The phrase “10 blue links” is an expression in the world of SEO used to refer to the traditional format of presenting search results.

It used to be that, when you entered a query on your search engine of choice, the site came back with 10 blue link entries as suggestions. Now, you might be thinking that that remains the way the biggest search engine around – Google – works. The fact is that the search titan, who held to the tradition longer than most, has discretely moved beyond it.

Yes, through the years, Google has kept to a pretty consistent format of presenting its search results. Namely, a list of blue links deemed to most closely match your query and the information you want to access. However, search for any famous artist right now on their engine, and you’ll notice the information goes way beyond the titular links.

A news block usually heads the page, and probably a profile immediately to its right side. A handful of links followed by another block – this one with videos – and then the rest of the result list.

It’s far from surprising, really. As search engines continue to evolve and new devices and techs get in play, a barebones interface might not address most users’ needs.

Why is the expression “10 Blue links” still relevant?

For years, it was used by competing services to Google – like Bing and Yahoo – as a jive, pointing to an “outdated” way of displaying results. For them, moving away from the simple “10 blue links” format was a way to stand out.

Today, it remains an expression you might read on SEO-related content, most often used simply to refer to SERPs.

The expression “10 blue links” is still relevant in SEO because it is a shorthand way of referring to the traditional format of search results pages (SERPs). While SERPs have evolved over time to include more features, such as images, videos, and snippets, the basic format of 10 blue links remains the same. This is because blue links are still the most important signal for search engines when ranking websites.

SEO services often use the term “10 blue links” to describe their goal of helping clients rank their websites high in search results. By optimizing websites for relevant keywords and phrases, SEO professionals can help clients increase their visibility in SERPs and get more clicks from potential customers.