Exactly when and where Search Engine Optimization was invented is a mystery. As far back as 2006, Carsten Cumbrowski stated that the source of the term was disputed. Ten years passed and there was only more mud in the water.
The uncertain history of SEO seems appropriate because the question of its future is even less clear. Expert writers try to give us some great insights about internet marketing. The question is what will Google do next?
The focus on backlinks is maintained
Either way, it seems that the belief in the power of the link persists. in a interesting discussion about where link building and SEO are headed, it has been proposed that the longstanding reliance on backlinks has not been set for the trash heap. It has been estimated that there’s potential significance of what they call link earnings. It describes the process by which “links are earned by organizing interesting events and creating engaging content that allows online influencers to interact with digital assets.” The result is the generation of organic, interrelated buzz. Other industry insiders, including RSO Consulting, also confirmed that backlinks will be part of the picture for the foreseeable future, albeit at a rather toned down significance.
Industry experts continue to guess
Paul Nelson, Chief Architect at Search Technologies, has shown how Google is now trying to improve it Relevance Retrieval. Nelson foresees a move towards a more transparent process that’s more visible to users and therefore more user-friendly. It’s at all times important to remember, strictly speaking, that no single element can be critical in determining Google page ranking.
“Reality is the Sum of all Perspectives2” (CC BY 2.0) by completely subjective
Last year’s buzz was around Google RankBrain machine learning improvements show that some algorithms may be more important than others. As Google’s Greg Corrado told Bloomberg last fall, RankBrain is meant to take advantage of what he calls ‘gut feel and guesswork’ about how people use language based on their own processing of input search data. Already, according to Corrado, Rankbrain accounts for a significant percentage of search results and is the third most significant ranking function. And it does so based on its own machine learning rather than direct human input.
Qualifications abound. The only certainty appears to be the continuous state of uncertainty. Miguel Helft of Fotune.com has pointed out that Google has a really unconventional way of doing business. He described it as “a company like no other: always impatient, always on the move and always looking for the next big thing.” It’s an approach that keeps the guesswork out of Google’s planning. In fact, it is as hard to mine as the resources of the SEO industry it spawned years ago.
Article cover image: “seo-block” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Paloma Gomez
