Is Search Engine Optimization a Thing of the Past?
Article: http://searchengineland.com/seo-not-dead-just-shapeshifter-261188
Search engine optimization is the process of using different techniques to boost the amount of traffic to a website by achieving a high rank in the results page of a search engine. There have been several groups and individuals who reported that this process is “dead”. However, the author of this article argues that although the overall process might not be dead, certain approaches of SEO are. He attributes this “ death” to the introduction and adoption of more innovative techniques involving artificial learning and machine learning.
Once upon a time, it was believed that there was a strong correlation between keywords in title tags and the ranking for the search results, particularly using Google. However recent studies indicated that the correlation is actually less today than it once was. This is because Google’s algorithms can now better understand the context of someone’s webpage, meaning that the webpage doesn’t necessarily need to be titled with a particular keyword. The author recommends shifting the attention from keywords to actual content. He suggests that webpages should be enticing and encourage users to browse once they actually click it.
This article is related to what we are learning in class regarding link analysis and web search. It particularly relates to the lesson on the relationship between hubs and accessories. I chose it because my family’s restaurant is looking into ways to have their website appear at the top of search results when people google “Caribbean food in NYC” or anything similar. This article expanded my knowledge on SEO techniques beyond using strong keywords.