As of June 2025, search engine optimization is undergoing transformative changes. Google’s relentless algorithm updates – increasingly driven by AI and user-centric principles – are reshaping how websites rank and attract traffic. Meanwhile, emerging trends like generative AI in search results, voice and visual search, and heightened emphasis on user experience are forcing SEO professionals to adapt strategies. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the latest SEO trends in mid-2025 and forecasts for the remainder of the year. We’ll examine recent search algorithm updates (from Google and other major engines), evolving best practices in technical and on-page SEO, content and link strategies, the impact of AI-driven tools and generative search, the role of user experience signals (Core Web Vitals and mobile-first indexing), and the rise of voice, visual, and multi-modal search. Throughout, we include insights from industry experts and data-backed findings to guide marketers, SEO professionals, and digital strategists in navigating the current global SEO landscape.
Google’s Core Updates and Quality Focus: Google has continued its pattern of broad core algorithm updates, with an intensified focus on content quality and user intent. In March 2024, Google rolled out a major Core Update that explicitly aimed to “reduce unhelpful, unoriginal content” in search results blog.google. Google later confirmed that the changes were effective – by April 2024 they saw 45% less low-quality, unoriginal content in search results (exceeding the 40% improvement initially expected) blog.google. This update, integrated with Google’s “Helpful Content” system, refined core ranking algorithms to better identify pages that are created for people rather than just for search engines blog.googleblog.google. It underscores Google’s emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles and useful content. Sites with thin SEO-driven content or poor user experience have been the hardest hit, while those offering original, helpful information have generally been rewarded.
Google’s core updates have also become more frequent. Historically, Google released a couple of core updates per year, but in 2024 it pushed out four confirmed core updates (in March, August, November, and December) impressiondigital.comimpressiondigital.com. Notably, Google surprised SEOs by launching a December 2024 Core Update just weeks after a November update, explaining that “we have different core systems we’re always improving”impressiondigital.com. This December update was the fastest ever (6-day rollout) yet caused even greater ranking volatility than the November update impressiondigital.com. Google’s Search team indicated that more frequent core updates could become the norm going forward impressiondigital.com. In March 2025, another broad Core Update rolled out (March 13–27, 2025) searchengineland.com, continuing the trend of refining search results for relevance and quality. Analytics showed volatility spikes across industries – particularly in YMYL niches like health and finance – similar to the turbulent December 2024 update impressiondigital.com. Sites impacted by these core updates are advised by Google to focus on holistic improvements: “wait a week to analyze drops, avoid quick fixes, and make user-centric changes” rather than chasing algorithm loopholes impressiondigital.com.
Spam, Links, and AI-generated Content: Alongside core updates, Google has aggressively targeted webspam and manipulative SEO tactics through its Spam Updates and updated policies. In 2024, Google released at least three Spam Updates (March, June, and December 2024) aimed at thwarting tactics like keyword spam, malicious content, and link schemes impressiondigital.comimpressiondigital.com. Notably, Google’s June 2024 Spam Update broadened its scope to “various forms of spam,” including pages stuffed with AI-generated text created solely to rank, paid or toxic backlinks, and duplicate/thin content impressiondigital.com. Google explicitly warned that purchased links intended to manipulate rankings and mass-produced AI content with no value would be considered spam under its policies impressiondigital.com. This reflects Google’s improved ability to algorithmically detect low-value link patterns and auto-generated content at scale. In fact, Google’s anti-spam AI (SpamBrain) and updated “scaled content” policy now focus on the behavior of producing any low-value content at scale (whether by automation or humans) for rankings blog.google. Moreover, a new “site reputation” policy addresses parasite SEO, where third parties post low-quality content on reputable domains (often via subdomains or UGC) to siphon ranking benefits blog.googleblog.google. Google announced it will treat such unrelated, unsupervised third-party content as spam and even plans future algorithmic penalties for it blog.google. These moves send a clear message: quality over quantity. Sites built on sketchy link-building or mass content generation are increasingly likely to be filtered out, while genuine, authoritative content stands a better chance.
