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SEO is on the way out?

by WillR
64 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Is SEO really on the way out? I was just thinking about this today so thought I'd see what other opinions are floating about.

I believe over the next few years there is going to be a big re-shuffle in the way online information is presented to us. Instead of search engines like Google ranking pages based on all the SEO factors we have come to know and understand over the years, the most relevant results will instead be those that are being talked about and shared across the various social networks at that current time.

I believe Facebook will eventually play a big part in this equation - whether or not Google buys them out I don't know, but I can at least see the two working together in some form or another to bring about a much more personalised and relevant search experience - this is what I believe Web 3.0 will be all about.

What are your thoughts?
#seo
  • Profile picture of the author theemperor
    Hmm. For SEO to be be on the way out, Search Engines must be on the way out.

    People will always want to feel in control and have the ability to search for something they want, rather than hoping it will turn up on Facebook. Perhaps I am a dinosaur but I don't think search will be gone anytime in the next 20 years.

    However SEO may become a very different animal. I am thinking of video in that sense and the idea that search engines may eventually look at what is in your video! So SEO will also encompass other techniques which will boil down to basically creating good content.
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by theemperor View Post

      I am thinking of video in that sense and the idea that search engines may eventually look at what is in your video!
      This technology is already being used. Youtube/Google have been playing with this technology for some time now. They are able to convert the audio in a video into text so they can more precisely determine what a vido is REALLY about and under what searches it should be displayed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeb
    SEO will never go out. There will always be someone searching for something on the net. Search engines are here to stay. However, SEO will evolve and that's just part of being an IM'er is all about. You learn new techniques to keep up with the flow of the market.
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    • Profile picture of the author daddyoh
      I think SEO is here to stay. The goal of most search engines is to give the best info possible to the searcher based on the terms they are searching for. Thus, sites that are best optimized for that term will show up at the top of page 1.

      Excellent optimization + excellent content = excellent rankings.

      Crappy sites with crappy content and crappy SEO are going to go bye bye.
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      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by daddyoh View Post

        I think SEO is here to stay. The goal of most search engines is to give the best info possible to the searcher based on the terms they are searching for.
        I disagree. The role of search engines is to give users the most RELEVANT information based on the search term. And to me relevance has more to do with the conversation going on around a piece of content rather than what keywords or titles someone has stuffed ino the meta-tags. I know I'm over-simplifying SEO a little in that statement but you get the idea.
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        • Profile picture of the author 4morereferrals
          Originally Posted by WillR View Post

          I disagree. The role of search engines is to give users the most RELEVANT information based on the search term. And to me relevance has more to do with the conversation going on around a piece of content rather than what keywords or titles someone has stuffed ino the meta-tags. I know I'm over-simplifying SEO a little in that statement but you get the idea.

          Dude step away from the social media crack pipe :-)

          Im just teasin k ...?

          But heres my thoughts.

          Is whats really "relevant" - is the wall postings of a bunch of nattering teens and early 20 somethings on a couple social media sites?

          Bahhhh !

          Maybe if Im looking for acne cures, movie reviews, and a good deal on drivers education courses.
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          • Profile picture of the author robjones3030
            Originally Posted by 4morereferrals View Post

            Is whats really "relevant" - is the wall postings of a bunch of nattering teens and early 20 somethings on a couple social media sites?

            Bahhhh !

            Maybe if Im looking for acne cures, movie reviews, and a good deal on drivers education courses.
            Valid point. Popularity / visibility doesnt automatically translate to relevance.

            Using social media "buzz" as a yardstick... if Encyclopedia Britannica put their entire product online for free it wouldnt have "relevance" over Wikipedia... but if I want facts from actual experts in their fields I know which I'd consider more relevant.
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            • Profile picture of the author McBrett
              @WillR If I had a nickel for everytime I read a blog or forum post about SEO being dead.....

              @theemporer "For SEO to be be on the way out, Search Engines must be on the way out."

              Well put.
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          • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
            Originally Posted by 4morereferrals View Post

            Dude step away from the social media crack pipe :-)
            Do these connect through the USB, Ethernet or VIA a virtual port connection? Or, do they only work on MACs?

            Inquiring minds want to know!

