While it is widely acknowledged that search engine optimization (SEO) and Enterprise SEO Experts is heavily intertwined with Google in today’s context, the history of this practice predates the existence of the world’s most popular search engine, co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Although one could argue that SEO and the realm of search engine marketing trace their origins back to the launch of the first website in 1991 or the debut of the initial web search engine, the official narrative of SEO begins around 1997. According to Bob Heyman, the author of Digital Engagement, an interesting catalyst in the birth of what we now recognize as “search engine optimization” can be attributed to the manager of the rock band Jefferson Starship.
This manager was displeased that the official Jefferson Starship website was appearing on the fourth page of search engine results at the time, instead of securing the coveted first position on the first page. While the accuracy of this story may be subject to interpretation, it is generally accepted that the term SEO emerged around 1997.
Further research reveals that John Audette of Multimedia Marketing Group was already using the term as early as February 15, 1997, adding more evidence to the origins of SEO.
The Evolution of Search Engine Ranking in 1997
Back in 1997, achieving high rankings on search engines was still a relatively new concept, and the landscape was predominantly driven by directories.
During that time, before DMOZ (Mozilla Open Directory Project) became the primary classification system for Google, other directories played significant roles. LookSmart relied on Zeal, Go.com had its own directory, and the Yahoo Directory held substantial influence over Yahoo Search.
If you’re not familiar with DMOZ, it essentially functioned as a website equivalent of the Yellow Pages. It served as a centralized platform where websites were categorized and organized. In its early days, Yahoo’s core mission was centered around providing users with access to the best websites available, as curated by editors. The Yahoo Directory served as the foundation of this approach.
In 1998, recognizing the need to drive more traffic to the impressive websites they had built, I began practising SEO on behalf of our clients. Unbeknownst to me, SEO would eventually evolve into a way of life.
Considering that the World Wide Web was still a relatively novel idea for most individuals during that period, it’s understandable. Fast forward to today, and it’s a different story. Everyone aspires to dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Search Engine Optimization vs. Search Engine Marketing
Before Search Engine Optimization became the official name, other terms were used as well:
- Search engine placement.
- Search engine positioning.
- Search engine ranking.
- Search engine registration.
- Search engine submission.
- Website promotion.
However, any comprehensive discussion on this topic would be incomplete without acknowledging another significant term.
Search Engine Marketing
In 2001, an influential writer in the industry proposed “search engine marketing” as a potential successor to “search engine optimization.” However, it is evident that this transition did not occur.
Be prepared to encounter numerous false claims such as “SEO is dead” or the emergence of supposed new forms of SEO. There will also be attempts to rebrand SEO under different names like “Search Experience Optimization.”
While the term SEO may not be flawless since we are not optimizing search engines themselves but rather our online presence, it has remained the preferred and widely adopted term within our industry for over two decades. It is likely to continue as such in the foreseeable future.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM), is still utilized but has become more closely linked with paid search marketing and advertising practices. Both terms, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), coexist harmoniously in the present day, each serving distinct yet interconnected purposes.
Search Engine History
Search engines have revolutionized the way we discover information, conduct research, engage in online shopping, find entertainment, and connect with others. They serve as the backbone for nearly every online platform, be it websites, blogs, social networks, or applications. Search engines have become an essential navigational tool, guiding us through the complexities of our daily lives.
But let’s delve into the origins of this transformative technology. To understand the roots of search engines and search engine optimization, we have compiled a timeline of significant milestones that have shaped this crucial aspect of our modern world.
The Start of SEO
During the final decade of the 1900s, the search engine arena was characterized by intense competition. Users had a multitude of options when it came to selecting a search engine, with a range of choices available including human-powered directories and crawler-based listings. Notable names in this space included AltaVista, Ask Jeeves, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, and Yahoo.
At the onset, the primary focus of SEO was centered around on-page activities, as it represented the only viable approach to optimizing websites for search engines.
This included optimizing for factors such as:
- Making sure the content was good and relevant.
- There was enough text.
- Your HTML tags were accurate.
- You had internal links and outbound links.
During this era, achieving high rankings in search results primarily relied on a simple yet somewhat dubious tactic: repeating keywords abundantly throughout web pages and meta tags.
The prevailing belief was that if a competing page used a particular keyword 100 times, one could surpass them by incorporating the same keyword 200 times. However, this practice, now known as keyword stuffing, has since been recognized as spam.