Other Search Engines – Bing, etc.: Google remains the dominant player (though slightly less so than before), but other major search engines have also evolved in the past year. Microsoft’s Bing made waves by integrating OpenAI’s GPT-4 into its search in early 2023, introducing the Bing Chat “copilot” that provides AI-generated answers alongside traditional results. This AI integration has continued to mature through 2024–2025, with Bing leveraging generative answers for a wider array of queries and emphasizing conversational search. This strategy, along with partnerships (e.g. making Bing the default in ChatGPT), has started to chip away at Google’s market share. By late 2024, Google’s global search share dipped just below 90% for the first time in a decade explodingtopics.com. Consumers are showing interest in alternative LLM-based search tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, YouChat, etc.), drawn by their ability to give direct, conversational answers. In fact, large language model (LLM) search is expected to “dominate traffic share within the next 3 years,” according to industry forecasts explodingtopics.com. Google is clearly responding to this pressure (via its own AI features, discussed later).
It’s worth noting that Bing’s algorithmic ranking fundamentals (content relevance, quality, etc.) remain similar to Google’s, and Bing has its own spam filters and core updates, though they announce them less visibly. One distinct initiative from Bing (and other engines) is IndexNow, an indexing API to quickly submit content changes, which some large sites and CMS platforms adopted. Google has not adopted IndexNow, preferring its own crawling, but it monitors such trends. In markets like Russia, Yandex faced a major source code leak in 2023, revealing hundreds of ranking factors. While not directly affecting Google, this leak gave SEOs insight into modern search ranking signals (e.g. page age, user behavior metrics, etc.), many of which align with Google’s known direction. Overall, all search engines are moving toward more AI-driven, user-focused search experiences, so the core principles of SEO – quality content, clean technical structure, and credibility – are becoming universally important.
Key Takeaway: Google’s recent updates underscore that quality, originality, and user satisfaction are paramount. Frequent core updates and spam interventions mean SEOs must be vigilant: monitor algorithm changes and focus on sustainable best practices rather than shortcuts. Ensure your site’s content is truly helpful and authoritative, and audit for anything that could be seen as manipulative (from spammy links to low-value AI text). Other search engines are likewise prioritizing quality and embracing AI – so optimizing for Google’s standards will often benefit your visibility across the board.
2. Technical SEO and Page Experience Trends
Core Web Vitals & Site Performance: Technical SEO in 2025 is heavily influenced by Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV) – a set of performance and user experience metrics that have become official ranking signals. Google continues to refine these metrics; notably, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced First Input Delay (FID) as a Core Web Vital in March 2024developers.google.com. INP measures how quickly pages respond to user interactions, reflecting a broader focus on responsiveness in addition to loading speed and visual stability. As of 2025, the CWV trio now consists of Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) (loading speed), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) (visual stability), and INP (interaction latency). Websites are expected to meet Google’s thresholds (e.g. LCP under ~2.5s, CLS <0.1, INP in good range) to provide a smooth UX. While these factors are lightweight ranking signals compared to content relevance, they can make the difference in competitive rankings – and more importantly, they strongly correlate with user engagement and conversion rates. Google explicitly ties these technical signals to its goal of better UX: the 2024 algorithm updates aimed to demote sites with “poor user experience” in favor of more helpful, fast pages blog.google.
For SEO professionals, this means technical optimizations like improving page load times, optimizing server response, and streamlining code remain high priority. Adopting practices such as compression, caching, using efficient image formats, and reducing render-blocking scripts directly contribute to better CWV scores. Importantly, Google’s Search Console now flags INP issues, so teams have new data on interactivity delays to address. With mobile devices and slower networks so prevalent globally, performance work is essentially part of on-page SEO now. As one example of impact: after optimizing for Core Web Vitals, some sites have seen not only modest ranking boosts but also lower bounce rates and longer time-on-site – aligning technical SEO with business KPIs like user retention.
