HOW DOES SEO WORK ?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) encompasses all the techniques aimed at improving the visibility of a website on the search result pages (or SERP) of various search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. This should not be confused with SEA (Search Engine Advertising) or paid referencing, which involves buying keywords to appear in a good position on the search engine and generate traffic. Here are some key steps in the history of SEO.

1. The beginnings: SEO began to gain importance in the mid-1990s, shortly after the appearance of the first search engines. At that time, websites were primarily designed for search engines, and referencing strategies mainly consisted of including relevant keywords in the content.

2. The era of tricks and manipulations: Over time, webmasters and SEO specialists discovered ways to manipulate search engine rankings using various techniques, such as keyword stuffing, creating artificial links, and other questionable practices, which were soon detected and penalized.

3. Google's algorithms: Google became the dominant search engine in the early 2000s (accounting for 92% of internet searches in France today), thanks to its advanced search algorithms, such as PageRank. This forced SEO professionals to focus more on content quality and the building of natural links.

4. The importance of quality content: Over the years, Google has implemented algorithm updates, such as Panda and Penguin, which penalized websites using spam or manipulative tactics. This reinforced the importance of quality content and user experience.

5. The mobile era and local search: With the rise of smartphones, mobile search and local search have become essential for SEO. Search engines began to favor 'responsive' websites, that is, mobile-friendly, and to display search results based on the user's geographical location.

6. The importance of technical SEO : technical SEO has become a key element of modern SEO, with factors such as site loading speed, URL structure, security, and accessibility playing a crucial role in search engine rankings.

7. The rise of voice search and AI: with the advent of voice assistants and artificial intelligence, SEO strategies have had to adapt to the new ways people conduct searches using voice and more human, natural queries, asking simple questions to the engine (How... What...?).

8. The advent of 'hybrid' SEO? The massive arrival of AI in our lives is going to revolutionize SEO and internet searches. The only way forward is to produce quality, natural, and informative content. Contents created 100% by AI are a short-term easy solution: they are often texts that sound hollow and contain errors, and, above all, some duplicated content easily detectable by search engines. Turn to expert SEO and web writing editors who will bring the necessary dose of humanity, technicality, and precision to your content for sustainable visibility on the web.