Over the past few years, many online marketing experts have rung the death knell for search engine optimization or SEO. They say that with the introduction of content marketing, SEO has become irrelevant.

Indeed, with the algorithm changes introduced by Google, including Penguin and Panda updates, the SEO landscape has considerably changed. But to say that SEO is dead is a gross overstatement. The more accurate statement would be to say that SEO has changed considerably.

Many tactics and tools that have given SEO specialists a wide margin of success have now been rendered useless, with some disavowed for causing more damage than good for an SEO campaign. In response, industry experts have shifted their focus, enabling them to adhere to the guidelines set by search engines while improving the engagement between companies and their target audience.

In order to better understand what SEO today is, it is imperative to look back at its past.

Focus
In terms of focus, SEO in the past centered on getting the best ranking for a website. Today, the focus is on making consumers engage with a brand as well as giving it maximum ROI.

Keywords
In the past, SEO specialists focused their attention on singular keywords. Today's Sedona SEO specialists understand the need to focus more on the keyword intent as well as the needs of the users. Hence, it is fairly common for specialists to use long tail searches.

Content
In the past, content creation revolved around the idea of simply creating content without regard for quality or relevance. Today, the goal of content creation is to attract an audience and provide value to that audience.

Link building
In the past, SEO specialists utilized spammy backlinks and attained relative success. In today's SEO landscape, such practices no longer hold water. Today, attaining success is dependent on the use of quality backlinks which can only be achieved by building relationships.

One key driving force that has facilitated these changes in SEO is content marketing. Today's online marketers have integrated SEO tactics in content marketing with their overall online marketing strategies.

The key thing to remember about SEO is that it will always evolve as it has done so over the years. Plenty of changes will still come. And as a company or online marketer, it is essential to recognize these changes and adapt to these if you wish to get the most out of your investment toward SEO.