Mobile-First Indexing & Mobile UX: By 2025, Google’s indexing is fully mobile-first – meaning Google predominantly crawls and evaluates the mobile version of websites for ranking. For most sites, this transition happened over the past few years, but any late adopters have by now been switched or risk not being indexed well at all. The implication is clear: a mobile-optimized site is no longer optional. In fact, 80% of top-ranking websites are mobile-friendlyexplodingtopics.com, reflecting how mobile usability correlates with SEO success. Globally, mobile web traffic accounts for about 59% of all internet usage explodingtopics.com, and in some regions and industries, the percentage is even higher. Google’s algorithms (and actual users) will penalize sites that are not mobile-responsive or that offer a subpar mobile experience. Key technical best practices include using responsive design, ensuring content parity between desktop and mobile, using legible fonts and button sizes on small screens, and avoiding intrusive interstitials or pop-ups that frustrate mobile users.
Additionally, Google’s Page Experience update (initially rolled out in 2021) incorporated mobile usability and safe-browsing along with Core Web Vitals. While Google removed the explicit “Page Experience” label in Search Console in 2023, the underlying factors are still very much evaluated. SEOs should monitor Mobile Usability reports and fix issues like content wider than screen, clickable elements too close together, etc. A fast, clean mobile site not only avoids penalties but also helps capture and convert the ever-growing mobile user base. This is especially critical for local businesses and on-the-go queries, where a slow or broken mobile site can directly lose a customer.
Indexing & Crawl Optimization: Another technical trend is optimizing how search engines crawl and index your site’s content. With an explosion of new content on the web (including AI-generated pages), Google is becoming more selective in crawling. Sites should ensure their crawl budget is used efficiently: implement a logical URL structure, submit accurate XML sitemaps, and prune low-value pages that might waste crawl resources (e.g. faceted duplicates or thin archives). The use of structured data (schema.org markup) remains a best practice in 2025 for helping crawlers understand your content and potentially enabling rich results. For instance, adding Product schema on e-commerce pages or FAQ schema on Q&A content can enhance how your listing appears. However, Google has also refined when it shows rich snippets – in 2023, Google dialed back FAQ rich results to show them only for authoritative sites, curbing “over-optimization” of FAQ schema. The lesson: use structured data where it truly makes sense for users, and always adhere to the guidelines (no deceptive markup), as Google’s quality algorithms can suppress rich results if they seem manipulative or irrelevant.
JavaScript-heavy websites (SPA frameworks, etc.) continue to pose indexing challenges, but Google’s evergreen crawler can handle most ES6+ JavaScript after a delay. Still, technical SEOs are increasingly adopting solutions like server-side rendering or hydration for critical content to ensure it’s indexable. In 2025, being mindful of how APIs and dynamic content load is key – content or links that only appear after heavy JS execution might be missed by crawlers. Tools and audits (e.g. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, Rich Results Test, and server log analysis) should be employed regularly to spot crawl errors or indexation gaps.
Site Security and URLs: By now, HTTPS encryption is standard – over 99% of Google’s results are HTTPS. If any site still isn’t on HTTPS, it’s at a severe disadvantage (users see “Not secure” warnings and Google gives a minor ranking boost to HTTPS). Technical SEO in 2025 also means maintaining a clean URL architecture: use descriptive URLs with keywords (but avoid stuffing), and prefer simple, short URLs. Sites should also manage canonical tags properly to consolidate duplicate pages, and use hreflang for multilingual sites to serve the correct language versions. These behind-the-scenes technical elements ensure that the effort spent on content and links isn’t undermined by indexing confusion.