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        • Profile picture of the author searchnology
          I think what you are describing is really just the link popularity aspect of SEO today but viewed from a different perspective.

          For example, if there are conversations about a website in the social media space, undoubtedly those conversations would or should have links to the site in question to be relevant to the "conversation". If that is the case, you are talking about the same thing that SEO is based on today...which is essentially link power/popularity + site content.

          Originally Posted by WillR View Post

          I disagree. The role of search engines is to give users the most RELEVANT information based on the search term. And to me relevance has more to do with the conversation going on around a piece of content rather than what keywords or titles someone has stuffed ino the meta-tags. I know I'm over-simplifying SEO a little in that statement but you get the idea.
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      • Profile picture of the author ToniMaltano
        Originally Posted by daddyoh View Post

        I think SEO is here to stay. The goal of most search engines is to give the best info possible to the searcher based on the terms they are searching for. Thus, sites that are best optimized for that term will show up at the top of page 1.

        Excellent optimization + excellent content = excellent rankings.

        Crappy sites with crappy content and crappy SEO are going to go bye bye.
        I totally agree with you here. In the long run this is the only formula that can help you.
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        • Profile picture of the author Colin Theriot
          The key to SEO has always been have good content, mark it up correctly and accurately, and get relevant links. That's how you promoted your site BEFORE search engines existed.

          At first, how you LABELLED your site with Meta and on-page was how you were ranked. That was easy to game.

          Google made it so that the NUMBER of links counted. It became a popularity vote. That was harder to game, but eventually, when it became easier to spam links, it became once again, easy to game.

          Now we have on-site, and linking, and spam prevention and detection, and quality scoring. All to give your website a high ranking if and ONLY if...

          You have good content, mark it up correctly and accurately, and get relevant links.

          Same as it ever was. Now, "relevance" is a term that is changing online, because now link popularity is NOT the measure of relevance. Buzz is. So it's still building links, but it's not just the quantity, but the freshness.

          This is, once again, hard to fake.

          For now.

          Is "SEO" going away? Not until there is no more system to game.
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    • Profile picture of the author purpleheartdonations
      Here is my view. SEO seems to be construed as backlinks backlinks and more backlinks. So many "SEO Experts" wander the internet building links. However, many forums and blogs are now no following links because of peoples spammy nature. So that reduces the power of SEO considerably. That is why true seo experts need to educate the public on links. Link building is also a building of reputation. I did sign up on this forum to help get a link. But I know the only way the link will have any long term value is by helping this forum grow. Many people try to join forums and add a sig and leave. This is a problem. Tell people to build links and help others along the way. Just like in life. We have to do what is best for us. But we need to help others too. If we continue to let people spam, every site, forum and blog will be no follow. Then people like me will be out of job because link building is a thing of the past.
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    • Profile picture of the author caksut
      SEO will be exist until human being disappear
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    Not really as not everyone wants to put there info on a place like Facebook.

    Admittedly lots of people do and they have certainly made huge inroads to the search world however I don't think SEO is dead because you still need to do the same things, Keywords, content etc.

    I personally think the way thing will go will be much more mobile. I know I am staring to use my mobile a lot more to access the Internet.

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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Sorry, I don't think you guys understood what I said. We will still have search engines, ofcourse, however getting your page to rank high in a search engine will be less about onpage factors and incoming links, and more about the conversation going on about that content at the time. The more conversation and sharing of content at that time, the more relevant it's deemed to be to those people searching for that type of content.

      Does that make sense?
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      • Profile picture of the author theemperor
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        Sorry, I don't think you guys understood what I said. We will still have search engines, ofcourse, however getting your page to rank high in a search engine will be less about onpage factors and incoming links, and more about the conversation going on about that content at the time. The more conversation and sharing of content at that time, the more relevant it's deemed to be to those people searching for that type of content.

        Does that make sense?
        So what you saying is SEO will still be relevant but will be less about backlinks and keywords than it is now.

        Yes I agree. SEO will transmute into something a lot different in the future.

