As we approach the end of 2024, the SEO landscape is already shifting, with even bigger changes on the horizon for next year.
With potential access to Google’s data, competitors could shake up the search landscape, requiring SEOs to rethink their strategies across multiple platforms.
At the same time, AI tools continue to evolve, offering both opportunities and risks – streamlining tasks but threatening to reduce creativity to a formulaic output.
The challenge for 2025? Balancing innovation with authenticity and automation with human insight.
What trends should guide your next steps? Let’s take a look.
1. Search alternatives and Google’s antitrust trial
If Google is forced to share its data as part of antitrust rulings, the SEO landscape may face dramatic changes.
This will allow Google’s competitors to use its search data and algorithms to build their search engines faster. Something that hides the potential to diversify the organic landscape significantly.
Building on this hypothetical future, while all competitors would start with the same foundational data, they could also innovate and introduce new methodologies.
For SEOs, this means we won’t just be developing a single strategy but potentially ten or twenty, ensuring our websites remain competitive across all these new platforms.
We are already experiencing some of this weight with the rise of AI tools – like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity and their plans to integrate search.
Making Google’s data available will also give SEO experts unprecedented transparency into the long-hidden Google algorithms.
We would gain deeper insights into ranking factors and user behavior, allowing us to optimize like never before by understanding exactly what works.
Unfortunately, this also means manipulating the algorithms will be easier, at least for the short term.
Something which may bring us back to the dark days of SEO, when it was easier to rank higher with a pile of complete rubbish.
To learn more about this trend and what it will mean for SEO, we may need to wait until later next year.
The current plan is for the U.S. DOJ to propose a more refined proposal in November and then Google to share its own in December. For now, we can only say, “Stay tuned!”
2. AI as a powerful (or terrible) assistant
With so many AI-powered tools available, it’s easy for SEOs to get lost in the sea of options.
While some of these tools can be helpful, there’s a real risk in relying too heavily on them.
If you and thousands like you, are all using the same tools trained on identical data, the outcome will be mediocrity at best.
Everyone’s strategy becomes the same, creating an environment where it’s hard to stand out. Maybe this is why Google has pushed so hard for the new “E” in E-E-A-T – putting the experience in focus.
Adding to this, many AI tools function as “black boxes.” You input data, but what happens in between is unclear.
Much like grabbing a candy from Harry Potter’s magical sweets – what you get could be great, or it could be a nasty surprise.
Without knowing how these tools reach their conclusions, you’re left with results you can’t fully trust.
Over-relying on AI can also hinder your critical thinking. A key strength of a great SEO expert is their ability to apply real-world experience, intuition and creativity to problem-solving.
AI tools still can’t replicate this. Your unique experiences set you apart from others.
One of the options to overcome some of these risks related to this trend is to consider training your own AI bot.
Ideally, you should build it from scratch on your own platform, where you don’t have the unknown risk of how your information is used.
But if this is a no-go option, tools like Google’s Gems and GPTs from ChatGPT will allow you to customize and fine-tune AI to your needs.
This will let you transform your AI assistant from a basic, generic tool into one that reflects the uniqueness of your brand, website and marketing strategy.
You can also train this tool on your CRM, Google Analytics data, customer reviews and more. The sky is the limit if you have eliminated the security concerns.
By having all these data in an easy-to-access way, you can better respond to Google’s emphasis on originality and establish E-E-A-T.
Dig deeper: AI can’t write this: 10 ways to AI-proof your content for years to come
3. E-E-A-T and the push for originality
Establishing E-E-A-T will continue to be crucial for SEO success in 2025.
To stand out, brands and content creators must prioritize originality by leveraging their own data and experiences.
Evidence of this can be found in the leaked Google API document, which references an “OriginalContentScore.”
Customer reviews, original research and unique insights will be some of your secret weapons in 2025.
Analyze customer behavior using internal search queries, product usage patterns or transcripts from your support and sales calls.
This lets you uncover content gaps and key topics that resonate with users so you can create new content and update existing ones.
Google’s recent recognition of content creators underscores the importance of proving expertise.
Verifiable authorship will be a key recipe for success in 2025.
To truly stand out, your brand must highlight the real human experience behind the content, adding authenticity and trustworthiness that users and search engines value.
If you haven’t planned yet for a complete revamp of those authors’ bios on your website, now is a good time to start.
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4. The user versus the keywords
Optimizing for users rather than keywords will also be among the keys to SEO success in 2025.
Instead of focusing solely on keywords, SEOs should build content around user pain points and challenges, targeting the intent behind their searches.
Keywords can be misleading. Often, terms with high search volume mask unclear intent or are dominated by UGC websites (e.g., Reddit, Quora) or listicles and review websites that Google tends to prioritize.
Users have changed significantly. We no longer search with short phrases; now we use long-tail keywords or complete questions.
Focusing on content inspired by the customer’s pains and challenges can help you avoid wasting efforts on keywords where the competition is too fierce or the intent is mismatched.
Algorithms will reward content that prioritizes the user experience, answering specific questions with valuable, relevant insights.
Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips
5. Technical SEO will matter more than ever
Technical SEO will be more important than ever. Optimizing your site to make it easier for search engine bots to crawl and understand is key.
Having structured data, a well-organized sitemap, internal links and clean code can significantly improve how search engines crawl and understand your site.
Accessibility is also important. Search engines emphasize user-friendly experiences, including accessible design and features.
If you’re unsure, the Google API leak shows evidence that Google uses clicks and post-click behavior in its ranking algorithms.
Page speed and Core Web Vitals are ranking signals that impact mobile users. Websites that load slowly or offer a poor mobile experience could struggle to rank.
A major focus of technical SEO in 2025 will be on platforms that rely heavily on JavaScript. Rendering issues prevent search engines from properly indexing their content.
Ensuring proper server-side rendering or resolving JavaScript-related problems is crucial for maintaining visibility in search results.
The good news is that both Google and Bing offer helpful checklists to guide your technical SEO efforts.
Be sure to regularly review the recommendations from Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console (although the latter is not yet available to all users).
Learning and adapting: An evergreen trend in SEO
The need to learn, adapt and evolve is a constant part of SEO. You can’t rely on a single strategy or quick fixes.
Success will come from working across different projects and refining multiple aspects of your SEO efforts. The ability to pivot and apply new learnings faster will set successful SEOs apart.
It looks like 2025 will be another dynamic year for SEO. For those who have been part of the game for a long time, that’s not new.
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