User Experience & SEO Convergence: It’s worth noting that technical SEO and UX are converging more than ever. Google’s algorithms increasingly approximate real user experience. For example, Google has hinted that user engagement signals (like click-through rate, bounce-back to results, time on page, etc.) aren’t direct ranking factors, but its quality systems aim to align with what users find satisfactory. In one analysis, sites that recovered from core updates tended to have improved user signals such as higher time-on-site and lower bounce rates impressiondigital.com. Whether a cause or an effect, it’s wise to interpret technical SEO tasks through a UX lens: faster loads, easy navigation, and clear site structure help users find what they need – which aligns with Google’s goal of delivering useful, pleasant search experiences. As Google’s Search Liaison famously said, “Focus on the user and all else will follow.”
Key Takeaway: Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and crawlable. In 2025, successful SEO means excelling in Core Web Vitals (now including INP) and providing a seamless mobile UX. Technical improvements not only curry favor with search ranking systems but also make visitors more likely to stay, engage, and convert. Regularly audit your site’s health – fix broken links, eliminate duplicate content, and update any outdated technical elements – to keep up with search engines’ evolving standards. By building a strong technical foundation, you set the stage for your content to shine in the rankings.
3. Content Strategy & On-Page SEO Best Practices
People-First Content & E-E-A-T: In 2025, content remains king – but only if it wears the crown of quality. Google’s algorithms, bolstered by the Helpful Content system and core updates, are adept at identifying content that is helpful, trustworthy, and aligned with user intent. This places a premium on producing people-first content that demonstrates E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google explicitly updated its guidelines in late 2023 to clarify that it values content “created for people in search results,” dropping earlier wording that suggested it had to be “written by people” searchenginejournal.com. This was an important shift, effectively endorsing AI-assisted content as long as it is high-quality and user-centric. As Google’s public search liaison Danny Sullivan put it, “Appropriate use of AI or automation is not against our guidelines. It just needs to be helpful content, not content to manipulate rankings.”seo.aiseo.ai. The takeaway for content strategy: focus on value and authenticity. Whether content is produced by a human, AI, or a mix, it should provide original insights, accurate information, and satisfy the query’s intent better than other results.
To meet these standards, marketers are investing more in depth and originality of content. Thin pages targeting just a keyword without substance are getting demoted. Instead, the approach is to cover topics comprehensively – for example, a travel site might include not just a blurb about a destination but also first-hand tips, up-to-date restrictions, user reviews, and rich media. Experience in E-E-A-T means content that reflects first-hand knowledge. We see this in practice with Google’s product reviews updates (the November 2023 Reviews Update, for instance, which evaluates content on first-hand testing of products) and in YMYL areas (health, finance) where citing expert authors and sources boosts trust. Many sites are now proudly highlighting author credentials, adding author bio schema, and even incorporating elements like reviewer expertise or experience disclaimers to signal credibility. According to SEO experts, demonstrating why your page should be trusted – via credentials, external citations, case studies, or transparent sourcing – can make a difference in rankings, especially for sensitive topics.
Content Formats and Semantic SEO: Structuring content for both clarity and snippet optimization is another best practice. Using clear headings (H2s, H3s) and organizing information into logical sections helps both readers and search engines. It’s no coincidence that 40%+ of voice search answers are pulled from featured snippetsdigitalsilk.com – Google favors content that is well-structured and concise enough to be extracted. Thus, including FAQ sections, bulleted lists, and direct answers to common questions in your content can improve your chances of capturing featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes. For example, an e-commerce blog might include a Q&A on how to use a product, which could get picked up in a snippet or even used by voice assistants answering user queries aloud. On-page SEO in 2025 extends to semantic optimization: it’s important to naturally incorporate related terms and entities, not just exact-match keywords. Google’s understanding of language via BERT and other NLP means it appreciates when content thoroughly covers subtopics and synonyms. Tools and methodologies for topic clustering are popular – grouping content into thematic hubs (pillar pages and cluster pages) to signal authority on an entire topic. This not only aids internal linking (another on-page factor) but also aligns with how Google ranks by topical relevance.
