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SEO has undeniably become more challenging over the past few years. A thread on WebmasterWorld underscored this reality when a user expressed frustration with the evolving SEO landscape and considered leaving the industry. This prompted Barry Schwartz to conduct a poll seeking feedback from a broader audience, and I was initially surprised to find that many respondents shared the same concerns as the original poster.
Reflecting on this, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Building a business based on a set of rules only to find them changing can be frustrating.
But isn’t change a characteristic of every industry? Companies like Amazon, Uber, and Netflix have revolutionized their sectors. As these shifts occurred, familiar complaints emerged: it’s getting too complex, things seem unfair, and profitability is harder to maintain with traditional methods.
Is such disruption necessarily negative, though?
### How Change Can Lead to Improvements
Change benefits every industry by raising the competitive bar. Having been in digital marketing well before Google’s rise, I’ve witnessed numerous transformations in our field—some favorable, some not.
I’ve watched search engines evolve from ranking pages based on simplistic, easily manipulated signals like meta tags and keyword density to using complex and effective algorithms. Throughout these changes, many SEO tactics have come and gone, and numerous practitioners have cycled through the industry, seeking more promising opportunities elsewhere.
Whether you’re new to the industry or a veteran, such as myself, who has navigated through numerous iterations of search engine optimization, you’re familiar with these shifts.
For instance, there was a time when link building was as simple as acquiring more keyword-rich links than competitors, akin to an SEO arms race. Marketers seized every opportunity to generate links.
I also fell into this mindset, creating a vast network of sites with the sole purpose of manipulating rankings — a tactic rendered ineffective by Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithms targeting low-quality content and manipulative links.
The aftermath was challenging for many SEO practitioners and their clients, who often were unaware of the methods used on their behalf. Sites that benefited from such tactics faced severe penalties, sometimes disappearing from search results altogether. These penalties could last years, even after corrective actions were taken, destroying businesses along the way.
Today’s SEO landscape is drastically different. Many of the cheap and easy past tactics have lost efficacy, requiring SEO professionals to work harder. While this might sound disadvantageous, it can help the industry.
Much like the 2008 housing collapse, which filtered out inadequate realtors, this new SEO evolution will likely purge practitioners using outdated or harmful tactics.
As algorithms improve in distinguishing artificial ranking manipulation from genuine signals and in understanding user needs, many practitioners will exit the industry, leaving those truly dedicated to remain.
### SEO Isn’t Dead, but Your Tactics Might Be
There will be more cries of “the sky is falling” and declarations of “SEO is dead” from those using tricks without genuine value. But seasoned professionals have heard this before. We have witnessed collective panic with every major update, dating back to the “Florida” update of 2003.
After the Panda update, many SEOs asked how they could compete when required to hire skilled writers for quality, longer-form content. While some couldn’t compete without churning out numerous short, poorly written articles, those who focused on well-researched, unique content saw significant gains.
Similarly, Penguin’s crackdown on manipulative link building prompted many to abandon link-building services, as earning genuine links became more labor-intensive.
We are approaching another turning point as artificial intelligence increasingly influences Google’s algorithm. SEO practitioners relying on tricks must adapt or leave, while those committed to quality content and legitimate links will set new standards.
Will some practitioners exit the industry? Yes. And some agencies may close. But I’m fine with that because it means the industry will reach a higher standard, benefiting professionals, search engines, users, and our clients alike.
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