        Have you heard the phrase "The King is Dead... Long live the King!"
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      • Profile picture of the author WareTime
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        Sorry, I don't think you guys understood what I said. We will still have search engines, ofcourse, however getting your page to rank high in a search engine will be less about onpage factors and incoming links, and more about the conversation going on about that content at the time. The more conversation and sharing of content at that time, the more relevant it's deemed to be to those people searching for that type of content.

        Does that make sense?
        My take on it.

        1. SEO is here to stay
        2. How SEO is done changes over time
        3. It becomes less effective as search engines improve algorithms, just like now where yesterday's methods get accounted for and sites using those methods drop a little. I think they will become advanced enough that the average, meaning most who call themselves SEO'ers today, will be highly ineffective in the future as far as SEO and rank manipulation.
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      • Profile picture of the author AJsVRE
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        Sorry, I don't think you guys understood what I said. We will still have search engines, ofcourse, however getting your page to rank high in a search engine will be less about onpage factors and incoming links, and more about the conversation going on about that content at the time. The more conversation and sharing of content at that time, the more relevant it's deemed to be to those people searching for that type of content.

        Does that make sense?
        I think you should take a look at what you just wrote.. "the more conversation and sharing of content at that time, the more relevant it's deemed to be to those people searching for that type of content" - which means - links, and SEO. How are people going to "talk" about your site on social networking sites.. there is GOING to be links to your site.

        SEO isn't going anywhere, it's just going to change.. like it has changed from 5 years ago. It will constantly change as the internet around us changes.
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        • Profile picture of the author paulgl
          The comment about facebook is not too far off.

          I think facebook is the most visited page now, but true searching
          is still done via google and others.

          But the comment about facebook morphs into the new age of
          the internet: smartphones, ipads, kindle, e-readers, etc.

          Soon, the majority of people will connect to the internet not by standard
          computer, but by these new devices. That's where the new blood will
          be focused. How to harness that. The SEO world as we know it will
          become smaller and smaller. It will become hand-held device optimization
          and apps. You don't need a computer to facebook, twitter, blog, email, etc.

          Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    SEO may always be changing, but it is here to stay. Will Google keep finding new ways to filter out the junk? Absolutely. It just means that sites will have to focus on quality more than ever. Long gone are the days of creating a non-descript page that offers nothing of value other than a buy button.

    I don't think link building will ever go away. It just may get tougher to get quality links. People will always be searching for something, and the search engines will always be looking for newer, better ways to bring it to them. That means website owners will have to keep up. If they don't, they'll become the ones who are obsolete!
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
      Whatever any of us say, think or believe about the future of SEO, it is purely speculation unless of course you are a Google employee!

      Lets deal in truths and what we know now.

      1. Google are paying very close attention to social media and how people use and interact with the systems in place like Twitter, facebook, youtube etc..
      2. All of the expensive tools that Google are working on constantly and give away for free like Chrome, analytics, toolbar etc.. These are not given away for fun, they use them for some pretty hardcore data collection about how visitors interact with sites. This data can and is used by Google to measure the performance of webpages from a visitors perspective. These are already used as ranking factors alongside the traditional PR approach.
      3. Content is king as always and is getting more so with each update of Google's algo.

      SEO is SEO, and my own perception and belief is that the future is going to become more about VO (visitor optimisation). Optimise your sites for your visitors, give them what they want and you will be on the right road.
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      • Profile picture of the author simpleonline1234
        Facebook, etc is more for social networking so I don't see social networking sites becoming the dominating influence on how people search the net as social networking sites are based on different influences and database structure.

        Google being a large database serves its purpose to allow people to search their database for something they are looking for.

        Facebook being a social networking site is more for playing and connecting so I don't think that people would want to attempt to find entries on that database structure. The results would be so irrelevant to the search topic that it would be truly funny just to see what you could come up with.

        Touching more on the relevance factor - Google can return such a relevant search result because of its ability to keep spammers at bay. With Facebook being the majority ranking system based the level of conversation or the talk of the town so to speak would easily crumble as the spammers could code up some software to spam the conversation levels making them rank #1 in Google returning irrelevant search results.

        People would search for boats, hit enter, and find the top 100 spots all about Big Johns new get out of debt fast.

