Is Seach Engine Optimization (SEO) Dead?

If you’ve heard whispers that search engine optimization (SEO) is dead, you’re not alone. Every few years, a new algorithm update or marketing trend sparks panic in the digital world. But here’s the truth: SEO isn’t dead. It’s evolving. For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), it remains one of the most cost-effective ways to drive high-quality traffic to your website and build long-term visibility.

SEO is no longer just about keywords and backlinks. It’s about providing a better digital  experience for website visitors and sharing quality content. Let’s break down what’s changed, what still works and how you can thrive in the current SEO landscape.

Why People Wonder if SEO Still Works
The “SEO is dead” myth usually stems from frustration with:

• Constant algorithm changes (thanks, Google),
• Declining organic reach due to paid ads and AI-generated answers and
• Oversaturation of content in nearly every niche.

But these challenges don’t mean SEO is obsolete. In fact, it’s more competitive and nuanced. Businesses that adapt their strategies are still seeing impressive results and so can you.

What Still Works: Core SEO Principles Haven’t Changed
The foundational elements of SEO remain critical.

1. Technical SEO: Ensure your website is crawlable, fast, mobile-friendly and secure. An important security aspect is that your website uses an SSL certificate to provide security on any data transfers. (You can spot this quickly by looking at web addresses that start with https). An example from our own website is shown below. Many organizations have set security protocols to warn employees if they’re trying to visit a website that doesn’t include this feature. Some will even block sites without it.

I bring up “fast and mobile-friendly” because people won’t wait for a website to load before they move on to another option.

“Google’s John Mueller advised making sites that load in less than 3 seconds since at least 2016. However, this was more for crawling reasons vs. ranking reasons. In 2017, Google said “the probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds.”¹

I literally was reviewing this morning some web work that a client had drafted and my alarms went off when I saw one page that featured an image that was 47 MB! As I mentioned to this client, you don’t need high-resolution images on your website. Save the high-res images for printed pieces and free up your website to load quickly. These are table stakes for ranking and positive user experiences.

2. Keyword research: Understanding what your audience is searching for—and how—is still important. Use tools like Google Search Console, Moz or SEMrush to find relevant keywords with low competition. This helps your business find the keywords that prospects are truly using to find companies like yours and those words that your competitors are overlooking, giving you a greater probability of gaining traction.

3. On-page optimization: Title tags, meta descriptions, header tags and internal linking still matter. They should be crafted for humans first and search engines second. Ever read a website that is difficult to read and seems like it’s chock-full of jargon that’s heavily repeated? That’s usually when a site has been published with too much emphasis on SEO and the author is “keyword stuffing”. Avoid this technique.

4. Backlinks: High-quality backlinks remain a strong ranking signal. Focus on earning links through association memberships, partnerships, PR and other valuable content. I explain this as a popularity contest in high school. Hang with me a moment. You want credible websites hyperlinking to your website and only a selective number of sites that you point to. Avoid services that promise hundreds of backlinks because they usually are posting to websites that don’t have anything to do with your line of business and aren’t respectable.

What’s New: SEO Tips, Tricks and Trends
To stay ahead, SMBs and marketers need to embrace the latest SEO rules. Here are the top strategies that currently work.

Optimize for search intent, not just keywords. Google’s algorithms are now incredibly good at understanding why someone is searching. Your content should match the intent behind the query—whether it’s informational, transactional or navigational. Use a search listening tool like Answer The Public to explore related questions and build content that answers them clearly. (This is also a great way to generate blog post topics.) The example below gives powerful insight on how people are searching on “marketing”. Answer The Public also shows you how much traffic the keywords are generating and how much competition there is for that same set of words.

Marketing Keyword Research by Answer The Public

Leverage AI and automation. Frankly, there’s not many examples of when I think you shouldn’t be using these tools. AI tools can help you:

• Generate content ideas.
• Analyze competitors.
• Automate technical audits.

However, don’t rely on AI to write all your content. Google prioritizes original, helpful and human-first content. Use AI to help spur, not replace, your creativity. Combine AI-generated outlines with your expertise to create standout content. Then share your own perspective on the topic and real ways that you helped solve the pain point or improved a situation.

Focus on experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (EEAT). Google’s emphasis on EEAT means your content should demonstrate real-world experiences. (Are you picking up on this theme in my recommendations?) If you can share a case study or lessons learned, you’re better able to ground your content in actual examples.

You also want your website to show credible authorship via the inclusion of team bios and credentials. If you have team members who speak at industry events, mention their presentation topics in their bios and feature photos of them in action. This helps site visitors to literally see your experts in action and helps search engines pick up more on the areas of expertise that you have on your bench.

Google also values what’s called “trust signals” and I believe these are incredibly important. Just a few days ago, I was speaking to a prospect about building his company a new website. I mentioned to him that it’d be ideal for him to work with the business owner and sales team to request reviews and testimonials from their customers. From those, we’ll sprinkle the client quotations throughout the website. I also recommend that our clients ask for reviews on Google. As the most popular search engine, asking for customer reviews to be posted to Google is a smart investment of your time. Then take those same comments and weave them into your website.

Tip: Add author bios, cite reputable sources and showcase customer success stories to build trust. Plus, if you write a case study on one of your customers and invite them to not only review and approve the content, but also use the piece in their own marketing, you strengthen your relationship with them and broaden your reach into their social network. That’s a win!

Create topic clusters and pillar pages. Instead of isolated blog posts, build content ecosystems around core topics. A pillar page covers a broad topic, while cluster content dives into subtopics and links back to the pillar. In WordPress, you can easily create content categories or use filters to simplify this process.

Tip: This structure improves internal linking, boosts topic authority and enhances the overall user experience.

Optimize web content for voice and conversational search. With the rise of voice assistants and AI chatbots, people are searching in more natural, conversational ways. Think about if you were looking for products or services that you actually offer, how would you speak into your phone for a web search? It’s much more casual and conversational.

Tip: Include FAQs, use natural language, and target longtail keywords that reflect how people speak.

Prioritize page experience and core web vitals. Google’s Core Web Vitals measure how fast, stable, and interactive your site is. A poor experience can hurt rankings — and conversions.

Tip: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights identify and fix performance issues. Below are some results and obvious website improvements that we’ll recommend to a new client. Since the information is pulled from Google, it’s perceived to be more objective and trustworthy.

Don’t ignore local SEO. For SMBs, local visibility is crucial. Make sure your Google Business Profile is optimized and encourage customer reviews. Contribute regular content to your Google My Business account. (It’s free and powerful for driving quality traffic to your website.)

Tip: Use local keywords, create location-specific landing pages and get listed in relevant directories.

Bonus: Quick Wins for Organic Traffic
If you’re short on time (who isn’t?) or budget, here are a few high-impact tactics.

• Update old content with fresh data and improved formatting.
• Create comparison or “best of” posts. They often rank well and attract backlinks.
• If one page or blog post consistently ranks in your top 10 more visited web pages, write and publish another post on that topic with a new twist or trend.
• Repurpose content into videos, infographics or social posts to expand reach.

Final Thoughts: SEO Is Alive — and Thriving
Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t dead. It’s just smarter, more user-focused and more integrated with other marketing channels. For SMBs and marketing professionals, the key is to stay agile, focus on quality and build for humans first.

Organic traffic is still one of the most valuable sources of leads and brand awareness. With the right strategy, you can cut through the noise and connect with your audience — without relying solely on paid ads. Contact Tell Your Tale Marketing & Design for help.

References
1.” How long will people wait for websites to load in 2024?” Search Engine Land, August 15, 2024. https://searchengineland.com/people-wait-website-load-2024-stat-445223