4 SEO changes to watch out for in 2025

If there is one topic that has dominated the tech and marketing world in recent years, it’s artificial intelligence. AI has changed the landscape of a wide range of sectors, from data analysis to copywriting. As with any technology there are positive and negative sides to the influence of AI, but one thing’s for sure – those providing SEO and social media marketing services must adapt to ensure their efforts continue to benefit clients. Here are four SEO changes to watch out for in 2025.

1. The rise of AI overviews

Google launched its AI overviews (AIO) in 2024, and research to date suggests they are impacting the way users obtain information and select websites to use for further reading. Data collected by Seer Interactive suggests the presence of AIO results in a decline of over 70% in organic click through rates, while websites that are featured in the AIO as a source saw an increase in CTR of some 200%. For SEOs that means identifying the types of query that lead to the appearance of an AI overview. Google suggests AIO assists with the most complex queries, which means targeting for longer tail keywords and more in-depth, informational queries.

2. Google’s market share is declining

In October 2024, Google’s market share dropped below 90% for the first time since 2015. The trend continued through the final three months of 2024. This is due to a variety of factors, including users seeking out alternative services like Yahoo and Bing – not to mention eco-conscious search engines such as Ecosia – as well as Google’s illegal monopoly status and the rise of large language models (LLM). SEOs should consider optimising for other search engines as well as focusing on high-quality, contextualised content that uses natural language. This will give their clients an edge when it comes to being picked up by LLMs.

3. Rewarding user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) has been a key part of the recipe for SEO success for well over a decade. But it’s being rewarded now more than ever, with research suggesting around 79% of consumers say UGC influences their decision to buy. If this content is not available as product reviews on independent review sites, users head to sites like Reddit and Quora for answers. This is apparent from the exceptional growth that both sites have seen since 2023. With that in mind, an SEO specialist could incorporate these sites into their strategy, engaging with communities and creating high-quality content that adds value to users.

4. E-E-A-T is more important than ever

With the flood of AI products growing and becoming increasingly utilised, Google has doubled down on its claim that experience, expertise, authority and trust (E-E-A-T) are at the centre of its quality guidelines. “OriginalContentScore” was referenced as a ranking factor in the Google API leak, showing that the search giant considers how original content is before ranking it in the SERPs. SEOs should therefore use AI with caution, and be prepared that flooding the SERPs with AI generated content won’t result in long-term rankings. Rather, novel experiences, data and discoveries will result in better rankings.

If you require comprehensive digital marketing and SEO services, get in touch with the team at Digital Carrera today to find out how we can help.