Is SEO dead?

Gizah said:

Backlink is important but I know many websites. They don't have any backlink but always on the way to high. I dont understand how can be.??

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Providing high quality content.

Not dead, just Google is now focusing more on authority and brand sites to give rank.

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

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I’m NOT joking either …

SEO isnt dead.

It’s ever more evolved, alive and kicking harder than ever. Had an HCU this sort of indicates the way you’re applying seo is wrong.

"Maybe I’m going on-page SEO the wrong way around" but all my pages index within just a few hours AND and "Ranking" takes the same amount of time 3 to 6 hours, not months of waiting around. I just deliver to GoogleBOT with a fully optimised page and GoogleBOT thanks me with the ranking.

Stupid me, listened to Google, high authority websites that SEO is a long term investment, instead of listening to my gut.

"SEO Takes Time" is the greatest SEO Myth of today.

Look at the start of everybody’s "start" page organic traffic graph, it’s been looking at you for almost 28 years, so fix it.

SEO will never die.

It's not dead yet... However in the few upcoming years it will be dead for sure

SEO simply evolves but not dying in the near future.
You have to pay attention to the trends and more importantly, to the search intent. Not once, in the last years, google changed the search intent. For example, at one point if you were searching for "bank account", you'd get banks on page one but now, it's comparison websites so you need to adjust.

SEO has never been more alive than it is today.

However, the main problem I see is that with the rise of AI and various other tools, we’ve lost people who are truly passionate about SEO for SEO’s sake.

The problem isn’t with AI as AI is a good thing, the issue lies in how quickly some people believe they've learned something from it.

Instead, we now have a flood of "professionals" in the field who claim expertise after reading three articles and using ChatGPT for a few days.

This is a fact.

Many act like they know what they’re doing, but the reality is far from it.

SEO is an expensive game, it’s not just about link building or "content quality."

You only need to look at a few of these threads and the responses they generate to see the average educational level of SEO practitioners today.

Google considers hundreds of factors when determining SEO rankings.

You can’t even begin to learn half of it in a year, in fact, you probably won’t even read everything you need in that first year.

But one thing’s clear, SEO is alive, and Google is watching everything.

The biggest problem about SEO that no one talks about is that SEO is a zero-sum game.

There are only ten spots (even fewer than that if you take away the "rich" results).

Even if you rank on the first page for some time, you will eventually lose your position unless you keep working on them SEO-wise.

So, that leads us to two points:

1. You cannot handle a 1000-page website because that would mean building backlinks to those 1000 pages to maintain your position, ideally speaking. That's why content websites suffered in the last few updates.

2. Billions (if not trillions) of websites are vying for those <10 spots on the first page. The competition is bound to be insane. It means that to provide a service that costs $500 per month, you might have to incur a cost of $1000. Unless you have built a whole ecosystem that would probably take years or thousands of dollars to get started—that's the new barrier to entry.

In conclusion, it's not a market where the supply exceeds the demand. Your offer will most probably be the same as the next person's.

Can you find an underserved market or come up with a unique offer to stand out?
Maybe doable, but very, very tough.

So, it is pretty much dead for both service providers and clients.

Unless you have a deep pocket and are ready to go to any lengths to build that moat first.

Nothing is dead, It's just hard to find the loophole.

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

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SEO isn't dead, but the way we approach it has completely changed. Google now prioritizes user experience, making keyword relevance and technical aspects like mobile-friendliness and page speed more important than ever.

Rather than starting with keyword research and then creating content, focus on addressing your users' pain points first. This approach, known as Pain Point SEO, is more effective in today's landscape.

Programmatic SEO is also becoming increasingly crucial, as it allows you to generate large amounts of content quickly, targeting long-tail keywords. You can explore Gracker AI, an AI-powered editorial and programmatic SEO tool designed specifically for cybersecurity SaaS companies

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

Click to expand...

SEO isn't dead, but the way we approach it has completely changed. Google now prioritizes user experience, making keyword relevance and technical aspects like mobile-friendliness and page speed more important than ever.

