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By Ruchi Pardal
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~ 10 minutes read
~ 10 minutes read
For years, the meaning of SEO just meant “optimize for SERP”. But, today the version of SEO has changed, prioritizing consumer intent with new ranking factors to shake up the SERPs.
More than 75% of the people never look for information after the first result page. This tendency of consumer behavior forces marketers to update their strategies following the latest SEO trends and technologies.
At the same time, with AI on the verge of posing both opportunities and threats, it’s important for markets to align SEO strategies with current trends and search engine algorithms.
With trends changing, let us give you a glimpse of how the future of SEO is going to be in the coming months of 2025.
Keep an eye till the end, 7 key trends to follow:
Google made the announcement on 14 May 2024 that Search Generative Experiences would be taking a different iteration this time as AI Overview will now be available for users.
As per an analysis, 75% of the Google AI Overviews appear in the first 12 organic results.
It summarizes information from sources like Bing, and Google with concise, fast and fairly thorough answers without actually traversing several websites.
As AI overviews usually appear on the top of SERP enabling businesses to enhance their SEO, it has become a challenge for other results to rank and attract organic traffic. It may reduce CTR but to how much extent?
According to a study:
The first result that appears on the SERP has a CTR (Click Through Rate) of 27%. Moreover, the first 3 results account for almost 54.4% of all clicks on the SERP.
As users expected to rely on AI overview information, early indications show that they can cause affected queries to suffer from an organic click-through rate reduction of 18%-64%.
Today, approximately 15% of SERPs are estimated to feature an AI overview. But this number is expected to grow in the next few years.
This will be a key trend in 2025 for markets and SEO professionals to shift their focus from merely ranking for blue links to placing their content for inclusion in AI-generated summaries.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) will be a key trend for your SEO success in 2025.
Google’s algorithms mostly optimize content that contains these qualities, particularly when AI-generated content is on the rise. Here is how E-E-T-A signals will help enhance SEO in 2025:
Search engines like Google concentrate on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), so the author bio is important.
Example: Content made by subject-wise experts is most important and can be optimized through Google’s Content Update.
Having Some First-Hand Experience Makes The Content More Authentic.
Example: Neil Patel always publishes a few of his SEO case studies to share how it has worked for him regarding increasing traffic.
According to the data published, more than 70% of business professionals believe case strides and user reviews enhance case studies in establishing content credibility.
Example:
Brian Dean (Backlinko) expanded his SEO authority through guest blogging on Moz and Search Engine Journal.
Tells search engines how to interpret the structure of content to convey better ranking and increase click-through ratios (CTR).
Another key trend that is expected to dominate SEO in 2025 is that focus on bringing credibility to the content for better SERP optimization.
In 2025, expectations are high that users will be shifting their focus to forums like Reddit and Quora for their answers, especially for AI-generated content. Therefore, marketers will use this trend to reach out to consumers directly and optimize content. Google has dedicated a particular section for forums on its interface.
Users want real-life experiences, therefore forum discussions carry more weight in search results.
Active participation in industry-specific forums increases credibility and visibility.
Monitoring the forums and responding to its mentions will also allow the brand to instil confidence and awareness.
Google increasingly favors user-generated content, with posts often finding a mention in search results that discuss forum exchange.
Engaging in relevant conversations, offering worthy contributions, optimizing content for discussion-based forums, and keeping an ear on trends from the industry year 2025 will enable businesses to leverage forums to find more significant growth in SEO, organic traffic, and brand trust.
This shift from normal search to Google forums will assist marketers in making Forums a crucial part of their SEO strategies in 2025.
YouTube SEO will be another trend that will be dominating 2025. Today, users are met with various YouTube ads while scrolling through the SERP making it an attractive choice for professionals to focus their SEO strategy on YouTube and videos.
You might not know, but video results are 50 times more likely to rank higher than text-based outcomes.
The ranking mechanisms of YouTube’s search algorithms and that of Google have certain commonalities in weighing a plethora of factors to decide which video content deserves to rank higher against which. Such factors include:
The video titles and descriptions must be meaningful and should describe exactly what the videos are about. Ensure that relevant keywords are added to the video titles and descriptions.
Tags are meant for specific categorization of your videos, which will make it easier for users who are searching for certain topics. Tags should be a combination of general and specific labels to encompass a wider audience.
Metadata for your videos includes information such as video duration, video upload date, and view counts. This information assists the algorithm of YouTube in understanding your videos to rank them.
The number of hours people spend watching your video is a significant factor for the algorithm of YouTube search. The higher the average watch time, the better the video ranks on the search list. Moreover, 81% of consumers express a desire for more short-form videos from brands.
Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares also go a long way in boosting the ranking of a video in YouTube searches.
People consider more what they see rather than what is written, YouTube SEO and Video Optimization are other areas that are going to rule SEO in the coming months of 2025.
While new trends may follow, your exciting SEO strategies such as keyword optimization, backlinking, and targeted content creation will experience a boost especially because of AI SEO optimization.
As per a survey of 200+ employees, more than 83% said they saw sudden improvements in existing SEO strategies after including AI in their efforts.
For instance,
Semrush Market Explorer utilizes AI to provide in-depth insights into market dynamics, competitor strategies, and audience behavior.
Rather than replacing existing SEO strategies, AI brings a new trend that will push your existing SEO efforts in the right direction.
With the rise of AI like Google AI overviews in the search results, zero-click search is surely one of the biggest SEO trends that will dominate in 2025.
A zero-click search means users directly get the answer on the result page without further clicking on any other link afterwards.
For example: if we ask Google what is the age of the famous actor Tom Cruise, we will see the output like:
Zero click mostly implies situations where you need basic results like age, weather, mathematical formulas and more.
To rank up on SEO, it’s crucial to create content that is relevant and puts the user first.
A study reveals around 25.6% of desktop searches and 17.3% of mobile searches experience zero click interpretation.
Additionally, appearing for zero search results can also make your brand appear more prominently on the SERP than it otherwise might. It can introduce you to new audiences and may lead to more branded searches later on.
Optimising for zero-click search is all about building visibility and trust. By showing up in such results, your brand is at the forefront when customers are looking for answers, solidifying your top-of-mind status when they are ready to take the next step.
While users search for quick and efficient information, Zero click searches is expected emerge as a dominant trend in 2025, redefining how SEO strategies were made.
Also Read: Comprehensive SEO Strategy: Elevate Your Website’s Visibility
As we are discussing best SEO trends for 2025, it’s important to mention an Omni SEO approach because online searches are becoming much more diverse than ever.
OmniSEO is the optimization for all kinds of searches, whether that is through voice searches, traditional searches, AI-based results, or social media discoverability.
For businesses to succeed in the long run, having an Omni SEO is going to a crucial trend. helping businesses ensure visibility across all search platforms.
SEO is a never-ending process, as the market changes so do the SEO trends. In 2025, we will possibly see a new face of SEO-driven advancements in AI and search engine algorithms. From AI Overviews to Omini SEO, it is time for businesses to buck up and include these latest trends in their SEO strategies before the competitors take over.
However, while running a business you don’t get much time because SEO is a continuous process that requires time and effort. That’s why it is important to hire the best SEO agency like ResultsFirst. With years of expertise in all aspects of SEO, we promise to rank your website up on the SERP.
Don’t let trends fade, partner with us and let your SEO speak volumes.
(Statistical Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seo-statistics-unveiling-numbers-behind-successful-2024-rahul-bhatia-jvemf/, https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-links-top-12-organic-rankings-449216, https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats, https://searchengineland.com/generative-ai-impact-website-rankings-traffic-443624)
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