So-called gurus have been saying it for years: SEO is dead. And every single time, they were wrong. Now, their voices are clamouring louder than ever. Guess what? They are still wrong. SEO is not dead and it will not stop being effective for a long time.
In most of the cases, those who say that SEO is dead have something to sell you – Google Ads services or various tools that apparently put any link on the first position in SERP pages overnight. In the first instance, you will get results as long as you pay – and ads costs are getting more expensive by day. In the second case, you will see results for a few weeks – followed by a throng of Google penalties for your site.
How Can You Prove that SEO Is Not Dead If It Is Not Working as It Used To?
This is probably the biggest argument you have heard. SEO is broken. Google keeps changing the rules. Even they realise that it is no longer relevant and keep trying to fix it.
Let us take these arguments seriously and disprove them. It would be easier to say “don’t believe them”, but this doesn’t really answer your questions.
So, let us look at some of the claims that appear to prove that SEO is dead:
1. Some Pages Are Not Ranking Anymore
Some business owners notice that the pages they want to see in Google search results are not there anymore. There are several reasons for that:
- They no longer meet the user’s search intent
- They try to rank for the wrong keyword
- The content is poor and no longer meets ranking requirements.
The fact is that SEO is not dead, but, at the same time, it is not a “fix-in-and-forge-it” job. You need to work on your site constantly, check for opportunities to improve SEO and fix errors.
If some pages are no longer ranking, it is not because SEO is dead, but because those pages no longer meet the ranking requirements.
2. Google Keeps Changing the Ranking Algorithm
While some see this as patchwork, the changes in the ranking algorithm are actually proofs that SEO is not dead. Google knows that some people try to cheat the rules. And every time they uncover a method for doing so, they make a change to eliminate the loophole.
These changes are necessary to keep the game fair for everyone and offer users relevant search results for their queries.
3. No SEO Technique Works for Longer than a Couple of Years
This issue is in direct correlation with the changes to the ranking algorithm. Unfortunately, some people are creative in a negative way: they learn how to exploit valid ranking techniques and gain an unfair advantage.
This is the case of:
- Overusing keywords
- Creating lots of poor quality backlinks
- Producing a lot of low quality content
- Writing for search engines instead of people.
Now Let Us Prove You that SEO Is Not Dead
So far, we have disproven all the arguments of those who claim that SEO is dead. Now, it is time to show you that it is very much alive.
Here are our arguments:
1. Google Is the Most Visited Website in the World
With nearly 90 billion visits per month, Google remains the number 1 site in terms of visitors. And what could they do there than search for something? It is the only thing a user can do on Google.
And this shows that SEO is not dead – because the majority of results displayed in SERPs are organic, not paid.
2. It Is the Digital Marketing Strategy with the Best ROI
Paid links are not as valuable as you think. Ad campaigns can be hijacked by click farms, or you can get clicks from people who are just curious. But you pay a lot for satisfying their curiosity.
In the worst case scenario, a click out of curiosity on an organic search result costs you nothing. And this is just a very basic way of proving that SEO has a good ROI. The biggest reason for this claim is that SEO reduces pointless clicks and drives quality traffic on your site.
Instead of students working on a term paper or someone in another country doing a search without localisation, you will get traffic from people within your service area, who are truly interested in your products. So, SEO is not dead.
3. Big Brands Invest Heavily in SEO
Think of big names like Coca-Cola, adidas, Apple or McDonald’s. They have huge advertising budgets – the size of a medium city hall budget. And they could spend it all on ads on every single channel.
But they also put aside a significant amount for SEO purposes. They are constantly creating quality content, researching keywords and focusing on local SEO in each market.
This is probably one of the strongest arguments proving that SEO is not dead. Why would the biggest brands still use it, if they afford all the paid traffic in the world? The answer is: because they get better quality traffic from SEO.
4. You Cannot Afford the Dwell Time between Two Paid Campaigns
Let us say that you are focused on paid search. And that you judiciously calculated the budget and planned your campaigns. Two campaigns per month, one week apart. That should not be a problem, right?
In reality, that break of one week will lose you all the visitors you’ve paid for – and many potential others. You will always go back to square one. And this will get worse as your competitors consistently invest in SEO.
The reason why SEO is not dead is because it keeps working continuously. Yes, you must keep an eye on it, make adjustments, fix errors, and so on. But you don’t have to constantly pump money into it.
Conclusion
SEO is not dead if you follow the rules. It is not easy to do that constantly. But it pays off. You cannot afford to rely only on paid traffic. Even if you have a budget for ads, do not forget about SEO, either.
Remember, traffic stops when your ad campaign is over. With SEO, you keep getting results every day. And this is exactly why SEO is not dead.