        Just my thoughts anyways
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  • Profile picture of the author HunterSnake
    Search engine optimization is merely a battle between the search engines and people trying to figure out what makes them tick. Computer software will never be perfect because its created by imperfect people. SEO will never be on the way out because as long as search engines exist there will be ways to walk atop the competition if you can figure it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author sousen
    As long search Engine Exist SEO will be live. With out SEO what is the use of Search Engine? Google itself is a Big Search Engien so they will not kick themself!
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  • Profile picture of the author HunterSnake
    Originally Posted by cosmokid View Post

    I agree with WillR that the conversations people are having (on sites like Facebook, on forums, and elsewhere around the Net) might well start to be a significant factor in getting your pages to the front page results. We're already seeing this with the implementation of Google Caffeine. I'm seeing results where people are"talking" about an article I wrote five years ago and those "conversations" are outranking my original article, even though the article page on my site has high page rank, tons of backlinks, etc.

    Unfortunately, it can be hard to control these "conversations" and online reputation management, trademark infringement, libel monitoring and so forth are going to become even bigger headaches I think.

    I try to be Zen about it and figure that ANY dialogue happening about me or my products increases my exposure, and increases the likelihood of traffic, sales, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author latro
    The only problem with conversation based search is that not all topics are continually being discussed.. So, the traditional link system will still be used as "votes" for the relevance of a site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colton
    From what I see right now I think the search engines will be less broad so say your going for some keywords that get 20k searches a month from the U.S. From my view point you won't get near the amount of numbers as you would because of the search engines being more of a "now and where your located" type searches.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeb
    Getting ranked based on conversations is already incorporated in google's search results. Do a search result, click on the "more link" on the left sidebar, and you should see a discussion option. It won't replace the main search results that's for sure...
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Goodwin
    The will always be a way to optimize your sites for rankings in the search engines, so there will always be SEO. on-page seo will be important, and off-page seo will be important.

    I don't really understand the point of this entire thread?:confused:



    Originally Posted by WillR View Post

    Is SEO really on the way out? I was just thinking about this today so thought I'd see what other opinions are floating about.

    I believe over the next few years there is going to be a big re-shuffle in the way online information is presented to us. Instead of search engines like Google ranking pages based on all the SEO factors we have come to know and understand over the years, the most relevant results will instead be those that are being talked about and shared across the various social networks at that current time.

    I believe Facebook will eventually play a big part in this equation - whether or not Google buys them out I don't know, but I can at least see the two working together in some form or another to bring about a much more personalised and relevant search experience - this is what I believe Web 3.0 will be all about.

    What are your thoughts?
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  • Profile picture of the author TheRetiredBuilder
    Horse Mess!

    I've been reading this forum for years and have seen a lot of BS (sandbox and other myths) but I finally feel like I need to say something

    you're telling me that when someone searches for "online poker" they're going to show the most "discussed" online poker room?

    same with insurance? and hotels?

    I bet everyone talks about debt consolidation (not)

    search engines will always be about SEO
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      I disagree. The role of search engines is to give users the most RELEVANT information based on the search term. And to me relevance has more to do with the conversation going on around a piece of content rather than what keywords or titles someone has stuffed ino the meta-tags. I know I'm over-simplifying SEO a little in that statement but you get the idea.
      well, lucky thing seo isn't about titles and metags

      google uses onpage info to try and figure out what a pages primary theme is. It uses off page seo to figure out how important the rest of the world thinks that page is (as well as what others say that page is about via anchor text) - ie, backlinks.

      you can have all the conversation in the world going on, but without backlinks google will have a heck of a time associating the conversation with the page it is referring to
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      • Profile picture of the author rhythmofthecosmos
        it won't be out.. it will simply evolve..

        SEO is one of the most fast moving things out there.. You gotta stay up to date!
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  • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
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  • Profile picture of the author robjones3030
    The early SEs were rudimentary and easy to game. They've been changing since their inception and each time they become more sophisticated and find new ways to deliver more relevant results and less duplication... the guys that want their site on the top learn to game the new system.

    As long as there are more sites in a niche than there is room on the front page of a search engine... SEO will exist in some form. It just wont require the same actions to succeed that worked the year before.
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    • Profile picture of the author fangfangliang
      SEO will be exist until human being disappear.Ican't agree more.
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      • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        Is SEO really on the way out? I was just thinking about this today so thought I'd see what other opinions are floating about.