Let’s explore some key highlights from this period:
1994 History
In a humble campus trailer, Yahoo was founded by Stanford University students Jerry Wang and David Filo. Initially, Yahoo served as an Internet bookmark list and directory, featuring a compilation of intriguing websites.
During this era, webmasters had to undertake the manual task of submitting their web pages to the Yahoo directory for indexing. This ensured that their pages would be accessible to Yahoo’s search engine when users performed searches.
In addition to Yahoo, other prominent search engines like AltaVista, Excite, and Lycos also made their debut, contributing to the rapidly evolving landscape of online search.
1996 History
At Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both students at the time, embarked on the development and testing of a novel search engine called Backrub. This innovative search engine utilized the concepts of inbound link relevancy and popularity to rank websites.
As Backrub evolved and underwent further refinement, it eventually transformed into the widely recognized search engine we know today as Google. Simultaneously, HotBot, another search engine powered by Inktomi, was also introduced to the online search landscape.
1997 History
Building upon the achievements of “A Webmaster’s Guide to Search Engines,” Danny Sullivan took a significant step forward by establishing Search Engine Watch. This website served as a valuable resource for the latest news in the search industry, web searching tips, and insights on improving website rankings.
It is noteworthy that a decade later, after his departure from Search Engine Watch, Sullivan went on to create another highly regarded search publication called Search Engine Land. Presently, he holds a position at Google, further contributing to the search engine realm.
During this period, Ask Jeeves made its debut, introducing a new search engine to the market. Additionally, the domain Google.com was registered, marking the initial stages of what would become one of the most prominent and influential search engines in the world.
1998 History
The launch of Goto.com brought about a significant development in the search engine landscape by introducing sponsored links and paid search advertising. Advertisers had the opportunity to bid on Goto.com to secure higher rankings above the organic search results, which were powered by Inktomi. Eventually, Yahoo acquired Goto.com, further shaping the search engine industry.
During this period, DMOZ, also known as the Open Directory Project, emerged as the prime destination for SEO practitioners aiming to have their web pages listed and indexed.
Additionally, MSN entered the search engine arena by introducing MSN Search, initially powered by Inktomi, thereby expanding the competition among search engine providers.
1999 History
A notable milestone in the search engine industry was the inaugural Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference, which marked the first comprehensive gathering focused on search marketing. For a retrospective on this significant event, you can find an article by Sullivan here.
It’s worth mentioning that the SES conference series continued for several years, operating under different names and parent companies, until its final edition in 2016, after which it ceased to run.
The Google Revolution
In the year 2000, Yahoo made a strategic move that would go down in history as one of the worst decisions in the search engine industry. They partnered with Google and allowed Google to power their organic search results instead of relying on Inktomi.
At that time, Google was a relatively unknown search engine, far from the recognition it enjoys today. However, this partnership with Yahoo proved to be a turning point, as every Yahoo search result now displayed “Powered by Google,” catapulting Google into the spotlight and establishing it as a household name.
Before Google’s emergence, search engines primarily ranked websites based on factors such as on-page content, domain names, directory listings, and basic site structure. However, Google’s web crawler and PageRank algorithm introduced revolutionary changes to information retrieval.
Google’s algorithm took into account both on-page and off-page factors, with particular emphasis on the quantity and quality of external links pointing to a website, as well as the anchor text used. This focus on links led to the rise of an entire sub-industry of link building, as SEO practitioners recognized their significance in Google’s ranking algorithm.
Over the next decade, the race was on to acquire as many links as possible in an attempt to achieve higher rankings. However, this pursuit led to the abuse of links as a tactic, prompting Google to address the issue in subsequent years.
In 2000, Google also introduced the Google Toolbar, which allowed SEO practitioners to view their PageRank score, a number between 0 and 10 indicating the perceived importance of a webpage. This development led to an influx of unsolicited link exchange requests.
Furthermore, Google introduced AdWords ads alongside its organic search results in 2000, marking the debut of paid search advertising. Around the same time, a group of webmasters informally gathered at a London pub to share knowledge and insights on SEO. This informal gathering eventually evolved into Pubcon, a prominent search conference series that continues to this day.
In the following months and years, the SEO community became accustomed to the monthly “Google Dance,” during which Google updated its index, often resulting in significant fluctuations in rankings.
While Google co-founder Sergey Brin had once stated that Google did not believe in web spam, his perspective likely evolved by 2003. Updates like “Florida” made SEO much more challenging, as it became evident that repeating keywords a certain number of times was no longer sufficient for optimal rankings.
