The History of SEO
The Early Days Of SEO
Yahoo and AltaVista dominated search.
Webmasters manually submitted URLs. Keyword stuffing in meta tags was common. There were no sophisticated algorithms — simple text matching was all that mattered.
Google Enters the Scene
PageRank revolutionizes SEO.
Google changed SEO by ranking pages based on backlinks and relevance. Link building, anchor text, and directory submissions became the focus.
Growth Era
SEO becomes more technical and scalable.
Canonical tags, XML sitemaps, and exact-match domains became standard. Content farms and keyword density tricks were used to scale SEO fast.
Smarter Algorithms
Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird arrive.
Google penalized low-quality content and spammy links. Hummingbird improved understanding of natural language, shifting SEO toward user intent and content quality.
Mobile-First & E-A-T
Trust and mobile optimization rule.
Google switched to mobile-first indexing. E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) became key for health, finance, and news sites. Voice search and schema markup rose in importance.
AI, Zero-Click & Smart Search
Search becomes smarter, not just clickable.
AI like BERT and MUM helped Google understand context deeply. Featured snippets and zero-click results increased. SEO shifted to structuring content for visibility, not just clicks.
The Age of Answer Engines
SEO adapts to AI and ChatGPT-style search.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) emerge. SEO now means being cited by AI tools like Google SGE, ChatGPT, and Bing Copilot. Structure, trust, and usefulness are more vital than ever.