The Evolution of SEO: Examining the Myth of 'SEO is Dead' Theory

This essay addresses the question of whether Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is dead, arguing against this claim. It highlights SEO's continued importance in driving website traffic and its evolution to adapt to changing algorithms and user expectations. The essay references statistical data showing the significant percentage of website traffic originating from organic search and emphasizes that SEO is not dying but rather transforming. It discusses the shift from black-hat to white-hat SEO techniques, the need for high-quality content, and the growing demand for SEO professionals, concluding that SEO remains a vital digital marketing tool that is evolving for the better.

Running Head: ESSAY WRITING
ESSAY WRITING
“SEO IS DEAD”-AGREE OR DISAGREE

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
SEO- Still Alive?........................................................................................................................2
SEO is dead- myth of fact?........................................................................................................3
SEO is changing and is growing instead and is not dead...........................................................3
Why is SEO changing? Will it be of help?................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
SEO is regarded as Search Engine Optimization which is a virtual process of increasing
audience traffic from free, editorial as well as natural search results through the help of search
engines (Matta et al., 2020). Based on the argument of Pawade (2021), SEO helps in
improvising the position of the website in the search results page. In this connection, it is
learnt that the higher the listing of the website, the more is the reach of the same. Therefore,
the given piece of essay is focused on presenting an argument whether SEO is dead in the
modern world is agreed to or not and would support the statement that SEO is not dead.
SEO- Still Alive?
SEO in the views of the diversified studies states that it is dead and is no worth to the modern
day people and businesses with acceleration in other technological upgradations. In the
argument of Faruk et al., (2021), SEO has been an extensive trend since past decades and is
still in great power as a part of digital marketing strategy. It is as relevant today as the same
has been ever.
Also, the argument from Papagiannis, (2020), supports the above view by stating that if
anything that may happen to the SEO is that with passing time the importance of the same
would increase. The statistical data from Drivas et al., (2020), evidences this statement by
reflecting that around 53 per cent of the total website traffic comes from the organic search
connected with the SEO. As known that the marching of the time is unavoidable and with
every annual year novel technologies pounds its nail into the need of developing something
older. Take, for instance, the horse rides are being replaced by newer technologies, the slide
rules being replaced by scientific calculators and thus, making everything older obsolete.
However, there are even rumors wherein the older things are made obsolete and one such
rumors in the time around stating that the SEO is dead and claiming “Rest in peace” to the
Search Engine Optimization 1997:2022.
In this context, the belief is argued to stand at the point that SEO is not dead and is still
growing. Considering the factual information it is observed that the first result in the platform
of Google stands at an average of 26.9 per cent with the help of click-through on the
smartphones and around 32 per cent on desktops (Search Engine Journal, 2020). The aspect
that’s helping Google in gaining these results at the top page of the search result is none other
than Search Engine Optimization. Therefore, it is articulated that SEO was not dead in 2021
and is not dead even in 2022 with its consideration of still working as a highly powerful

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digital marketing tool. SEO promises to continue to change and grow and help the websites
grow its algorithms and that is to be soon expected with the use of the concerned tool.
SEO is dead- myth of fact?
SEO in the recent times has been termed to be dead in respect with the misunderstood beliefs
of the people with the click-through rates decreasing. However, the fact exists in the matter
that SEO is changing and not dying. Google works with adjusting its algorithm and that is
something to be expected which has led to decrease in the click-through rates (Lewandowski
et al., 2021). This change is being made to ensure that the businesses are feasibly able to
target the ideal and potential customers with the help of using the Search Engine
Optimization and the paid advertisement system in the same. Therefore, the fact exists in the
concept that SEO has been drastically changing to meet the needs of the global dynamic
world rather than dying.
Is SEO really dead? Is the question aroused by the diversified people all across the globe?
However, taking a look at the statistical approach people needs to have an idea of the amount
of searches that takes place on Google every day. A rough calculation has showed that over
5.6 billion searches on a daily basis are made. This calculating to a rough of around 2 trillion
searches made every annual year (Google, 2022). With lot of searches, lots of content is also
being created on the SEO platform. Excessive number of blogs, articles, magazines as well as
government site information can be gained with one simple keyword search on Google on
diversified topics. An example on one such topic is searching “digital marketing” and a
whooping response of around 665,000 content trying to answer the question will be received.
Nonetheless, even if one tries to still search if SEO is alive or not, there are over 2, 60, 00,
000 results that would be received for the same. This data-driven statistics clearly highlights
the importance and existence of SEO even in the current times and how the same is not dead.
If SEO was dead, would it really mean to gain this amount of content searches in just a matter
of few seconds? Does this actually means that the SEO is dead? No, actually it is the opposite
scenario. SEO is not dead. SEO is blooming and will prove to be of a great and constant
advantage in the coming times to people in daily personal as well as professional lives
(Martens et al., 2018).
SEO is changing and is growing instead and is not dead
Adaptation and changes has always been a key to success with any of the marketing channel
existing since the older times and even developing as a novel channel in the current times