Monetizing SEO Content on Google AdSense
In 2003, Google made a significant move by acquiring Blogger.com and subsequently launching AdSense. This platform enabled the display of contextually targeted Google ads on publisher websites.
The combination of AdSense and Blogger.com sparked a remarkable increase in straightforward, monetized online publishing, ushering in a blogging revolution. However, Google likely didn’t anticipate the issues that would arise as a result.
The introduction of AdSense gave rise to spammy tactics, leading to the proliferation of low-quality websites filled with thin, poor, or stolen content. These websites existed solely to achieve high rankings, generate clicks, and generate revenue.
Local SEO and Personalization
Around 2004, significant developments took place in the search engine industry. Google and other leading search engines started enhancing their results for queries with geographic intent. This meant that when users searched for local businesses or service providers in their city or town, they would receive more relevant and location-specific results.
In 2006, Google introduced the Maps Plus Box, which was an impressive addition at the time. This feature combined mapping technology with relevant information about businesses, providing users with a comprehensive view of local search results.
During this period, search engines also began utilizing end-user data, such as search history and interests, to personalize search results. This personalization meant that search results could differ between individuals, even when searching for the same query. It marked a shift towards delivering more customized and relevant search experiences.
Most Important Digital Marketing Strategies Everyone Should Know
In 2005, the concept of “nofollow” tags was introduced as a countermeasure against spam. SEO professionals started using these tags as a way to control the flow of PageRank and optimize their website’s linking structure. It became a technique known as “PageRank sculpting,” allowing webmasters to strategically allocate the flow of link authority within their site.
Two significant updates in the history of search engine optimization are worth mentioning: Jagger and Big Daddy.
- Jagger, an algorithm update, played a crucial role in reducing the prevalence of unsolicited link exchanges that were rampant at the time. This update aimed to discourage manipulative link-building practices by devaluing the importance of excessive link exchanges. Additionally, Jagger brought attention to the corruptibility of anchor text as a ranking factor, leading to its diminished significance in search engine rankings.
- Big Daddy, a term coined by Jeff Manson of RealGeeks, introduced architectural improvements to Google’s infrastructure. These changes allowed for a more comprehensive evaluation of the value and relationships between links across different websites. The Big Daddy update enhanced Google’s understanding of the link graph, enabling a more accurate assessment of the authority and relevance of websites based on their linking profiles.
Both Jagger and Big Daddy played significant roles in shaping the field of search engine optimization, paving the way for more sophisticated ranking algorithms and promoting a shift towards a more holistic approach to website quality and authority.
YouTube, Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools
In October 2006, Google made a significant acquisition by purchasing YouTube, a user-generated video-sharing network, for a staggering $1.65 billion. This acquisition propelled YouTube to become the second most utilized search property globally.
Fast forward to the present, YouTube boasts an astonishing user base of 2 billion individuals worldwide. With its immense popularity, video SEO became a vital strategy for brands, businesses, and individuals seeking to enhance their discoverability and visibility.
In 2006, Google unveiled two groundbreaking tools that have revolutionized website analytics and optimization:
- Google Analytics, a free and web-based tool, was an instant hit upon its launch. Its popularity was so immense that webmasters encountered occasional downtime and maintenance warnings due to the overwhelming demand. Google Analytics provided comprehensive insights into website traffic, user behavior, conversions, and other essential metrics, empowering webmasters to make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.
- Google Webmaster Tools, now known as the Search Console, emerged as a vital resource for webmasters. This tool enabled webmasters to gain valuable information about their websites’ performance in search results. It offered features like identifying crawling errors, providing data on the search queries for which a site appeared, and allowing webmasters to request re-inclusion in search results if their site had been removed or penalized.
Both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools (now Search Console) have become indispensable for website owners and marketers, providing crucial insights and tools to optimize their online presence and enhance their visibility in search engine results.
In 2006, an important development took place with the universal adoption of XML sitemaps by search engines.
XML sitemaps provided a valuable means for webmasters to communicate with search engines by presenting a comprehensive list of all the available URLs on their websites that are open for crawling.
These XML sitemaps go beyond a mere list of URLs. They also include additional information that assists search engines in crawling websites more intelligently. By providing metadata about the URLs, such as their importance, last modification date, and frequency of changes, XML sitemaps enable search engines to prioritize their crawling efforts and better understand the structure and content of a website.
The widespread acceptance and utilization of XML sitemaps have significantly enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of website indexing by search engines, facilitating better website visibility and accessibility in search results.
