A Brief History of SEO

What Is SEO?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of optimising a website’s appearance in search engines. In his book, Rand Fishkin, founder and former CEO of Moz, defines SEO as “the process of increasing the amount and quality of traffic you receive through organic results in search engines.” The more optimised your website is, the higher it can rank in search engine results. The higher it ranks, the more people will notice and click on it. Implementing an SEO technique naturally improves Google’s and other search engines’ ability to find your site—without having to pay for digital advertising.

A Brief History

To better comprehend SEO and its significance, we must go back to its origins.

SEO IS A MILLENNIAL

In 1991, it is said that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) was founded. As the web grew in popularity, numerous websites proliferated, and one soon became many as internet search engines were developed. So there was a pressing need for organisation and accessibility, which prompted the creation of the world’s first search engines. In 1993, Excite invented a new method for classifying data, and in 1994, Alta Vista, Yahoo, and other search engines joined the competition. However, in 1996, SEO really took off when Sergey Brin and Larry Page launched Google. I was going to say Google, weren’t you? You’re correct because BackRub eventually became Google and was registered as a domain in 1997. 

THE EARLY DAYS: ANYTHING GOES

There was nothing. SEO wasn’t even a term yet. The rules were strictly interpreted in the beginning. As a result, marketers had the ability to employ hacking strategies like keyword stuffing and spammy links to improve their rankings in search results.

SEO EVOLUTION

Google saw a chance to do something that no one else was doing. The company began working on algorithm upgrades that would promote useful, relevant content and help users find what they’re looking for. Hundreds of algorithm modifications have been implemented since then, and SEO has evolved rapidly, forcing marketers to look for new methods. The success of SEO over the years has shown us that the greatest approach to prepare for the future of SEO is not to cut corners; it’s to use ethical optimisation techniques and offer content that provides genuine value to your consumers.