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(Jocevski et al., 2019). This is because what was working well years ago for the channel,
would not be the same in the current times and would require significant changes with the
changing preferences and demands in the world. There have been several misconceptions
about the management of SEO and perhaps one of the biggest misconception is that SEO is
dying. Thus, Martens et al., (2018), states that readers should not be fooled that SEO is dying
and the same is evolving for better. Therefore, if one is doubtful about investing in SEO for
content management they should not be since with the changes SEO is upgrading itself will
prove to be extremely beneficial for the growth of the business through their official website.
However, on an adverse side there are several people and marketers who has completely
believed that the SEO is dead. The SEO being believed as a channel which no longer
increases the profitable marketing is actually a myth and is confusing people. In the year of
2017, one of the Journal Poll on the platform of Twitter showcased that SEO is dead for 41%
of the marketers which is a myth (Twitter, 2020). Also, five years later, the topic is still in
debate if the claim that SEO is deal is actually true or not. In this connection, the major
reasons that has been stated claiming that the SEO is not dead relates to the saying that SEO
is changing to work more feasibly for its users. Also, SEO requires better efforts which
requires it to change the algorithms and thus the click-through rates being decreased because
of the same (Stuck, 2019). As soon as the changes are finally made, the SEO rates will get
back to track and will prove to be increasingly beneficial as compared to earlier. SEO has
been complicated since its inception in 1997 and thus require modern changes for which it
has slowed down in the current times. Nonetheless, one of the most prominent evident that
SEO is rather growing and is not dead relates to the increment in the jobs rate as well as
salary levels of the people connected to SEO.
People should belief to see and check the reality before believing into any rumors. SEO as
per the studies is not moving away and doubtful if it would be dead ever. SEO as per the
experts will continue to evolve for good along with the people and business organizations
relying on the SEO. Thus, with the debate if SEO is dead or not, it has been evident that SEO
is actually changing. The time frame of no later than the year 2005 it has been observed that
the websites were getting with the black-hat tactics of the SEO (Stuck, 2019). These black-
hat tactics involved stuffing the key words, cloaking as well as buying links and many others.
During those times of early 2000s these tactics worked as well. However, with the adaption
of Google the standards for managing the SEO tightened and the same became of increasing
organic traffic that could be driven. Thus, SEO is changing with the change in the black-hat

