Why SEO is Dying

Introduction

This post focuses on SEO, its evolution, and how search engines are adapting. It was written for reference, so the style I have given it is that of a Wikipedia article, with lots of links in case you're looking to do more reference. 

SEO Theory and Evolution

SEO, in its most basic form, is trickery of search engines to attain a higher rank than previously assigned. Five to ten years ago, search engines were everything, and they powered all traffic on the web. Sites like Facebook, Digg, and other web 2.0 properties were just starting to pop up, nonetheless explode.

The web used to be a very static place, where a link placed was the same as a "Like" to your page. Unfortunately, not everyone has websites that link off to other sites, making a legitimate PageRank very difficult and time consuming to earn. Now we have "Like", "Tweet", and "Digg" buttons, just to name a few of the biggest ones (soon to be Plus+ too).

These buttons help people share a site, page, article, or post with friends, which helps the site by getting the additional traffic that it has earned from the "Like".

Here's The Problem

SEO is an age-old practice, and Google is having a hard time adapting its search results with the ever-chaning, extremely dynamic websites that we're having now. By "extremely dynamic", I am referring to the fact that a link to your site may be on the front page of Digg.com, but it's not going to be there permanently. It's the same way with Facebook walls; new content will push it down further, diminishing its perceived value.

Google currently isn't counting likes, tweets, or diggs. Things sometimes move too fast for the crawler. The good thing about this is that there is no way to move up or down. People are doing the selection. People are saying what they like and what they don't. 

But that's not to say that Google isn't changing or is going to sit and watch traffic dwindle away. Google is now counting page load times and uptime, so it's important to have a good web hosting provider. Google still has their work cut out for them, and they're entering a more challenging time where they can't just skate along now either.

Why This is Good

While we still have the problem of all-too-powerful web properties, the old ways to game the system are ending. One thousand back-links on a totally irrelevant site doesn't mean anything now, and that's the way it should be.

Google doesn't take into consideration likes, positive words about your brand, and things that people are actually saying. It's more of a link monster. SEO is definitely going to have to change, and we're entering an interesting time for technology.

Comments

[Steven Johnson]

Although this is a great theory, I don't believe that SEO will completely die. With out SEO, sites won't rank well and the internet will start to fail. Truly think about it...

No SEO will eventually lead into not having a Search Engine like Google. For the internet to run, you need to search things. If you search Technology, the more famous site/keywords for "Technology" will pop up. How do the search engines find these? Through SEO and keyword.

I love the post, don't get me wrong, I just don't ever see SEO dying. If SEO does slow down, it won't be for years to come. SEO will always be living if the Internet is living.

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