Updating and Refreshing Content: With algorithms placing weight on content freshness and accuracy (and even adding rules against “faked” freshness searchenginejournal.com), it’s important to keep content updated. Many organizations now schedule content audits every 6–12 months to refresh stats, add new insights, or improve outdated pages. Google’s “Helpful Content” guidance even asks if you “add a lot of content primarily to seem fresh” and warns that doing so without substance won’t help searchenginejournal.com. So updates should be meaningful – e.g., updating a 2022 “Guide to Marketing” to include 2024 data and new tactics, rather than just changing the date. This approach has SEO benefits (improved rankings due to freshness signals) and user benefits (return visitors see you as a current, reliable source).
User-Generated Content (UGC) and Community: Interestingly, user-generated content is emerging as an SEO asset in many cases. Google has shown increased affinity for content from forums, Q&A sites, and reviews when it appropriately matches user intent. Search interest in “user-generated content” is up 575% in five years explodingtopics.com, and projections suggest that by 2030, 80% of content that boosts SEO could be UGCexplodingtopics.com. We see this with the rise of “Perspectives” in Google results – a feature introduced to highlight discussions from platforms like Reddit, Quora, and StackExchange for certain queries. For example, someone searching for a niche troubleshooting tip might get a Reddit thread surfaced because Google deems the personal experiences shared there as highly relevant. Marketers are taking note: incorporating community content and reviews can enhance SEO. E-commerce sites, for instance, benefit from allowing customer reviews and Q&A on product pages – not only can this content improve long-tail keyword coverage, but Google’s review-rich results can display star ratings, improving CTR. However, maintaining quality control on UGC is vital (moderate spam and ensure accuracy), because Google will downrank sites where UGC turns into spammy content farms.
Content for Different Industries: Effective content strategies can vary by industry, and 2025 trends reflect that:
E-commerce: Beyond product descriptions, e-commerce brands are investing in supporting content like buying guides, comparison articles, and how-to videos to capture informational queries around their products. This is partly a response to AI overviews: a study of Google’s AI-generated summaries (SGE) found that e-commerce and product-focused queries had higher volatility, with AI often citing top-ranking sites in its summary impressiondigital.com. To not lose visibility, e-commerce sites are diversifying content to answer common pre-purchase questions and building topic authority around their niche impressiondigital.com. For example, a company selling fitness gear might publish authoritative blog content on workout tips or equipment maintenance. If that content ranks well, it’s more likely to be cited by Google’s AI overview, preserving brand visibility even if fewer people click the “blue links.” Schema markup (Product, Review, FAQ) is heavily used in e-commerce to enhance search snippets, and sites are ensuring these remain in compliance with Google’s evolving rich result guidelines.
B2B/SaaS: SaaS companies continue to leverage content marketing as a key SEO driver. The trend here is creating thought leadership and in-depth resources that demonstrate expertise. With generative AI able to pump out generic blog posts, savvy SaaS marketers are focusing on unique research, case studies, and long-form guides that AI can’t easily replicate. Experience is highlighted – e.g., a SaaS cybersecurity firm might publish a whitepaper analyzing real incident data, showcasing first-hand knowledge. SaaS SEO in 2025 also means targeting bottom-of-funnel intent (like “<software> pricing” or comparison keywords) by creating dedicated landing pages, while also capturing top-of-funnel interest with educational content. There’s an increased emphasis on brand building for SaaS (more on that below), since Google’s quality algorithms often favor known authoritative brands in B2B niches. In fact, branded search terms make up 44% of Google searches explodingtopics.com, and building brand awareness can create an SEO flywheel (more branded searches, more clicks, higher trust).