        I believe over the next few years there is going to be a big re-shuffle in the way online information is presented to us. Instead of search engines like Google ranking pages based on all the SEO factors we have come to know and understand over the years, the most relevant results will instead be those that are being talked about and shared across the various social networks at that current time.

        I believe Facebook will eventually play a big part in this equation - whether or not Google buys them out I don't know, but I can at least see the two working together in some form or another to bring about a much more personalised and relevant search experience - this is what I believe Web 3.0 will be all about.

        What are your thoughts?
        What are my thoughts on the subject?

        Oh God! Not another thread about a facet of IM that's on the way out???

        In the month of June 2010, we have seen, heard, smelled, debated, pooped and pondered the death of Article Marketing, Backlinks, RSS Feeds, Press Releases, Profiles, Blogger Accts, Free Web hosting, etc., etc...

        AND, based on all of these Nostradamus type IM prophesies and discussions, why don't the lot of people who believe these pronouncements and discussions - just start selling their laptops, PCs, iPads and other IM devices and get ready for the IM Y2K!

        It is apparently is on it's way, right?

        These "yada, yada, yada...is dead or yada, yada, yada is on the way out" debates/discussions are starting to carry about as much weight and value as a Bernie Madoff investment opinion.

        Is this considered a rant? I didn't mean it to be.


        Originally Posted by Tom Goodwin View Post

        The will always be a way to optimize your sites for rankings in the search engines, so there will always be SEO. on-page seo will be important, and off-page seo will be important.

        I don't really understand the point of this entire thread?:confused:
        I concur wholeheartedly!!!

        And now you may resume the discussion about the death of SEO after viewing this important video.


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  • Profile picture of the author 24kWing
    On the contrary, do to the MASS numbers of new website/blogs and new pages being uploaded to the internet on a daily basis I think SEO is going to be even more important. There may be changes in the methods, but SEO is not going away. We are just going to have to learn how to do a better job at it.

    Just my 2 cents....
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  • Profile picture of the author JackPowers
    I don't see Facebook or other social media as a direct threat to search engines.

    Yes, you will likely use social media to search for a restaurant in your area or a good new movie, but you are not going to be able to use social media for any kind of specialized search.

    Social media is only useful for basic searches.

    Can't compete with a search engine like Google at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaunman
    Is SEO really on the way out? I was just thinking about this today so thought I'd see what other opinions are floating about.

    I believe over the next few years there is going to be a big re-shuffle in the way online information is presented to us. Instead of search engines like Google ranking pages based on all the SEO factors we have come to know and understand over the years, the most relevant results will instead be those that are being talked about and shared across the various social networks at that current time.

    I believe Facebook will eventually play a big part in this equation - whether or not Google buys them out I don't know, but I can at least see the two working together in some form or another to bring about a much more personalised and relevant search experience - this is what I believe Web 3.0 will be all about.

    What are your thoughts?
    SEO will be around forever.

    the most relevant results will instead be those that are being talked about and shared
    That's pretty much the idea behind backlinks. Honestly, Google knows that facebook, twitter, and other social sites are subseptable to spam, that is why there is "no follow" so sites like Facebook can prevent themselves from spam.

    It will be interesting to see if they will intermingle at some point in the future. But as for now at least, it doesn't look like they will.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    Google already categorises their results. I can't imagine them using social buzz to influence rankings for reference or shopping style results or even finding about a particular product. They may use it to influence social subjects such as world events, Gossip, politics etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author stephanrobert
    Definitely not. SEO will not go out. As it is a need for every online business nowadays. Yes competition being more and more after some years but SEO cant go away.
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    • Profile picture of the author JAAffiliates
      I don't think SEO is going to 'go away' but I do think it is going to morph and change. As IM's we need to keep up with the developments and consider the long term.

      Google Caffeine will change things
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  • Profile picture of the author mithil
    for that, first you need to get Google out of the search engine world
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  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi WillR,

    This thread kind of reminds me of an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine called "Who's on first?"

    You asked if "SEO is on the way out?" In a word, no.

    You described the current state as if it was the future. What you fret about happening already occurred a decade ago with the advent of Google.

