The Verge article critiques prominent SEO figures. I cannot comment on the critiques because I have not met them personally or professionally.

However, I met numerous of these people at SEO conferences like SMX in 2011, 2013, and 2015. I traveled from India to New York to attend SEO conferences, demonstrating my dedication to my business.

The Verge correctly stated that “SEO is now baked into everything.” Today, we optimize for search engines and total corporate web presence. From SEO to search optimization.

Concerns and care are underneath. I’ve also stressed how SEO sustains the web environment.

Why SEOs have always been good for search engines

SEO has evolved significantly since 2001, as I’ve been interested in it.

In the beginning, optimizing webpages for AltaVista and Yahoo entailed adding keywords to the keyword tag and content. Unfortunately, this basic method caused internet spam and clutter.

Google’s ascension as the top search engine brought fresh breath to the sector. SEO experts like me knew spammer-fighting algorithms were needed.

The rise of Google and the term “SEO” gave small company owners optimism for online success.

Every industry has a dark side. The search engine industry follows suit.

Search engine algorithms are designed using best practices from prior experiences, research, and extensive analysis of human behavior and indexing challenges to provide users with quality results.

SEO experts improve websites using on-page and off-page optimization.

SEO is about enhancing the web environment, not just rankings.

SEO practitioners help search engines and the web ecosystem by:

• Focus on quality content: Regularly deleting old and unnecessary content from websites and search engine indexes reduces clutter and improves search results.
• Error-free HTML code: Not all search engines require W3C conformance, but error-free HTML helps the web maintain a cleaner codebase and indirectly helps search engines.
• Setting proper 301 redirects and canonical tags: Optimizing SEO with 301 redirects and canonical tags lowers search engine indexing duplication and improves search results.
• Follow search engine guidelines: Following search engine standards and tools helps webmasters index and rank websites, boosting search results.
• Guest blog if you find it difficult to maintain your blog: Guest posting on well-maintained sites with a large following can share knowledge, improve SEO, and avoid abandoned blogs.
• Educate the client about what SEO is: SEO providers must inform clients of SEO’s worth to their digital assets. Thus, it is vital to regularly update the client about SEO developments and how SEO is making his digital asset (the website) more valuable.

SEO ethics are important in client connections.

A customer invests a lot in website rankings and internet visibility for short-term benefits but also long-term brand building and successful marketing.

SEO specialists must communicate with clients openly.

Clients may not care about SEO algorithms, meta tags, or backlink methods. Instead, they focus on results and brand effect.

The right SEO approach

Content publishers, indexers, and searchers drive the search and web ecology.

Every web user fits one of the categories. Instead of blaming search engines for poor results, we can improve the web in our manner.

As the internet is a network of networks, we must efficiently use viral and linkable material.

SEOs must comprehend the intent behind every SEO aspect of the site and contribute to the online cosmos.

The convergence of earned, owned, and sponsored media applies to the web as a whole, not just search engines, therefore SEOs must think broadly.

Search engines are not the World Wide Web, but a subset of the WWW superset

Effective SEO specialists nowadays go beyond Google’s algorithms. They evaluate how a website can conform to web standards that search engine algorithms presently use and others that may be used in the future.

This ensures the website’s long-term viability and prepares it for ongoing upgrades.

Instead of following algorithmic updates and changes, we may prepare before search engines employ them by focusing on what makes the web a better place and implementing quality factors on websites according to web standards.

W3C created the groundwork for the web with HTML (1997) and XML (1998). These early technologies led to many W3C recommendations that emphasize device-independent data and the “semantic web.”

We are helping Google algorithms become the standard and monopolize the web by giving them priority.

Since SEO was invented, SEOs have repaired websites to make them search engine-friendly, but we should stop thinking about search engines.

SEOs should consider web-friendly quality criteria and construct and structure their online presence (won and owned) according to them before search engines approve them.

Focusing on normal online design and development conventions, rather than Google’s requirements, will improve the web and website’s technological strength.

Prioritizing web standards

Search engines are a subset of the World Wide Web. They aim to provide quality search results by extracting signals from the web.

Instead of fixating on algorithmic updates, SEO professionals should concentrate on what makes the web a better place.

Proactive implementation of standards

For instance, microformats, a standard since the early 2000s, gained widespread attention only when Google introduced the Knowledge Graph in 2012.

SEOs should implement such standards proactively rather than waiting for search engines to enforce them.

Empowering SEOs and website owners

By prioritizing only Google’s algorithms, we risk making those algorithms the de facto standard, potentially leading to a web monopoly.

SEOs must embrace standards that enhance the web ecosystem and prepare websites to withstand algorithm updates.

A wider perspective: Beyond search engines

Ensuring credibility and trust

Just as an engineer applies scientific and practical knowledge to design structures, a good SEO professional must apply technical specifications that align with web standards.

This approach strengthens the web presence and fosters trust and credibility.

Embracing the semantics of the web

In the modern digital landscape, user-generated content and word-of-mouth play a vital role in decision-making.

Users rely on recommendations from their networks more than website claims, emphasizing the importance of maintaining consistency between website content and social media platforms.

Optimizing beyond search engines: Focus on users and standards

SEO’s role is not limited to search engines but extends to the broader web standards applicable now and in the future.

This approach ensures a website’s long-term health and resilience to algorithm updates.

A holistic approach to SEO and the web ecosystem

SEO professionals should shift their focus from search engines to the quality standards that benefit the entire web ecosystem.

By adhering to these standards and collaborating with website owners, SEOs can make the web a better place for all its users.