SEO vs SEO 2: Top 15 Differences

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What is SEO 2? You may not even know what SEO is yet! I don’t blame you!

Yet here we are talking about the next level of SEO – or as I refer to it SEO 2!

How do SEO and SEO 2 differ actually? Do they at all? Yes, they do!


How does modern SEO differ from old school SEO?

These are the 15 most important differences between SEO and SEO 2!

In other words this is old school and modern SEO or Search Engine Optimization compared.

Yes, SEO has been around since at least 1997 when Adam Audette coined the term. That’s 25+ years!

SEOSEO 2
Link building as in manually adding them by submitting static websites to directories, link exchange, paying for linksattracting links organically by blogging, outstanding content, establishing relationships
Optimization for search engines. Example: repetitive page titles focusing solely on keywordsOptimization for people. Example: enticing post headlines
Competition: you compete with others to be #1 in GoogleCooperation: you cooperate with each other sharing fellow bloggers’ posts on social media, you link out to them
Barter: you give me a link and only then I will give you oneGiving: I link you regardless whether you link back, but in many cases you will, more than once
Hiding: we’re not practicing SEO, we can’t show our client list publicly, generic SEO company, NDABeing open: Welcome our new client, we are proud to work together with them, Rand Fishkin, Brian Dean, see the case study
keywordscontext
optimization for links, rankings and trafficoptimization for visitors and engagement of real people
clicks, page views, visitsconversions, ROI, branding, customer retention
self-promotionpopularization
Main traffic sources: Google, Yahoo, MSNMain traffic sources: Google, Facebook, Pinterest, communities, blogs, direct traffic
one way communicationdialog, conversation
top down, corporations and old media decide what succeedsbottom up, wisdom of crowds determines true popularity via participation
undemocratic, who pays most is on topdemocratic, who responds to popular demand succeeds
50% automated, half of the SEO tasks can be done by SEO software10% automated, most SEO 2 tasks are about content and interaction
technocratic (as in measuring traffic)emotional (as in nourishing brand evangelists)

So here are the changes that took place during the last quarter of a century.

Some of them started out as predictions. Now they are common sense!


Still not sure what SEO or SEO 2 means?

Please also check out these 11 SEO 2 examples from all over the Web.

Also please take a look at my POPULAR framework alias the 7 pillars of SEO 2!

You don’t recognize the “SEO 2” moniker? No problem.

Most people nowadays refer to it as “social SEO” or simply SEO.

Yet the new type of SEO I cherish and preach here since 2007 is different!

At the end of the day modern social SEO is often about

  • Sharing
  • Engagement
  • Outreach

in case you still wonder.