Rather than starting with keyword research and then creating content, focus on addressing your users' pain points first. This approach, known as Pain Point SEO, is more effective in today's landscape.

Programmatic SEO is also becoming increasingly crucial, as it allows you to generate large amounts of content quickly, targeting long-tail keywords. You can explore Gracker AI, an AI-powered editorial and programmatic SEO tool designed specifically for cybersecurity SaaS companies

Yes SEO is dead like it's always been dead. It died multiple times while the big guys milk it from it's death.

GameLabXtention said:

Nothing is dead, It's just hard to find the loophole.

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A very wrong approach and not sustainable in the long run. Why?

Because you assume that a billion-dollar company's PRODUCT will have "loopholes" in it.

For example, if I were a SaaS owner, I would try to plug all the loopholes in my software and create something that provides the best user experience. And you are talking about a billion-dollar company leaving loopholes for us to exploit.

If you want a sustainable SEO strategy that does not burn your or your client's website in the next few updates, forget loopholes and focus on awesomeness.

Dead. Dead like Romio's love for Juliet.

You just need to open eyes and see the threads of BHW seo sellers who are getting so many views and responses on their bst . If seo was dead, why will anyone show response in their threads?

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

Click to expand...

It became more complicated

I feel you, man. Been in the SEO game for 6+ years myself, and when updates like HCU hit hard, it sucks. Sometimes it's not even about what you're doing wrong but the way the algorithm shifts. I'd suggest not giving up just yet—maybe experiment with some content refreshes or niche down even further. It's a grind, but sometimes a tweak here and there gets the engine running again. Keep pushing!

If you don't know what you're doing, then you should stay out of the big-kid games (Search Engine SEO, PPC, etc.) - or outsource that work to somebody else who knows what they're doing.

You want to sell your product? If it's targeted at businesses, start calling, email them, make connections, conventions, podcasts, if it's tech reach out to developers and get them using it.

Selling to consumers? Try social media, product placements, collabs.

Selling somebody else's product or pushing spammy ads? You're in the wrong game if you're having problems with SEO right now.

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

Click to expand...

No, SEO is not completely dead! While the landscape is continuously changing, particularly with advances in AI and changes in search engine algorithms, SEO continues to be an important component of digital marketing.
Here are a few reasons why.
1. Search Engine Updates: Search engines' algorithms are continuously updated to improve the user experience. Staying on top of these changes is critical for retaining strong rankings.
2. User Behavior: As long as people use search engines to find information, products, or services, SEO will be relevant. Understanding the user's purpose is more crucial than ever.
3. Content Quality: Quality content is king. Websites that offer useful, well-structured, and relevant material will continue to do well.
4. Local and Mobile Search: The relevance of local SEO and mobile optimization is increasing, as more users search for services on their smartphones.
And I believe your competitors are performing better than you, so losing your top places is also a possibility.

I completely relate; I've seen it happen to myself as well as others, and it's difficult these days. It's a good idea to take a step back and look at what those other sites are doing differently, and then try to tweak your technique to meet Google's new focus. Personally, I believe SEO isn't dead yet.

It's tough to lose motivation after years of work, but the situation may not be hopeless.

Google’s Helpful Content Update emphasizes user-first content, so focus on improving the relevance and value of your content for real users rather than SEO tricks. Conduct a full content audit, remove or revise low-quality content, and consider refreshing your keyword research.

Building backlinks, improving user experience, and focusing on long-tail keywords could also help recovery.

GNMedia said:

I am not joking. This is an serious question. After almost 6 years, I've simply lost motivation because everything is down. No results , HCU ruined me and nothing ever recovered.

I've just decided to sit down and check situation and it is so depressive. A keyword that I was ranking for years in top 10 is not there. One or few page sites with zero trust flow are there instead.

Click to expand...

Few page sites do not rank anymore. Have you checked properly. If you still see them ranking, it just might be temporary. After some time when ranking stablizes, your site might regain the current ranking.