Search marketing, then and now

Search marketing has changed a lot since the late 2000s, when paid search and SEO blogs were taking off. Some things haven't changed at all. These are short notes on both.

What has held up

1. Intent comes first. A search is still a question. Pages and ads that answer it clearly do better than ones built around a keyword list.
2. Relevance beats volume. A small number of well-matched keywords, pages or links does more than a large number of loose ones.
3. Measure what matters. Clicks and rankings are easy to report. Leads, sales and calls are what tell you whether the work pays off.
4. Trust takes time. Search engines reward sites with a clear subject, a real author or company behind them, and a long, consistent track record.

What has changed

• Mobile is the default. Most searches now start on a phone, so a page has to load fast and read well on a small screen.
• Answers appear before the click. Search results and AI assistants now summarize answers directly. Being the source they cite matters as much as ranking.
• Privacy rules shape measurement. Consent banners, the decline of third-party cookies and stricter laws mean less tracking data, and more reliance on first-party data.
• Automation runs the bidding. Ad platforms now set most bids and targeting themselves. The marketer's job has shifted to feeding them good goals, data and creative.