    When you take a step back and think about it, the whole World Wide Web is just one big conversation. What made Google so different from other search engines was it's ability to consider a web document as part of a conversation, connected by links, which we refer to as backlinks in SEO parlance.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gavin Abeyratne
    The short answer to the question you posed is "no".

    The long answer is:

    If by SEO you mean spamming, then yea virtually all forms of spam get eradicated over time as algorithms shift to counter them. Not all, many persist and still work despite Google's best efforts. Blog spam for example.

    If by SEO you mean the process of correctly implementing best practice site structure, content placement, and appropriate link building to ensure they are easily identified for their relevance by search engines, then no.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
    The answer is YES
    The answer is NO

    Some of what we call SEO is on its way out and some new ways of SEO are on their way in. Its beginning to make less and less sense to be involved in the kind of SEO that doesn't embrace the rise of social networks and how people use mobile devices.

    Social networking is about to become a key factor in SEO. backlinking and other traffic. You are almost on to something.
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    • Profile picture of the author JackPowers
      Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

      The answer is YES
      The answer is NO

      Some of what we call SEO is on its way out and some new ways of SEO are on their way in. Its beginning to make less and less sense to be involved in the kind of SEO that doesn't embrace the rise of social networks and how people use mobile devices.

      Social networking is about to become a key factor in SEO. backlinking and other traffic. You are almost on to something.
      We hear this all the time. When is it going to happen? First it was Facebook, then Twitter, then some other random social media.

      Social media is the same as Windows Messenger/Yahoo Chat/Myspace. It's not a new invention. It's purpose is to connect with friends and express yourself. It's not a means of information finding.

      Google is not in competition at all. A search engine is like an old school index book. The two don't mix.

      Are you telling me that people are going to be asking their friends on facebook for recommendations of yeast cures or how to treat impotence?

      I'll let the 'more words than substance' digital media firms babble on about social media.
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  • Profile picture of the author xbokcom
    Mike Anthony ... Hit it right on the nail....

    SEO is not on the way out. SEO is changing ...

    It will all boil down to quality and people will vote. We all coming to a point system and Social Media.

    That is what I see in the future.
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    • Profile picture of the author JackPowers
      Originally Posted by xbokcom View Post

      Mike Anthony ... Hit it right on the nail....

      SEO is not on the way out. SEO is changing ...

      It will all boil down to quality and people will vote. We all coming to a point system and Social Media.

      That is what I see in the future.
      How is SEO changing?

      A vote system will never work on it's own. That would be heaven for spammers and their clickbots.
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  • Profile picture of the author Big JP
    Rules are made to be broken...

    Basically what I am saying is, even if SEO somehow became extinct oneday,
    Whatever system that steps in to replace it will have ways to be manipulated, and you can bet
    your life they will be.

    My personal opinion: I don't think SEO is going to be forgotten anytime soon, or in the near future. It is just like a big beast of a machine being fine tuned to only get better.

    Will things in SEO change? Damn rite they will, that's the nature of the game, hasn't it always been?

    JP
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    • Profile picture of the author Jacob Martus
      Originally Posted by Big JP View Post

      Rules are made to be broken...

      Basically what I am saying is, even if SEO somehow became extinct oneday,
      Whatever system that steps in to replace it will have ways to be manipulated, and you can bet
      your life they will be.

      My personal opinion: I don't think SEO is going to be forgotten anytime soon, or in the near future. It is just like a big beast of a machine being fine tuned to only get better.

      Will things in SEO change? Damn rite they will, that's the nature of the game, hasn't it always been?

      JP
      That's the nature of business in general. Things are constantly changing for most offline business as well.
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      • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
        One thing IMers fail to realize about Social Media is that it is a FAD and IT has a short LIFESPAN!

        All Social Media falls into the category. It boils down to who rules the watering hole and the prime feeding and grazing spots and for how long.

        Facebook and Twitter will eventually succumb to the next latest and greatest Social Media vehicle the same way MySpace and AOL have fallen by the wayside. Oh and remember when being in online "Groups" was the "In" thing? Now "groups" are like the crickets in the desert.

        Mark my words, some creative minds are already in the process of cooking up ideas that will spring up and eventually overtake Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, etc.

