R.I.P. SEO? SEO is alive? SEO is dying?

Many commentators have been saying SEO is dead ever since the day SEO started. There’s no doubt it’s changed significantly from link farms and keyword stuffing to get to the NO1 spot on Google. Nowadays SEO is a much more measured and hands on these days especially with all the regular changes in the Google algorithm.

There are many articles dating back to the inception of the Internet about SEO and it could not be further from the truth that SEO is dead. For the record SEO is not dead and let me tell you why.

With the rise of the Internet many smart devices have been developed including smart watches, smartphones, smart cars, the list of these types of devices is endless. Of course, with all these devices getting thrusted upon the Internet in such a short period of time in the Technology Revolution, we are now seeing many trends emerge as to all the different ways people communicate using the web.

The most significant fact we are all faced with is the growth of internet traffic, as it continues to dominate our private lives and the business world. What we are seeing in terms of traffic is an exponential growth curve and now more interestingly what we are seeing in terms of search is the need for more intuitive content.

In 2017, mobile search is now more than 50% of all Webcetera’s client data. Our SEO insight into the Google algorithm suggests we’re definitely getting rewarded for fast mobile responsive websites that have relevant and popular content. Can you see what is happening to your website ranking? Check the load time or go to our free SEO analysis and we’’ let you know.

Given all the Google search options, we have so many different ways to search. You can now search via news, images, video, shopping, and books, personal and now the latest in search development is voice search and in my view, it’s going to dominate search along with video.

In general, voice search is more wordy or conversational than all the other types of search Google, Bing and Yahoo offer to browsers. Given that voice search is more wordy and conversational; it actually speaks volumes about the importance of long-tail keywords. The conversion of conversation or voice to text for search purposes will ignite the value and importance of less competitive keywords, which currently do not dominate the search world.

We think the likely result of conversational or voice search feed into the Google algorithm will generate more exact results at the top of the SERP’s. In the SEO world, rather than shooting for the number one position with competitive keywords, conversational search will open up the doors for longer tail keyword importance and hence exact results will become more important for SEO’ers.

There’s no doubt with the number of daily Google searches being performed these days, web companies are going to be forced to shift their strategies to be able to be seen and heard in this increasing traffic frenzy. So with more searches being done and dilution of SERP’s, what choice will companies SEO companies have but to change the way they do their SEO. Yes, there are alternatives however SEO is the most cost-effective channel for all our clientele.

Look no further than the likes of what Microsoft, Google and Apple are trying to achieve with their voice search programs. They are all investing heavily into voice search as we all change the way we search.

You simply cannot ignore all the search stats and their results but you cannot ignore how this will change in the near future. A day in the search world is equivalent to a year in the pre-search world, or that’s how we perceive it as working with the Webcetera SEO team.

I’ll leave you with some stats on daily searches worldwide.

Did you know?
· 93% of all online experiences begin with search engine’s
· 75% of users never scroll to page 2 of SERP results
· 70 to 80% of users ignore paid ads and focus on organic search results.
(Source: which-50.com)