Introduction
Is SEO dead? First of all, if something is constantly said to have died consistently over the last decade then it is alive. No! SEO is not dead.
Why Everyone Says SEO Is Dead!
Google search algorithms undergo frequent updates as a result, the clicks on websites are consistently going down and SEO rankings are affected. So does that mean SEO is dead?
Here is the fact: There are over 5.6 billion searches each day carried out on Google which will mean about 2 trillion searches every year.
Despite the number of searches, there are roughly 440 million blogs on the web containing massive contents on most popular topics. Adding Medium and Tumblr will take that number to over a billion! Take for example, if you search for a long-tail phrase such as, “what is digital marketing”, there are 11,300 global searches a month and a whopping 665,000 pieces of content trying to answer that question. That’s a lot of content in comparison to the search volume, so there’s an increasing trend of content being produced being higher than search demand though there are still search phrases with more search volume than content.
In addition, Google is turning into an answer engine where it is trying to answer people’s questions directly without having to click on a website. According to Dejan SEO, they saw CTRs reduce largely when Google started answering questions. This has become so common that the traffic percentage Google drives to organic listings (SEO results) is on the decrease over time. Now imagine the possibility of your website coming up on the #1 spot on Google SERP. This is the reason people began to think SEO is dead. However, this is completely the opposite.
SEO is Not Dead; SEO is Evolving
According to Ian Lurie “SEO is all about discoverability. That’s what it sells. And people have always valued discoverability. Even if search engines change to the point that we don’t even recognize them, there’ll still be some form of SEO.” Owing to the constant updates to the Google search algorithm, SEO keeps evolving. Amidst the many little changes Google search engine’s algorithms have been through, here are the major ones in the recent years. The latest being Google’s December 2024 Core Update.
- Panda – This was first established in February 2011 and was developed to get rid of the black hat SEO tactics and web spam. Panda focused on quality and user experience.
- Hummingbird – revealed in August 2013, Hummingbird improved the speed and preciseness of search engine’s core algorithm anticipating the increase of mobile search. Recently, Hummingbird updates have made Google become better at understanding a post’s topic, giving users more freedom to use synonyms and semantically-related keywords in blog posts to meet their on-page requirements.
- RankBrain – This was released in October, 2015, Rank brain used machine learning to give answers to ambiguous queries by integrating artificial intelligence(AI).
- BERT – First released in November 2018 and an update was released in December 2019, helps Google understand natural language better.
- Vicinity – This was instituted in December 2021, this was one Google’s biggest local search update in five years. Vicinity uses proximity targeting as a ranking factor, local businesses are weighted more heavily in query results.
Each of these updates revolutionized the way Google works, they each required SEO professionals to rethink their strategy and tweak it to provide the results needed.
Also, Google is now providing answers to questions directly and suggesting related questions as well as answers. This has given rise to what is now known as zero click searches which are searches that only end on the SERPs without requiring a click to another site.
5 Dead SEO Practices
- Focusing on building links thereby having more backlinks in a content.
- Having more content on your website against quality content
- Filling up content with keywords
- Contents produced for search engines rather than people.
- Having duplicate contents written.
6 Living SEO Practices
- Your website should be responsive and quick to create a user friendly experience
- Optimise your content to be voice search friendly.
- Have a schema markup to provide structured data for your content to have the intent your customers are searching for.
- Include FAQs in your content to stay connected to the intent of your customers.
- Rather than stuffing your content with keywords, let your content have a rich detail on the topic covered.
- Improve your click through rate (CTR)
The Future of SEO
“I think the future of SEO will be Google, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Rankings.” Neil Patel on Marketing School. In other words, SEO is where the user is. Whatever platform you create content in, SEO is there.
The era when major search engines operated mainly on algorithms and mechanical processes has changed significantly; they could fulfill search requests but often failed to provide relevant answers to user intent. However, now or in the future, users’ intent is the core of Google SERP and should be the focus of every content across platform’s.
What the people search for is where SEO will live. Accordingly, Matt Diggity, SEO professional says that “One of the foremost SEO strategies for 2025 is to focus on increasing the brand search volume for your website…sites with brand search volume are vastly outperforming sites without it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google search dying?
Google search is not dying. With regular updates on Google algorithm, it will only keep serving more customers’ search intent.
What’s replacing SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is evolving with the emergence of advanced AI models like DeepSeek and ChatGPT. These tools are not replacing SEO but are enhancing and transforming it.
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, has developed the DeepSeek-R1 model, which offers advanced reasoning capabilities and is open-source. Its efficiency and cost-effectiveness have garnered significant attention in the AI community. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a well-established AI model known for its conversational abilities and content generation. It has been widely adopted for various applications, including SEO content creation.
These AI models contribute to the evolution from SEO towards Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). AEO focuses on providing direct, concise, and authoritative answers to user queries, aligning with the capabilities of AI-driven search engines and voice assistants. While SEO is not being replaced, it is changing with the integration of AI models like DeepSeek and ChatGPT, leading to a more answer-focused approach in content optimization.
Is SEO Dead With AI?
SEO is not dead with the rise of AI. Rather, it is developing to adapt and incorporate AI capabilities. To remain relevant, SEO strategies will need to align with how AI depicts and anticipates search behaviour and user interactions. However, it is important to state that the foundational concepts of optimizing for search engine rankings will remain the same.
Why Do People Say SEO is Dead?
People say SEO is dead because they think that the constant changes to Google’s algorithm, the introduction of generative AI and increased competition means that there is no place for them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While it is true that algorithms will keep changing and AI is here to stay, it is also true that it is those who keep evolving and adapting to these changes that will rank high on search engines.
Is Organic SEO Dead?
Organic SEO is not dead. While paid advertising might seem to be on the increase and delivering fast results, organic SEO is delivering long-lasting, cheap, and efficient results to those who are patient enough to see its strategies work. As long as people are still using search engines to find information, then organic SEO is not dead. Businesses need to ensure that their SEO strategies are constantly evolving to meet up with the frequent algorithm changes. Most importantly, now is the time to focus on quality content more than ever before.
Conclusion
As long as people still use search engines with organic results, SEO is not dead. However, there have been changes to how these results rank as Google continues to strive to answer search queries. The best approach is to continue to evolve as SEO evolves. Make sure that you know everything about every change Google rolls out per time and you’ll see SEO outlive any rumors of its own death. As you seek to improve your marketing strategies, check out our other marketing related articles here.
