Google and other search engines across the web have changed considerably since they first started gaining popularity more than 2 decades ago. Search engine results pages (SERPs) have grown to include PPC ads, maps, event listings and more along with traditional search listings to make them the first place many people go to solve a problem.
SERPs continue to grow more complex as technology evolves and search engines better understand the needs of their users. What started as a relatively basic index of 10 links has evolved into an entire industry focused on optimizing page content to achieve the highest page rank.
Proving It’s Useful to Search the Web
Search directories of content available on the web were first introduced in the early 1990’s. They became more mainstream when WebCrawler and Lycos were launched in 1994 and even bigger when companies like Yahoo invested in promoting their brands.
Google’s search engine launched at the end of 1997 with grand ambitions. Other search engines were beginning to experience problems with spam and redundancy issues in their search results and Google needed to prove that searching the web was worth the time and energy as more and more people began accessing the internet.
Ranking Pages with an Algorithm
Google realized they needed a way to rank web pages displayed in results in order for users to trust they were being given the best possible results for a search query. Many of the first search engines relied on keywords added to meta tags on a page which made it easy for web developers who understood the logic to hack the results. This led to pages with content completely unrelated to a search showing at the top of SERPs and the question of whether searching the web was even worth it becoming harder to ignore.
To show users search results they could trust Google developed an algorithm that used a number of factors more difficult to manipulate to rank a page. One of the most important elements of the ranking algorithm was backlinks and the value of the page the links were coming from to determine how valuable content on a page was. With this methodology a link back from a trusted news source like The NY Times was worth more than a link from a spammy directory site and results were displayed on the SERPs accordingly.
Growth of SEO
Google’s more complex search algorithm proved to work effectively and it began to grow in popularity. As more and more people began searching the web to find items they wanted to buy, places to go, etc. businesses started to see the value of appearing at the top of searches for important keywords. A group of experts who understood how Google’s algorithm indexed content emerged and SEO slowly became an important part of any marketing strategy.
Search algorithms didn’t take as many factors into account as they do today when SEO first became a topic of interest. Optimization strategies were relatively simple at first but have become much more complex with the introduction of more ranking signals and algorithm updates, like the Google Helpful Content Update, intended to prioritize unique content and penalize spammy sites.
Spaces on the internet have become much more complex since search engines first started to be widely used and their ability to effectively index content is a big part of that. .
Introduction of PPC Ads on SERPs
Google began testing the idea of using their platform as an advertising platform shortly after the search engine was launched and Google AdWords was officially launched on October 23, 2000. AdWords started as a completely self-serve system that allowed advertisers to sign up and set a budget for how much they were willing to spend per 1000 impressions. Whoever was willing to spend the most would show at the top of paid results until their budget was used up and another site would start showing on top.
The competitive nature of the bidding process and benefits of showing at the top of search results made AdWords popular among advertisers and a huge success for Google. A PPC model was soon introduced that rewarded ad positions based on the relevance of the content in a text ad/landing page along with how much an advertiser was willing to pay. Using multiple factors to calculate a page rank that determined which ads showed on top helped Google gain users’ trust and helped cement the role of search ads in any marketing campaign.
Google has continued to make improvements to the advertising platform like the introduction of conversion tracking and display campaigns to help advertisers reach the right audience. In 2018 AdWords was rebranded to Google Ads in an effort to make it easier for businesses to advertise across all of Google’s networks.
Importance of Mobile for SEO
The release of devices like the iPhone led to a surge in the use of search engines on mobile. In 2015 Google announced that the number of queries they received from mobile had surpassed the number coming from desktop. The event marked an important milestone as Google began shifting more attention to user experience on mobile and it became even more important for sites to be mobile-friendly.
Search results displayed on mobile phones often differed from what was displayed on desktop with a focus on local results. In 2020 Google switched to mobile first indexing when they determined most sites were prepared for the change and it would simplify the indexing process.
New Rich Search Features
SERPs continued to evolve as Google and other platforms became even more popular with the release of smartphones like the iPhone and Android. Being able to search the web to answer questions or find products/services radically changed the way humans consume information and search engines strived to give users as much info as possible for any query.
Features like local map packs, event listings and rich snippets began showing on more types of search queries to show users visually appealing content directly on SERPs and keep them engaged. Many of these features rely on schema markup included in the code of a page that tells search crawlers what type of content is displayed and any other relevant info to display directly with search results..
Publishing content with the correct schema markup is a must if you’d like results to show in non-traditional SERP feature areas. Adding custom post-types like events or reviews to your site can be an effective way to get links showing in a place where they’re more likely to be seen.
Continued Improvements
A lot has changed on SERPs since users first started searching the web in the early 1990’s. Google continues to make changes to its search algorithm to combat spam and ensure the most relevant content is displayed as well as experiment with new features designed to enhance use experience.
2022 has seen the introduction of a number of new features that could transform how users search the web. Image search is one new feature that uses a photo from the camera of a device to start a search with the potential to change the best ways to optimize content for SEO. It’s essential for web developers and SEOs to keep up with all the latest changes so they can deliver engaging content designed to boost page rank.