In 2020, a Forbes author claimed that SEO was “probably the most powerful way to market a business.” Now, five years later, that is more true than ever. While SEO continues to shift and evolve, it is also interesting to look back and see where it has come from.
The SEO acronym itself dates back to 1997, making it a term that is much older than I initially thought. The term itself is older than Google, which emerged in a year later in 1998. I shouldn’t have been surprised though, since advertising has been around for hundreds of years, long before any form of digital technology. Companies have always been seeking ways to get their product or service noticed and seen by consumers. Ultimately, SEO is just a modern version of that, a way of making sure a product or service is seen by those who are searching for it.
Before the SERP was based on relevance and SEO, the results were shown like a directory. According to Search Engine Journal, the story goes that the manager of a rock band was upset that the band’s official website was ranking on Page 4 on the search engine and not Position 1. Out of this frustration, the practice of trying to rank higher in the SERP was born, and thus SEO. This is such an interesting story to me because it mirrors how so many other businesses, products, and services are started: frustration. The starting point is almost always a common problem and a level of frustration and dissatisfaction with the way things are.
Looking back, it is unlikely that the brand manager knew what his frustration would turn into. But now, there is a whole industry devoted to keyword research, targeting and implementation. While SEO is definitely growing in importance, especially as our world becomes even more digitally driven, it ultimately is just an additional advertising tool. It is important for us to be aware of how SEO developed and how it is used, both as business men and women, but also as consumers in general. As long as we continue searching digitally, SEO will continue to remain relevant to us.
2 Responses
Good job on your post. I like how you went back to the beginning of the term SEO to better understand it’s purpose and uses!
That’s hilarious that one of the reasons SEO was developed was due to the frustrations of a band manager. Classic 90s. It’s insane how quickly the importance of SEO has grown!