I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Ranking For: SEO Then vs. Now

Aug 5

Let’s face it — SEO has always been a bit of a mystery.

But good news: it’s changed. Join me for a walk down memory lane, and learn how the process of reaching page one of Google has changed over the years — from cryptic, spammy beginnings to something (almost) beautiful.

Then: Desktop First
Now: Mobile Everything (And Voice is Sneaking Up on Us)

Once upon a time, SEO used to be all about desktop experiences. Websites were optimized for those giant beige computers that sounded like jet engines warming up. But with the rise of smartphones, mobile-first indexing became the default.

Today, if your site isn’t mobile-first, Google’s already moved on — and so has your audience. More than half of all searches happen on phones. And with voice search rising (thanks, Alexa), people are now asking full-blown questions like:

“Where can I get sushi at 2 a.m. near me that won’t give me food poisoning?”

So yeah — your site better be ready to answer. That means optimizing for conversational, long-tail keywords is more important than ever.

Then: Keyword Stuffing
**Now: Intent Is Everything**

Once upon a time, you could reach the top of Google by repeating the same keyword 47 times and calling it content.
*Example: “Best pizza New York best pizza best best pizza.”* Which sounds like an intrusive thought at dinnertime rather than SEO strategy.
Now, Google’s grown up — and so has your audience. Modern SEO is about **search intent and natural language**. Thanks to advances in AI modeling, Google now understands context and nuance.
Pro tip: write for *humans*. Not for bots. Or Bono.

Then: Backlink Anything, Anywhere
Now: Quality is King

There was a time when you could link to your MySpace page, a Russian directory, and your mom’s Pinterest board and somehow improve your rankings.

These days? That’ll get you de-indexed faster than Katy Perry’s trip to space — and back in time for brunch.
Modern SEO says: one high-quality, relevant backlink > 100 garbage ones.
Google wants **relevant, authoritative** backlinks. Think fewer spammy directories, more earned media and partnerships. New York Times, not “SEO-Links-4-U.biz.”

Then: Rankings Were Everything
Now: User Experience + Engagement Rule

Back in the SEO Stone Age, if you ranked #1, you won. Period. User experience? Who’s she? But now, SEO is more about how users interact with your content once they land there. Google considers things like:

Bounce rate
Time on page
Click-through rate (CTR)
Core Web Vitals (page speed, responsiveness, etc.)

The numbers don’t lie. Check your analytics regularly. If visitors land on your site and immediately leave, that sends a strong signal that maybe your content ain’t it.