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Search engine optimization (SEO) has come a long way since its inception in the mid-1990s. Let's take a brief look at the history of SEO and notable milestones in its evolution.
- Although the origins of SEO could be traced back to the launch of the first website in 1991, the term “search engine optimization” officially emerged in 1997, when the manager of rock band Jefferson Starship became upset that the band’s website was ranking on page 4 of a search engine, rather than in position 1 on page 1.
- In February 1997, John Audette of Multimedia Marketing Group was using the term SEO, making it one of the earliest known uses of the term.
- Ranking high on search engines in 1997 was still a new concept and was heavily directory-driven, with LookSmart powered by Zeal, GO.com its own directory, and the Yahoo Directory being a major player in Yahoo Search.
- DMOZ, the Mozilla Open Directory Project, was similar to a Yellow Pages for websites, and it was what Yahoo was originally founded upon, which enabled users to find the best websites approved by editors.
- As the internet grew, so did the importance of search engines. By 1998, SEO had become a necessity for clients who had built cool sites but were getting little traffic.
- Today, SEO very much revolves around Google, which is the world’s most popular search engine. The practice we know as SEO has come a long way since its inception and has become a vital component of digital marketing strategies.
So, will SEO exist in 10 years?
It’s hard to predict the future, but it’s safe to say that SEO will continue to be a crucial element of online marketing in the years to come. As long as people use search engines to find information, products, and services, the need for search engine optimization will remain.Is SEO still relevant in 2023?
Absolutely! As of 2023, SEO is still a fundamental component of digital marketing, and its importance has only grown over the years.
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