Universal Search
Starting in 2007, the landscape of search engines began to undergo remarkable transformations, introducing novel and captivating features.
One noteworthy development was Google’s Universal Search, designed with the intention of enhancing the search experience for users. Prior to this update, search results predominantly comprised a list of ten blue links. However, Google revolutionized search by integrating traditional organic search results with various vertical results such as news, video, and images. This marked a significant milestone, representing the most substantial change to Google search and the field of SEO since the Florida update.
The introduction of Universal Search not only diversified the search results but also presented new opportunities and challenges for SEO practitioners. Websites now had the chance to appear in different types of search results beyond the traditional web page listings, requiring a broader optimization approach to encompass various media formats.
The evolution of search in 2007 set the stage for further innovations in the years to come, shaping the way users interact with search engines and underscoring the importance of adapting SEO strategies to the evolving search landscape.
The Cesspool
In 2008, the then-CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, made a notable statement, referring to the Internet as a “cesspool” and emphasizing the role of brands as a solution to this issue. Schmidt argued that brands serve as a means to navigate through the overwhelming amount of online content.
Soon after Schmidt’s comment, Google introduced an update known as Vince, which appeared to favor prominent brands in the search engine results pages (SERPs). However, Google clarified that the intention of the Vince update was not specifically to reward brands. Instead, it aimed to prioritize trust as a significant factor in the algorithm, and larger, well-established brands tended to have more trust associated with them.
Shortly thereafter, Google launched another update called Caffeine, which focused on enhancing the speed and efficiency of its indexing process. Caffeine introduced a next-generation search architecture, designed to provide faster and more accurate results while crawling a larger portion of the web.
In 2010, Google announced that site speed would also factor into website rankings. This meant that the loading speed of a website became a consideration in determining its position in search results. This emphasis on site speed reflected Google’s commitment to delivering a positive user experience by prioritizing fast-loading websites.
These developments in the late 2000s and early 2010s underscored Google’s ongoing efforts to improve the search experience, considering factors like trust, speed, and relevance. Adapting to these changes became crucial for brands and website owners aiming to optimize their online presence and achieve favorable rankings in the ever-evolving search landscape.
Bing and The Search Alliance
In 2009, Microsoft Live Search underwent a rebranding and became known as Bing. This renaming aimed to provide a fresh identity and approach to the search engine.
In an effort to challenge Google’s dominant position in the U.S. search market, Yahoo and Microsoft forged a partnership in 2009. The Search Alliance, a 10-year search deal, was formed with the goal of combining resources and technologies to compete more effectively. However, the partnership underwent modifications and adjustments five years later.
Under the Search Alliance, Bing took on the responsibility of powering both Yahoo’s organic and paid search results. This collaboration solidified Bing’s position as the clear second-largest search engine. However, despite their concerted efforts, Bing and Yahoo struggled to break Google’s substantial hold on the search market, both in the United States and globally.
In October 2020, Bing underwent another rebranding and officially became known as Microsoft Bing, aligning the search engine more closely with its parent company, Microsoft. Although Bing continues to provide search services, Google remains the dominant force in the search industry.
Social Media and Its Risk
During the late 2000s, social networks emerged as a significant phenomenon in the online landscape. While Google made a notable investment in YouTube (despite its later unsuccessful attempt with Google+), other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn also gained prominence. This was just the beginning, as numerous other social networks would emerge and fade away in the subsequent years.
The rise of social media sparked speculation about its impact on search rankings. While it is true that social media can indirectly benefit SEO, by driving traffic to websites, increasing brand awareness, and fostering customer engagement, the direct influence of social signals on search rankings has been a subject of debate. Although Google has repeatedly denied social shares (such as likes, tweets, and +1’s) as a ranking factor, various studies on ranking factors have consistently shown a strong correlation between social signals and search rankings.
For further exploration of this topic, I highly recommend reading the article titled “How Social Media Helps SEO.”
The Schema
In 2011, Schema markup was introduced as a type of microdata aimed at assisting search engines in understanding the context of queries. Schema.org provides a comprehensive list of all available schema markup types.
It’s important to note that Schema markup itself is not a direct ranking factor, and there is limited evidence to suggest it directly impacts search performance. However, implementing Schema markup can help your website stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs) by enabling rich and featured snippets.
To ensure proper implementation of structured data, you can test it using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool, which provides valuable insights and feedback.
Panda and Penguin on Google Zoo
In the years 2011 and 2012, two significant algorithmic updates named Panda and Penguin had a profound impact on SEO practices, and their effects are still evident today. These updates were Google’s efforts to clean up search results and prioritize high-quality websites.
