Yahoo is currently working on a new application that may automate SEO for the search engine. A patent was filed in January explaining the new system for automated SEO. This system would analyze search terms queried by users and whittle searches down to popular keyword sets that are long-tailed and more specific. The search engine would then automatically update the Meta titles, tags and headings of a webpage to reflect a more user-relevant keyword set. 

What does this mean for SEO companies and website managers? Basically, the keyword focus could shift to optimizing for a set of highly specific keywords that would be searched for on a second or third query if the more general attempts were unsuccessful. So, instead of optimizing for “new shoes”, websites will be more successful optimizing for “new blue basketball shoes”.  

This new search engine technology will allow the engines to recognize the actual content of a webpage and compare it to user browsing habits. Hopefully, this will improve search results, benefiting both the users and the websites/SEO companies trying to get their sites to rank for the relevant terms. 

For more information on the new Yahoo automated SEO technology, check out some of these other blogs:

• SEO by the Sea
• SEOtops
• SearchEngineWatch.com