It seems that for ages, there have been prognostications that the future of search engine optimization was bleak. Fortunately for those who deal with SEO on a daily basis, these forecasts have been wrong; there have been people uttering these predictions for over ten years. Still, the internet appears to be evolving at a faster and faster rate, leaving many truly wondering: have we reached the end of SEO? We will attempt to answer some of these questions involving the validity and future prospects of search engine optimization and hopefully provide some clarity to you on the matter.

How Does Google Disavow Affect Things?

Over the past couple of months, many people have been discussing whether or not Google Disavow will end the art of search engine optimization as we know it. This tool lets webmasters tell Google which links they wish for it to ignore and which ones are in fact valid links. Many who have been pinging for SEO are left wondering, “what is the point of SEO if people can just write-off links?”. This is certainly a game-changer, but does not fundamentally impact many of the other important aspects of SEO – a good marketing campaign will always be seeding backlinks in order to gain exposure.

What About Social Media?

With the new age of social media upon us, several major industry leaders have forecast that search engine optimization practices will radically change – meaning the end of SEO as we know it. While this may be true, social media has yet to completely overhaul the main tenets of optimization. As time goes on, though, social media backlinks will carry more and more weight. This means that rather than focusing on major search engines as the predominant form of exposure, many webmasters and marketing teams will begin turning to Facebook, Twitter and others for their traffic – which we’re already seeing.

Evolving Search Methods

With Facebook unveiling its new search engine alternative very recently, there is another worry for SEO enthusiasts about what this will mean for the future of internet search. As social networks and other large portals begin eating into traditional search engine dominance, many fear that a search engine optimization strategy will become more difficult when and if you have to account for dozens of viable, active platforms through which people will search. While this may pose a problem in the short to medium term, we expect that the internet – and therefore everyone using it – will navigate this hurdle just like every previous one.

Conclusion

If you are pinging for SEO or performing other general tasks to improve your site’s search engine performance, change can be scary. Fortunately, the doom and gloomers have been forecasting the death of SEO for the past 15 years – which has yet to occur. The internet, its webmasters and visitors all adapt to changing trends; there is no doubt that common SEO practices will continue to play a part in the lives of all who use the internet. By being prepared and constantly learning the newest tactics, you will be able to easily weather any changes over the next few years.