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techniques to be changed to white-hat techniques such as the delivery of the best user
experience to the people as well as creation of fast websites and rendering a sound
architecture.
Why is SEO changing? Will it be of help?
SEO has been difficult to be managed. The black-hat tactics as described above were easy
with the help of typing the hundreds of relevant keywords and putting it behind certain pages
would help in keyword stuffing and thus SEO traffic was sure to follow. However, the
situation is not the same anymore. To increase the SEO ranking one needs to produce quality
content for the readers to be attracted and spend more reading time for the SEO traffic to
follow (Martens et al., 2018). Thus, SEO is observed to be changing with more work required
with the changes to avoid future issues and manage extensive level of positive and best
experiences for the users.
Furthermore, in the argument of Bouwmeesters et al., (2020), anybody initiating with the
SEO either as the content or even the technical SEO needs to ensure that the content makes
sense. A sensible page layout and other required aspects such as videos, hyperlinks, content
of the body, headers and transitions should be extensively used to increase the click-through
rate. Concerned with the technical side, SEO in the beginning was about the XML
sitemaps, .txt files and even HTML. However, with time there is an extensive need to build-
in teamwork, JavaScript, as well as ensuring to input the cumulative layout to all the
connected SEO topics.
Therefore, it is evident that SEO is not dead rather the users need to be more focused towards
producing quality content to ensure that the rankings can come up. And if the rankings are
growing than the same turns to be an evident of the users learning the new aspects of the SEO
and thus cracking the code that would help in gaining better achievements through SEO
(Bouwmeesters et al., 2020). Thus, putting in effective efforts and making SEO work in the
current times depends upon the users with the help of producing extensive content and not
believing in the rumor of SEO being dead. In this connection, there exists a need of mastering
the skills of SEO with the help of education and real-time practice so that the SEOs are able
to master the changing strategies of the same and implement the success rate intended.
Moving ahead, If SEO was really dead, the companies working under the similar business
industry would not hire potential SEOs and pay them higher salaries (Kim et al., 2018). This
being one of the greatest evident that SEO is not dead and rather is changing and developing

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for better future. Based on the survey conducted by the Conductor’s guide towards job trends
and salary management in the year 2020, it was observed that the employment rate in the
SEO field doubled in 2019 and every annual year after the same (Smit et al., 2020). This, in
turn, led to increase of 8% of the employment rate in the SEO for the year 2020. Furthermore,
on the compensation front, the average salary of the working SEOs also increased by 8% in
the year 2019 ranging from 68150 dollars to 73167 dollars (Smit et al., 2020). Nonetheless,
the salary rate for the people working as SEO specialists, managers as well as SEO analysts
also increased from the year 2019-2020. In addition to this, the average salary rate of the SEO
Director also increased with a track of 117,100 dollars in the year 2020. This statements
making it evident that there was surely a downfall in the management of the SEO business
industry during COVID-19 alike other business industries such as fashion and education
faced. However, in the current times the careers in the field of SEO continues to excel even
after the rumored claim of the naysayers that SEO is dead.
Conclusion
The above study helps in understanding that Search Engine Optimization is a virtual process
of increasing audience traffic from free, editorial as well as natural search results through the
help of search engines. Also, SEO helps in improvising the position of the website in the
search results page. However, in the current times there have been a significant rumor
regarding the SEO business industry being dead. There are diversified arguments stating that
the SEO is dead since the click-through rates have decreased and people believing that SEO
is not anymore helping to increase the visitor traffic and helping the websites grow. In this
connection, the paper notices that the SEO is actually changing and has not died. The paper
through the help of different studies claims that SEO has been an extensive trend since past
decades and is still in great power as a part of digital marketing strategy. It is as relevant
today as the same has been ever. With the statistical information gained from the study it is
further noticed that the first result in the platform of Google stands at an average of 26.9 per
cent with the help of click-through on the smartphones and around 32 per cent on desktops.
The aspect that’s helping Google in gaining these results at the top page of the search result is
none other than Search Engine Optimization. In addition, the paper also considers that SEO
in the recent times has been termed to be dead in respect with the misunderstood beliefs of
the people with the click-through rates decreasing. However, the fact exists in the matter that
SEO is changing and not dying. Google works with adjusting its algorithm and that is
something to be expected which has led to decrease in the click-through rates. This change is

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being made to ensure that the businesses are feasibly able to target the ideal and potential
customers with the help of using the Search Engine Optimization and the paid advertisement
system in the same. Last, but not least, the rate of employment as well as the salary
percentage of the people working in the SEO business industry is also increasing which
makes it highly significant that SEO is not dead. This is because no business industry dying
or failing to sustain itself would work with increasing employment rate and salary with its
downgrading financial position if that would be real case of the SEO being dead.

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