In 2011, Google faced criticism for its search results being dominated by “content farms” that produced large quantities of low-quality content. The SERPs were cluttered with websites featuring unoriginal or auto-generated content, and scraper sites sometimes outranked the original content creators. These sites were heavily reliant on organic traffic from Google and generated substantial advertising revenue through platforms like AdSense.
However, with the introduction of the Panda update in 2011, many websites experienced a sudden loss of traffic. Panda aimed to address the issue of low-quality or thin content, and Google provided guidelines on what constitutes a high-quality website. The Panda update underwent periodic revisions over the following years and eventually became an integral part of Google’s core algorithm in 2016.
While websites were still recovering from the impact of Panda, Google released another highly anticipated update known as Penguin. This update specifically targeted link schemes and keyword stuffing, which were considered aggressive spam tactics. Penguin focused on websites with unusual linking patterns, including excessive use of exact-match anchor text aligned with keywords for ranking purposes.
Unlike Panda, the Penguin update was not updated as frequently, with significant gaps between some updates. Similar to Panda, Penguin also became incorporated into Google’s real-time algorithm in 2016.
These algorithmic updates aimed to promote high-quality content and discourage spammy practices, creating a more reliable and trustworthy search experience for users. The impacts of Panda and Penguin continue to shape SEO strategies and emphasize the importance of producing valuable, original content while maintaining organic and natural link profiles.
The Knowledge Graph
In May 2012, Google introduced the Knowledge Graph, marking a significant shift from keyword-based search to understanding semantics and user intent.
Amit Singhal, Google’s former SVP for engineering, explained the Knowledge Graph as a way to search for entities and get relevant information instantly. It expanded search capabilities beyond keywords to encompass landmarks, celebrities, cities, sports teams, movies, and more. The Knowledge Graph aimed to tap into the collective intelligence of the web and provide search results that understood the world similar to how people do.
Google integrated this knowledge into its search results, presenting information through knowledge panels, boxes, and carousels. These features would appear when users searched for billions of entities and facts stored in the Knowledge Graph.
In September 2013, Google introduced Hummingbird, a new algorithm designed to better address natural language queries and conversational search. With the increasing popularity of mobile and voice search, Google needed to revamp its algorithm to cater to the needs of modern searchers.
Hummingbird was considered the most significant update to Google’s core algorithm since 2001. Its purpose was to deliver faster and more relevant search results, particularly for mobile users. This update reflected Google’s commitment to adapting to the evolving search landscape and improving the search experience for users across various devices.
Mobile-First
Since around 2005, the question of whether it was the “Year of Mobile” had been circulating in the industry. However, it seemed that each passing year was not the definitive year for mobile dominance. From 2005 to 2014, mobile was continuously discussed and hyped due to its rapid growth. As more people embraced smartphones, they began searching for businesses and information while on the go.
Finally, in 2015, we witnessed the true emergence of the Year of Mobile. This was the year when mobile searches surpassed desktop searches on Google for the first time. Although this milestone was significant in terms of search volume, it’s important to note that user intent and conversion rates still varied between mobile and desktop devices.
In 2015, comScore also reported that mobile-only internet users had surpassed desktop-only users. Google, recognizing the growing importance of mobile, launched a highly anticipated mobile-friendly algorithm update during the same year. The update aimed to provide users with the most relevant and timely results, whether from mobile-friendly web pages or mobile apps.
To further enhance the mobile browsing experience, Google introduced Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in 2016. AMP focused on the instant loading of content, and many news media outlets and publishers embraced this technology. Additionally, in January 2017, Google announced that page speed would become a ranking factor for mobile searches, highlighting the significance of fast-loading pages.
During that same month, Google also revealed its intention to devalue pages with intrusive pop-ups, prioritizing a more user-friendly mobile experience. In July 2019, mobile-first indexing was enabled for all new websites, and by March 2021, all websites transitioned to mobile-first indexing, signifying the increasing importance of mobile optimization in search rankings.
Machine Learning and Intelligent Search
As mentioned earlier, Google’s focus shifted from being a mobile-first company to becoming a machine learning-first company in 2017, as declared by CEO Sundar Pichai.
Currently, Google Search aims to provide information and assistance rather than just presenting a list of links to users. Machine learning has been integrated into all of Google’s products, including search, Gmail, Ads, Google Assistant, and more.
