Seeing a need for worry-free website creation and hosting for local businesses, Jeff starts Esultants in his hometown, Minneapolis.
Google files its first patent, the first Blackberry is released, Craigslist is founded, people are blogging on Blogger, and Napster allows MP3 files to be shared over the Internet.
Rob begins working with Jeff, accumulating more than 10 years of experience in web design, CSS, and HTML.
The release of Rich Site Summary (later "Really Simple Syndication") makes blogs more popular and easy to follow via RSS feeds.
Creative Commons is built, Wikipedia launches, and the first Apple iPods are released.
Over 100 of our clients acquired from 1999 to 2004 are still on a program with Esultants in 2017, 13+ years later.
Most major SEO companies lose clients after 18 months!
LinkedIn is founded.
LinkedIn launches as a professional networking site. Myspace launches and targets a young adult user base.
The first open-source WordPress software is released. Facebook is released for Harvard students.
Rob becomes project manager.
YouTube goes live. Google Analytics are released, and Google starts personalizing search results for each user.
Scott joins the Esultants family.
Twitter and Buzzfeed are founded. Facebook opens up to anyone with a connection to a school or university.
Tumblr launches as a micro-blogging and social network site. Twitter users start tweeting with hashtags. Apple introduces the iPhone.
The first Android phone makes its debut. Google releases its own browser: Chrome.
Bing emerges in an effort to dethrone Google. Twitter hyperlinks hashtags.
Scott relocates to Fergus Falls, opening our Lakes Area Web Services branch.
Instagram releases its iPhone app, immediately becoming the #1 photography application. Pinterest launches as an image- and idea-sharing site.
The Royal Wedding is the biggest internet event ever. Google's Panda update penalizes sites for keyword stuffing and spammy or duplicate content.
Esultants moves from Minneapolis across the river to a larger facility in St. Paul, just south of the State Fairgrounds.
Thanks to Siri and Google's Knowledge Graph, users begin searching conversationally, using questions like "Where can I find a dentist in Minneapolis" rather than keywords like "dentist minneapolis mn."
With its Hummingbird update, Google factors the entire search query into its results, rather than single keywords, considering user intent, so "What does HVAC mean" will produce different results than "HVAC maintenance and repair."
Clickbait sees backlash from users, who start to avoid clicking on vague and sensational titles ("You'll never believe what happened next!").
Melisa joins Esultants as the office manager, with 15+ years of experience in administration, sales, and billing.
With mobile searches exceeding 50%, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly search results. "Near Me" searches double.
Caitlin joins Esultants as Copywriting and SEO specialist, with 7 years' experience in writing and design.
Still concerned with user intent, Google focuses on user experience, including the quality of the content and accessibility.
Megan comes aboard to assist Caitlin with the growing needs for copywriting and social media management.
The rise of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), blending web and mobile app functionality for improved performance and offline access.
We announce our OMM programs, a restructuring of our maintenance and marketing packages to better serve clients. The content department hires 2 new interns for the summer.
Google introduced mobile-first indexing, prioritizing mobile-friendly sites for search rankings.
WebAssembly gained traction, enabling high-performance applications to run in browsers.
The pandemic effects Esultants, causing some changes in staffing and forcing a re-examination of our core services and how best to serve our clients in this changing online environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-commerce, remote work tools, and video conferencing.
Esultants builds new partnerships to provide additional services, making Esultants a “one-stop shop” for all our clients online marketing needs.
Web3 and blockchain-based technologies grow, influencing decentralized applications and the future of the internet.
