Search engine optimisation (SEO) is constantly changing, and this new year brings new trends to prepare for. As artificial intelligence (AI) grows more sophisticated, it’s now more important than ever to write content for humans that provides the answers that humans need. Speculations about the death of SEO are as old as the strategy itself, but the answer is always the same: SEO is very much alive but remains as fluid and dynamic as ever. As always, changes are on the way.
Several key trends are set to dominate marketing in 2025. AI and machine learning continue to evolve, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are on the rise and video content remains a powerful force. SEO, the art of helping users find your site through organic/unpaid search results, is going through some new developments.
Anchor Digital has helped many purpose-driven brands on the rise to grow, and we can do the same for you with our SEO services. Here’s the Anchor guide to the 2025 SEO trends to keep an eye out for.
SEO Trends Appearing in 2025
Here are the 2025 SEO trends that marketers and brands should prepare for the most.
Higher standards of content
Over the last couple of years, AI has made its mark on content creation. As a result, content written by bots flooded the web, and Google raised its standards for what ranks in its search algorithm. Google made several changes to its algorithm last year with the search engine’s August update prioritising content people genuinely found useful over content that reads like it was merely written to perform well on search. That means well-written content that provides users with the answers they’re looking for is in, while spammy, low-quality content is out.
Voice search
With an increasing number of people using virtual assistants like Siri, Google Home, Alexa and Cortana, voice search is on its way to becoming the dominant style of search. Voice search turns spoken inquiries and phrases into digital data, and customers love its speed and user-friendly approach. In 2025, over half of all web searches will be voice-activated.
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE)
Google’s Search Generative Experience is designed to answer your search questions while anticipating what you’ll ask next. A product of Google’s in-house AI, it analyses your questions and serves up additional related questions to enhance your understanding. This tool was developed to provide more intuitive and interactive search services to web users who are used to the ease of digital assistants. SGE can push high-ranking webpages down in the search results and introduce new link competition from unexpected sources, changing the game for marketers.
Topical authority
Topical authority means becoming a trusted name in your industry, which is a goal of most brands. Your content not only has to be good but relevant to your target audience. You’ll have better results if you can demonstrate expertise on the topic. When generating topical authority, you have to consider your customers' needs and pain points, as well as the usual best practices for search engines.
Zero-click searches
There’s been a rise in users landing on a search engine results page (SERP) and not clicking any of the results. This is because Google and other search engines provide AI-generated results and other features on the first page of Google's website. To continue driving traffic to their websites, brands are going to have to use certain strategies: build thought leadership, optimise featured snippets and diversify the use of marketing channels.
SEO Tactics Being Left in 2024
While you’re adapting to 2025’s SEO trends, here’s what to leave behind this year.
Generic AI
While AI has been evolving, tools like ChatGPT have led to a flood of similar generic content across the Internet, prompting Google to prioritise genuine knowledge and authenticity. To stand out from the crowd, abandon the cookie-cutter generic responses.
Gimmicks and tricks
We’ve long moved past the point at which keyword stuffing, buying links and hiding text were effective for SEO. If your agency still uses any of these shady practices, you need a new agency.
High-traffic keywords without intent
Targeting high-traffic keywords is a vital part of SEO strategy. But without taking the intent of your users into account, you’re likely to attract visitors who aren’t actually interested in what you offer. The increase in clicks won’t carry over to conversion rates. In 2025, change your focus to long-tail keywords that are intent-driven and better match user needs.
Over-emphasising backlinks
The time of focusing on the quantity of backlinks over quality is over. Now, Google favours a smaller number of high-quality backlinks from trustworthy sources over large numbers of less authoritative ones.
SEO Strategy Tips for 2025
Some tips to take on board when you’re embracing 2025 SEO trends include:
Provide valuable answers
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) are a valuable framework to follow for creating content that ranks. Make sure you provide users with clear information and the answers they’re looking for.
Focus on mobile
Over half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, so ignoring mobile loses many potential conversions. In 2025, prioritise a seamless mobile experience and a fast loading time.
Optimise for conversational queries
Search engines are prioritising more conversational language with the rise of voice search and the deluge of AI content. Long-tail keywords that reflect how people actually speak will help you with your results.
Focus on semantic search
Looking deeper than the words, semantic search understands the intent behind the phrases. Prioritise it with in-depth content and structured data.
Keep content evergreen
Because search engines value content that remains relevant over time, regularly updating existing content is a better strategy than constantly pumping out new AI-generated blogs, regularly refresh your existing content to make sure it remains up to date.
Focus on user experience (UX)
User experience (UX) ensures your website design is meaningful and pleasant for users and is set to play a pivotal role in 2025 SEO trends. How fast your site loads and how easy it is to scroll and interact with are among the factors that impact your rankings.
Keep Up With the Latest Trends in SEO with Anchor
A full-service creative marketing agency, Anchor Digital helps you keep on top of changes in the SEO industry while never losing track of the fundamentals. While our knowledge of new developments is always up-to-date, we also understand the principles that remain timeless.
Our SEO services don’t just increase clicks and conversions; they transform businesses through best-practice SEO. We dive deep into your website, figure out what’s working and what's not, and align our strategies with the stories you wish to tell. Rather than taking a silo mentality, we take an integrated approach to link building, content marketing, social media and more.
We have a full range of creative services designed to bring your ideas to life, including brand strategy, brand identity, and web design.
If you’d like to learn more about our SEO services, contact the Anchor team. We’ll help you not only keep on top of 2025’s SEO trends but become even better at what you do in general.