Local Businesses: For local SEO, content strategy revolves around hyper-local and service-specific content. Google’s local algorithm values detailed location pages (e.g., a chain store having separate pages for each city with unique content about that location). In 2025, Google also pulls local content into new surfaces – for instance, posts from a Google Business Profile can appear in search, and Google has tested showing local store inventory for shopping searches. Writing content that includes local landmarks, customer testimonials from that area, and up-to-date info (like “COVID-19 update” or holiday hours) can improve relevance. Since 46% of all Google searches have local intentexplodingtopics.com, it’s crucial for local businesses to optimize not just their GBP listings but also on-page content for local keywords (including FAQ like “Do you serve [Neighborhood]?”). Reviews are a content type here: regularly receiving and responding to reviews on Google and other platforms not only feeds Google fresh content about your business but also signals engagement (3 of the top 4 local ranking factors relate to reviews) explodingtopics.comexplodingtopics.com.
On-Page SEO Elements: Classic on-page SEO elements still carry weight. Craft compelling, descriptive title tags (ideally under ~60 characters so they don’t truncate) and meta descriptions that incorporate primary keywords and entice clicks. While Google often rewrites title tags, a well-optimized one can improve the chances of a good snippet. Use your main keyword early in the title and naturally in the first paragraph of your content. Header tags (H1, H2, etc.) should reflect semantic structure and include relevant terms – think of them as an outline for readers and search engines. Internal linking is another on-page factor that’s increasingly recognized for distributing authority and guiding crawlers. In fact, websites with a coherent internal link structure can see significant ranking lifts for important pages. In 2025, some SEOs use AI tools to analyze internal link equity and suggest better linking (ensuring your cornerstone pages receive the most internal links with descriptive anchor text). Be cautious, though, of over-optimizing anchors; Google’s Penguin and spam algorithms still look for unnatural patterns.
Multimedia and Engagement: Including images, videos, infographics, or interactive elements on a page can improve user engagement and also SEO. Google’s algorithms can detect if a page provides a rich experience. For example, a tutorial that has a step-by-step video embedded might rank higher for “how to” queries because it aligns with user preference for visual learning. Additionally, image SEO has gained importance (as discussed in section 5 on visual search), so optimizing image alt text and file names on your pages not only helps accessibility but can drive image search traffic. Similarly, providing transcripts for videos or audio on your site can open that content to be indexed for relevant keywords.
Expert Insights: Industry experts emphasize the need for truly valuable content. SEO veteran Lily Ray often advises that in the era of AI content proliferation, “the bar for quality is higher – Google will compare your content against an AI-generated baseline, so you must offer unique expertise or perspective”. This means adding author insights, real examples, and data. Another perspective from the SEO community is to think beyond just ranking content, and consider branding and user loyalty. As AI answers siphon some clicks, building a brand following through your content becomes crucial. In a recent expert panel on AI in search, several SEOs agreed that “it might be time to shift focus rather than trying to fit old practices into the new landscape. The blended SERPs will focus more on overall presence, not just page ranking” searchenginejournal.com. In other words, content should serve to build your brand’s authority in your niche (so users seek you out), not just chase every long-tail keyword. If fewer users click results because an AI overview answered them, having a strong brand or a resource that users trust can ensure they do click through to you for deeper information. This is echoed in advice to focus on brand marketing alongside SEO: one expert noted that companies should “engage audiences directly, and reduce their reliance on Google alone”, predicting that smaller sites will need to foster communities and loyalty so that traffic isn’t solely dependent on search rankings searchenginejournal.com.
Key Takeaway: Winning in on-page SEO in 2025 means delivering exceptional content. Every page should be crafted to satisfy the query completely, be easy to read (for humans and bots), and reflect genuine expertise. Don’t shy away from length if the topic demands it – long-form content can rank well as long as it’s rich and organized. But also respect users’ time by structuring content with clear headings, summaries, or even jump links for easy navigation. Keep content up-to-date and prune the obsolete. Embrace user-generated contributions carefully to add depth. Above all, remember that Google’s algorithms increasingly mirror human preferences: if your content delights and informs readers, it’s likely to perform well in search.
