website and keep it fresh. This involves you creating regular blog posts and interacting with people on Social Media, offering advice and help and creating relevant links to your site where you may be advertising an offer. However, if you find that you are unable to keep up with Blogging, or need additional specialist SEO support, or maybe you have found yourself in a Google Penalty situation – then SEO specialist Dan Somers can help you.

One last word
Don’t forget, even if you’ve got super SEO, content that is easy to read and understand and a well ranking site, people will soon leave it if it hurts their eyes. Great text and SEO go hand in hand with great design, but that’s another Blog subject!

This informative video by Customer Magnetism explains how things have moved on in the last 24+ years: