Is SEO dead in 2020?

Is SEO dead in 2020? There have been questions asked in the past too. Will SEO die in 2018? Will SEO die in 2016?
Clearly, if we are still talking about this, it’s testimony to the fact that SEO is not dead yet. People from Digital Marketing background continuously hunt for the role of Search Engine Optimization practice by hiring the core SEO professionals and by providing SEO training to team members.

My personal verdict is, it’s not going to die anytime soon either, unless technology and consumer behavior radically changes overnight. However, like everything else, it’s evolving. Let’s start with the basic learning of SEO. SEO or search engine optimization refers to the process of increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a page through various (On-page & Off-page) practices.

SEO began with the launch of the first website in 1991, and new websites started taking over the internet in no time. However, this area officially began to get noticed in 1997. Back then, it was not just about Google as it is today, since it has more than 70% of online traffic share. Since then, a lot has changed about SEO. Google has gone from rolling out 300 SEO practices, increasing it to 1900 in a few years and so is the SEO as well as SEO professional training. If you talk to any SEO Expert and he will say there is no hack or shortcut to SEO. However, the evolution has definitely pivoted in a way to make something else the king- content.

In the nascent stage of the SEO evolution, a lot of digital marketing practice relied on Black-hat to help their business achieve the desired results with the help of SEO. Forced keyword plugging in, plagiarized content, submission into redundant listings and indexing pages was the norm. Over the years, especially the recent years, SEO practice has become whiter hat than we can possibly imagine.

A lot of writing jobs have been created since unique, non plagiarized content is the king. Every brand feels the need to have a blog, write unique content across pages, many technology with a seamless consumer journey. The page paths created are supposed to be SEO friendly, but also help enhance consumer experience. When it comes to consumer’s experience, nuances like title tags which help consumers get information easily, also help improve SEO ranking in search engine. Over the last few years, listings, and off page optimization tools like Quora has also become an integral part of the practice.

So, coming back to the point, SEO is not dying. If that were the case, a lot of performance agencies would lose out on large accounts. A lot of accomplished digital marketers will have existential crisis. And, most importantly, consumers will have to change the way they consume information, discover and shop for new products. The basic Google search for everything under the sun will have to be replaced with something more advanced.

But here’s what will change-
– with new and specialized platforms emerging and gaining prominence, there will be no 1 Google, but different avenues for discovery of different products and services across categories. There’s Amazon for shopping, Zomato for food discovery, Pinterest for images and diy. In the years to come, SEO course will also be specialized to focus on these platforms and harness their potential to the maximum.

– This can be controversial but needs you be brought to the table. The role dark web is playing today can be argued. The user base is small, but the impact made out of it is definitely making a lot of noise. With dark web being an infinite pool of mystery with little to understand, it could turn out to be quite a game changer in the realm of SEO.
With voice search and apps being the buzz words today, they will impact SEO and the experience of discovery.
– Now, most major businesses have learnt to master SEO using the power of content.

Could there be a new differentiator? Could we find a way to make reviews more genuine and include them in the process of generating SEO rankings? Things for product team of internet giants to ponder on.

Remember, SEO today is supposed to be a low investment but high revenue generating channel for most businesses, online and offline both. We don’t want to see this channel dead and lose out on potential customers and growth opportunities for businesses.

Until further verdict, keep SEO-ing, keep following the sea of best practices, and keep creating new, innovative content.

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