4. Backlinks and Off-Page SEO: Evolving Strategies
Backlinks have long been a pillar of SEO, but their role is gradually shifting in 2025. Google still uses backlinks as a ranking signal – links from authoritative, relevant sites act as “votes of confidence” for your content – however, Google’s algorithms have become far more nuanced in evaluating them. According to Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst Gary Illyes, backlinks remain important but are no longer among the top 3 ranking factorsexplodingtopics.com. This statement (from late 2022) suggested that Google’s continued improvements in understanding content and context mean that pure link strength is slightly demoted relative to other signals like content quality or user intent matching. Additionally, spam link filtering has advanced to the point that Google often ignores low-quality or manipulative links rather than penalizing outright, reducing the impact of link spam on rankings.
Quality Over Quantity: The emphasis in 2025 is firmly on link quality, relevance, and diversity. A few backlinks from reputable, authoritative websites in your industry outweigh dozens of links from low-tier directories or blogs with no real readership. Google’s recent spam updates targeted “unnatural links” explicitly – sites buying or selling links for SEO, participating in private blog networks (PBNs), or engaging in large-scale link exchanges are increasingly getting hit by algorithmic devaluation. For instance, the June 2024 spam update specifically included paid links and “added links designed to manipulate rankings” in its crosshairs impressiondigital.com. As a result, many SEOs report that traditional link-building tactics that worked years ago (like mass guest posting on mediocre sites, or dropping links in forums) have little to no positive effect now. In fact, John Mueller from Google has commented that “SEOs often overestimate links”seroundtable.com – a reminder that chasing volume while ignoring link quality or context is a misguided strategy.
Instead, the off-page focus has shifted towards “digital PR” and authoritative content promotion. This means earning coverage on news sites, industry publications, or popular blogs by having something noteworthy to share – whether it’s a unique study, a high-profile hire, a viral infographic, or a product launch. An illustrative case: an e-commerce startup might conduct a survey about consumer behavior and publish the results; then pitch this to media. If major outlets or niche sites cite the study, the startup gains high-value backlinks. These links not only boost SEO but also drive referral traffic and build brand credibility (a triple win). Surveys show nearly 80% of SEO professionals still consider link building a crucial part of strategy, but they increasingly pursue content-based or relationship-based link building rather than automated spam explodingtopics.com.
Anchor Text and Link Relevance: Modern link evaluation is heavily context-driven. A link’s anchor text and the content of the linking page help Google determine relevance. While you still want your keywords (or variations) in some anchor texts, overly optimized anchors can raise flags. For example, if 90% of anchors pointing to your page use the exact phrase “best budget smartphones 2025,” that looks artificial. A natural link profile will include a mix of anchors – branded terms, URL anchors, “click here” or other generic text, and some keyword-rich anchors. Also, relevance of the linking site matters: a link from a well-regarded tech blog is far more valuable for our smartphone page than a random link from an unrelated cooking site. SEOs are thus doing more prospecting to identify link opportunities on sites that have topical overlap or audience overlap with theirs.
Disavow and Toxic Links: With Google’s improved spam detection, the use of the Disavow Tool (to tell Google to ignore certain links) has become more sparing. Google itself has indicated that its algorithms can discount bad links, so disavowing is only necessary if you have a history of black-hat link building or a clear negative SEO attack. In 2025, most sites focusing on clean link acquisition won’t need to frequently disavow. However, monitoring your backlink profile for sudden spikes of spam links (via Google Search Console or third-party tools) is still wise. If you suspect a negative SEO attempt (e.g., thousands of porn or gambling site links appearing), using the disavow file for those domains can be a precautionary measure – though many times Google already ignores those.
Link Building Techniques Trending: Here are some off-page tactics that are working well in 2025:
Digital PR & Press Mentions: As mentioned, crafting newsworthy stories or reports that naturally earn mentions. This often requires collaboration between SEO and PR teams. The benefit is not just one-time links, but establishing your site or company as an authority voice that journalists and bloggers might cite in the future. For example, being quoted in a Forbes article or a niche trade publication yields a high-authority backlink and increases your brand’s expertise in Google’s eyes (possibly contributing to E-A-T).