        Giles, the Crew Chief
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        • Profile picture of the author Stephen Crooks
          While I agree with what you say about facebook and Twitter being usurped by the next great social networking idea, social media is not a fad and is here to stay. All that is going to happen is that the vehicle changes but the principles remain the same and in fact get stronger.

          Each generation of online social interaction from bulletin boards through to Twitter have improved the social interaction experience for users. Rather than say it is a fad, social media is only going to get stronger and become more prevalent and useful for clever marketers.

          Originally Posted by Crew Chief View Post

          One thing IMers fail to realize about Social Media is that it is a FAD and IT has a short LIFESPAN!

          All Social Media falls into the category. It boils down to who rules the watering hole and the prime feeding and grazing spots and for how long.

          Facebook and Twitter will eventually succumb to the next latest and greatest Social Media vehicle the same way MySpace and AOL have fallen by the wayside. Oh and remember when being in online "Groups" was the "In" thing? Now "groups" are like the crickets in the desert.

          Mark my words, some creative minds are already in the process of cooking up ideas that will spring up and eventually overtake Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, etc.

          Giles, the Crew Chief
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  • Profile picture of the author stephanrobert
    Yes Google change its strategies and defines new rules time by time. Changes are always there in any field. I think advancements and modifications are very important for every technique to be more beneficial. so changes can be there but SEO will not go out.
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  • Profile picture of the author ttrance
    so many people saying so many things wow...confusing!

    My 2 cents: Google likes good SEO's because they help bring everyone into line with their websites. Meaning if Google changes things so much that SEO's and the entire industry crumbling who will sheppard the flocks!?!?
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Deegan
    I hear what the OP is saying...as others have said already SEO is here to stay...however SEO is just a means to an end...Which is - Optimizing for what the Google search engine uses for ranking websites.

    Now I do agree the external metrics used are changing, it's obvious. They will continue to change and as the OP said your web presence in various conversations will play a bigger role.

    Simple on page SEO will always be important, however the off page calculations is where all the changes are and will be happening...Artificial back linking tactics will become less and less effective over time, no doubt about that.
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  • Profile picture of the author shellybrown84
    Think of that day when you will think of a search term and the result will be in your front.. SEO will never come to an end.
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  • Profile picture of the author alfredthomson
    SEO can't go out. Strategies may go change, new standards or advancements will be there but SEO can't be out. SEO is a need for any type of business to compete in an online market. And people are more and more moving towards online market.
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh MacDonald
    I don't think Google would do that to us. All they will do is make sure quality comes first. A random site will 0 backlinks and an amazing article probably won't overpower eHow but a site with a few backlinks and a really good article may be ranked up there. So what I am trying to say is, it won't be JUST quality that counts, it will just be a major roll.
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  • Profile picture of the author danko6
    it won't be out.. it will simply evolve..

    SEO is one of the most fast moving things out there.. You gotta stay up to date!
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  • Profile picture of the author twayneking
    I suspect that, whatever happens, one day one of the Search Engines is going to figure out how to filter out content mills generated stuff and poor quality pulp type stuff. If they do figure a way to evaluate the quality of written work, it will instantly change the whole landscape. What I would give for a search engine that skips over the 3 pages of e-How, Squidoo and e-zine pages and gets to independently generated content. Even Hub-pages and blogspot have some rather good content.

    If there were some sort of evaluating process whereby you could submit your content to be ranked and have the search engine advance the content over the pulp pages, I think you'd see the value of the independent writer elevated.

    My best weblog is a do-it-yourself site that gets me a lot of backlinks and high rankings, but there are consistently poorer quality content mill articles on the same subjects that rank higher. Ironically, some of these articles I've written myself for the peanuts the content mills paid and now I receive no further compensation for them despite their high ranking and traffic.

    Search engines NEED to get better or people will soon screw up their business model by skipping completely over the first 4 or 5 pages of hack articles and advertisements disguised as articles.

    O' there's change a'comin' you can bet brothers and sisters. What form it will take is, at this point, anybody's guess.

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author herbal
    No i don't think seo will be out because nothing ends every things come up with up graded version..same is the case with seo..some new techniques will add to it...
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