How did people search for products and services before there were online search engines? And how businesses get to the top of the advertising chain before the Age of the Screen?
Seems like a silly question to ask, doesn’t it? There’s always been SEO around, hasn’t there?
Well, just ask your grandparents about it — and they’ll mention something about ‘Yellow Pages’ and probably smile as they remember the phrase ‘let your fingers do the walking.’
Internet historians like to remind us that the use (and abuse) of the search engines have only been around for the past twenty years. Before that time there was a thick, heavy, book, published each year (or sometimes twice a year in larger cities) by specialty publishers — this massive tome was delivered, free of charge, to every home in America, and was an eagerly awaited event in most households.
Just think of it . . .
If you needed a plumber, you didn’t check Yelp on your smartphone for the best reviews — you got out the Yellow Pages and thumbed through it in alphabetical order; then found the biggest plumber ad and called them up. It was tedious, and you were never sure what kind of service, or product, you were getting.
So whatever your gripes about current SEO problems, just be thankful you’re not letting your digits do the strolling anymore. Because you’re getting faster and better service with just a single click!