At the start of 2024 – a year that undeniably transformed the SEO landscape – we were primarily focused on Google and eagerly watching how AI might reshape organic search.
As we begin 2025, the picture has become clearer.
AI is no longer a looming possibility; it’s a central player, albeit in ways few of us fully anticipated.
And while Google continues to dominate much of the search landscape, I believe the focus for SEO professionals is shifting.
It’s becoming less about optimizing for specific channels and more about understanding and serving the user – wherever and however they choose to engage.
This shift represents a fundamental change in SEO, moving from keyword-centric strategies to user-centric approaches.
Here’s how my team and I are preparing for the challenges and opportunities ahead in 2025, including:
My approach to AI in 2025
Millions of words have been written about AI Overviews since Google launched them in May, then throttled them back on the heels of some notoriously faulty results.
AI Overviews have seen significant shifts, with results increasingly resembling traditional SERPs – a predictable outcome given both are powered by Google’s algorithms.
In contrast, LLM-based search is a space Google hasn’t monopolized.
Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini are all in the mix, with new competitors emerging regularly.
These non-Google LLMs rely on diverse algorithms, leading to variability and uncertainty in their search results.
Rather than chase undefined targets, brands should focus on what has always worked, especially over the last few years: digging into true user understanding and delivering content that anticipates and addresses their informational needs.
It’s meat-and-potatoes stuff, but the way and where we deploy that content have changed somewhat over the last year.
LLM-based SEO vs. social search
One thing we know for sure is that AI is changing how people interact with search.
More users are getting AI Overviews, and in a more proactive shift, more people are using LLMs for their search activity.
LLMs represent a shift toward combining multiple sources into one (e.g., synthesizing 100 articles into a single response).
Social search offers the opposite: unique human perspectives from platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
While AI-generated content (e.g., automated LinkedIn responses) is common, it’s often easy to recognize and less engaging.
Content from these platforms has been appearing more frequently in Google’s traditional SERPs and is now starting to surface in LLM search results.
In short, users are willing to engage with mass-aggregated content and human perspectives.
To me, that’s a pretty interesting trend that puts a spotlight on brand SEO – to make sure people find what they should see when and where they’re searching for your brand.
A good, strong brand should be able to flow across touchpoints, wherever those might be.
Yes, non-brand keywords are still a big piece of SEO, but both pieces are important in 2025.
Dig deeper: Social search and the future of brand engagement
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Emerging 2025 SEO priorities
Great SEO in 2025 will optimize user experience over a fully mapped, more three-dimensional customer journey that includes more platforms than Google.
Google remains a strong indicator of what matters and continues to dominate most search activity, but I expect this to become more dispersed as 2025 progresses.
With that in mind, the questions an SEO needs to address are changing.
You should no longer start with “Which keywords should I try to rank for?”
Better questions now start with user behavior, such as:
“If a user begins a search on Google or LLMs, what can my brand do to show up and provide value?”
“What kind of content are people looking to consume on Reddit and TikTok?”
“What kind of information are people looking for LLMs to provide?”
I’ve already mentioned the need to focus on brand search.
Along with that and user behavior, I’m encouraging my clients to invest in community engagement (wherever their particular communities are).
Those offer opportunities for a very different level of connection brand-building.
Dig deeper: Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google
2025 SEO predictions
I’m sure there’ll be the usual wave of yearly predictions, so I’ll be brief with mine.
LLM platforms like Perplexity will gain traction
Perplexity is poised to build significant momentum and market share.
Its user experience and quality have been impressive so far, and it continues to improve rapidly.
For B2B and ecommerce/B2C, engaging with communities will become a crucial growth strategy.
While AI content will advance and become less formulaic, there will always be demand for high-quality, differentiated content that showcases unique and creative human perspectives.
As AI content grows, it will highlight the value of authentic, smart voices.
Video content remains a powerful tool for standing out
Video continues to offer a unique opportunity to differentiate, as AI has yet to make significant advances in this medium.
Brands focusing on high-quality video and strategic deployment on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn can expect strong engagement in 2025.
Dig deeper: The future of SEO content is video – here’s why
SEO in 2025: Focusing on users, platforms, and content
User understanding will be the driving force behind successful SEO in 2025 and beyond.
With users exploring more search platforms than ever and a growing number of algorithms to navigate, gaining visibility will be both complex and challenging.
However, the better we understand our users and their behaviors, the more effectively we can engage them and drive meaningful results for our brands.
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