Changes in the SEO industry over the past decade

Man in dress clothes staing at a largen pencil drawn search engine box representing changes in SEO industry over last 10 years

Changes in the SEO industry over the past decade

Want to know more about changes in the SEO industry over the past 10 years? Read on to learn more and get a glimpse of what’s in store for 2023!

Over the last decade, the world of online marketing and SEO, in particular, has seen several major changes. Read on to learn how SEO has changed over the last ten tears.

Everything to increase visibility on the web

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become a key technology to increase the favourable positioning of a site, application or web page in search engine results. In the last decade, we have seen the arrival of new algorithms, voice search, and different processes for protecting privacy, not to mention the gradual disappearance of cookies. These changes not only affect SEO but also the overall content of a site or blog and its reach.

New criteria sought by algorithms

Among the changes in the SEO industry over the last decade, it has been noted that the use of strategic keywords is no longer enough to optimize visibility on the web. The search engine algorithm now takes into account several criteria that are constantly updated. The structure of the text, precise tags for titles and subtitles, the quality of the content and incoming links, and the integration of SEO-optimized images, are just a few of them. Even the age of the website is a criterion. Analysis tools and cross-publishing between platforms are also part of the new ways to increase your audience.

A new challenge: adapting to Google’s updates

Google’s algorithm uses more than 200 ranking factors and is updated between 500 and 600 times yearly! This fluctuation impacts SEO strategies. In 2021, Google integrated three metrics (LCP, CLS and FID), called “Core Web Vitals,” to evaluate the overall user experience when visiting a website. Due to this situation, web designers have had to change their SEO approach; for example, by opting for voice search and migration to the mobile web. Even the most experienced users have had to relearn the rules, often without fully understanding them. More and more third-party companies are emerging as forward-thinking in e-marketing and SEO. For example, WebCie, a SEO agency in Montreal that specializes in performance marketing and SEO.

The consequences of the gradual disappearance of cookies

These “cookies” that, until now, allowed to facilitate targeting based on the data of Internet users are about to disappear soon. The changes implemented by Google, the transition to web 3.0 as well as the Apple iOS 14.5 updates are the main causes of this disruption. In this context, SEO (as well as performance measurement and media campaigns) could become quite outdated in a world where everyone becomes the owner of their content and data. Following the search engine trends in natural referencing is therefore necessary.

Wondering what changes are coming in 2023? We can’t ignore the trend toward optimizing search engine submissions through artificial intelligence. Will we soon see AI replacing journalists in the creation and transmission of automated news on online media? The question begs to be asked.