There was a time when search engine optimisation or SEO was all about the keywords. Not anymore. Eric Enge, writing for SearchEngineWatch, lists 6 of the recent major changes implemented by Google that will force people to leave tactical SEO behaviour—keywords included—behind and instead pursue a more strategic approach to search engine success.

Recent changes implemented by Google

The move by Google to make all organic searches secure alone is a clear indication of the future of SEO. Because of this, website owners can no longer get keyword data for users that come from Google search. Keyword data, says Enge, has become harder to come by. Also telling is the fact that there hasn’t been a PageRank Update since February, and there wouldn’t be any more for this year. With this crude measurement of the prominence of a site gone, website owners now have to make use of other real world measurements instead, which Enge says are so much better.

Enge also points out that the major platform change called Hummingbird and the introduction of Google+, Authorship and the In-depth articles feature are all moves meant to encourage people to be more strategic. With all the tactical data these changes implemented by Google have taken away, people will now be more focused on establishing their authority and semantic relevance, and enhancing the user experience. This, says Enge, is exactly what Google wants.

Brighter future for SEO

These changes make me feel there’s a brighter future for SEO. I remember being annoyed by websites with low-quality content topping search engine results pages just because they have been exceedingly optimised for a particular keyphrase. With the changes implemented by Google, we can finally have a great user experience by getting exactly the kind of high-quality content that we are searching for. I personally can’t wait for the future of Google SEO to become the present.

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