One notable application of machine learning in search is Google RankBrain. Introduced in October 2015, RankBrain initially aimed to interpret the 15% of searches that were completely new to Google, based on the entered words or phrases. Over time, RankBrain’s influence expanded to cover all searches conducted on Google.
Although RankBrain affects rankings, it doesn’t function as a traditional ranking factor where specific actions result in improved rankings. Instead, it contributes to the overall search algorithm’s understanding and interpretation of user queries.
The future holds even more advancements in intelligent search, with exciting developments on the horizon.
- Voice searches are increasing.
- Visual search has gotten insanely good
- Users (and brands) are increasingly adopting chatbots and using personal assistants (e.g., Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana).
These advances in technology mean more exciting times are ahead for those who do SEO.
Google’s Core Updates
Google implements algorithm updates on a daily basis to enhance its search system. However, throughout the year, Google also releases core updates, which bring significant changes to its algorithm. These updates aim to improve the search experience for users by delivering more relevant and reliable search results.
Unlike specific page or site targeting, Google’s core updates focus on improving how the system evaluates and tracks content. Google compares the impact of these updates to revising a list of top movies from a previous year. As new movies emerge and perspectives change, the list naturally evolves to reflect these updates.
In March 2018, Google confirmed the rollout of a broad core algorithm update that aimed to benefit pages that were previously under-rewarded. Another broad core update followed in the subsequent months, targeting content relevance. In August, there was another broad core update, often mistakenly referred to as the “Medic” update, which primarily addressed low-quality content on websites.
In March 2019, Google introduced a significant core update known as Florida 2, which some in the SEO community considered a rollback of previous algorithms. Subsequently, in June 2019, another broad core update was implemented, focusing on the authority and trustworthiness of incoming links, exposing weaknesses related to E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Periodically, Google releases broad core updates that impact search results worldwide. For instance, a broad core update in September 2019 aimed to boost sites with overall optimal performance, while another in January 2020 specifically targeted websites in the YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) categories.
It’s important to note that analyzing your website as a whole, rather than specific pages, is crucial when evaluating the impact of broad core updates. In the most recent update in May 2020, Google targeted thin content landing pages and gave a boost to local search results.
BERT
BERT is a significant algorithm update introduced by Google, marking a major development since the introduction of RankBrain. BERT, short for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, focuses on enhancing natural language processing capabilities.
The primary purpose of BERT is to enable Google to better understand the context of search queries. It addresses the challenge of words with multiple meanings by analyzing the surrounding words and context to provide more accurate search results. For instance, the word “bat” can refer to a winged animal or a baseball player’s action.
With the implementation of BERT, Google’s spiders can now extract meaning from the surrounding words in a sentence, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of content. For example, if a sentence includes phrases like “I went to the bat cave” or “After my bat, I went into the dugout,” Google can generate a context model by considering the other words in the sentence. This is a crucial advancement in natural language processing and its ability to comprehend human communication.
Featured Snippets
You may have come across featured snippets without realizing their significance. Featured snippets are concise pieces of text, bullet points, numbers, or tables displayed prominently at the top of Google’s search results.
The main purpose of a featured snippet is to provide a direct answer to the user’s query right on the search engine results page (SERP), eliminating the need to click through to a website. However, it’s important to note that featured snippets can be quite unpredictable and subject to frequent changes.
While featured snippets have been around since 2014, they have sparked the desire to achieve the coveted “position zero” – being featured above all other distractions in the SERP while still appearing in the organic search results.
In January 2020, Google made an update to ensure that featured snippet search results are not duplicated, meaning that a website can either appear in the featured snippet or the organic results, but not both simultaneously.
Furthermore, in June 2020, Google introduced another update that allows featured snippets to directly highlight the relevant text for users’ search queries, making it easier to locate the desired information. This highlighted text is displayed in yellow. As voice search continues to evolve, optimizing content for featured snippets presents a significant opportunity to enhance organic visibility.
In Conclusion
Since the 1990s, search engines and SEO have undergone significant transformations. In this post, we have only scratched the surface of these advancements.
The history of SEO has been marked by thrilling developments, including the rise and fall of search engines, the introduction of new features in search engine results pages (SERPs), the implementation of new algorithms, and a continuous cycle of testing and updates. Additionally, this journey has seen the emergence of valuable SEO publications, conferences, tools, and experts.
Despite the immense changes that have taken place, one fundamental truth remains: as long as search engines exist, SEO will continue to be of utmost importance. Would you like to read more about the evolution of search engine optimization-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