Guest Expert Contributions: Guest posting is not dead, but it has evolved. It’s less about dropping links in any site that will have you, and more about selective contributions. Writing a high-quality, non-promotional article for a respected site in your niche can provide a contextual link (usually in your bio or naturally within the content if relevant). What’s changed is that editors and readers alike demand real value – so these guest pieces need to be genuinely insightful. Also, Google can distinguish editorial links from spammy ones. A guest article that’s clearly written just to host a link (with keyword-stuffed anchors or irrelevant context) will be devalued. But a thoughtful piece on, say, a UX blog by a UX agency that includes a subtle link to a case study on their site can be beneficial.
Resource Link Building: Creating linkable assets – comprehensive guides, tools, or unique resources – that others naturally want to reference. For instance, an SEO agency might publish an “SEO Statistics in 2025” infographic or repository (much like the one referenced in this report) that aggregates data. Other content creators writing about SEO trends might then link to this resource as a reference. In our context, 130 SEO Statistics Every Marketer Must Know is a great example of a linkable asset explodingtopics.comexplodingtopics.com; it provides value and has earned links from various marketing blogs for its rich data. This approach taps into academics and bloggers’ habit of citing sources.
Community and Sponsorship Links: Engaging in your industry’s community can lead to legitimate links. This might include sponsoring industry events (often earning a link on the event’s sponsor page), participating in podcasts or webinars (the show notes usually link to your site), or answering questions on platforms like Stack Exchange with a link to your detailed blog post (provided it’s truly relevant and not self-promotion – otherwise it can backfire). Additionally, contributing to open-source projects or scholarships can earn mentions on .edu or .org sites, which are sometimes high authority. Caution: while .edu links are coveted, they need to be obtained in a genuine manner (e.g., a university citing your research, or a scholarship listing). Any manipulative attempt to get .edu links (like spammy scholarship link schemes) has lost effectiveness.
Influencer and Partnership Links: Some brands collaborate with influencers or complementary businesses to create content (like joint research or co-authored pieces) that both parties share, resulting in cross-links. As long as these aren’t link exchanges purely for SEO (Google forbids excessive link swapping), but are instead outcomes of real partnerships, they can help. For instance, a web design company might partner with an SEO tool company to produce a guide on site speed; each host it on their site and link to the other for further reading.
Link and Brand Intersection: A notable trend is the blending of link building and brand building. As Google gets smarter, brand signals indirectly help SEO. A strong brand likely gets more organic backlinks (people naturally cite known sources) and also garners more branded searches (which can boost overall authority). One metric: branded terms are nearly half of all Google searches explodingtopics.com, showing how important brand presence is. SEOs in 2025 monitor not just backlink counts, but also brand mentions (unlinked mentions of your brand) across the web. Even unlinked brand mentions may be a trust signal in Google’s evaluation (mentioned in Google’s patents and supported by the concept of “implied links”). Therefore, campaigns that increase your brand’s visibility online – PR, social media virality, influencer shout-outs – can indirectly lift your SEO.
Expert opinions suggest a future where links might diminish somewhat in weight as Google relies more on entity-based and user satisfaction signals. John Mueller speculated about a future Google algorithm “where links aren’t as important”searchengineland.com, hinting that Google is working towards being less link-dependent. However, we’re not fully there yet in 2025 – links still matter, especially for competitive queries. The safest course is to earn links by making your site link-worthy. If your content and products are excellent, people will talk about them. A good question to ask is: “Would someone bookmark or share this page if search engines didn’t exist?” If yes, it likely can attract links naturally or with a gentle nudge.
Managing Lost or Toxic Links: Part of off-page SEO is also maintaining the links you have. Through link monitoring, you might find that some valuable backlinks were lost (perhaps a site redesigned and removed your link). In such cases, polite outreach to the webmaster can sometimes restore the link. Additionally, ensuring your important backlinks point to live, relevant pages is key – use redirects if you move or consolidate content. If a high-authority site links to a URL that 404s, that link equity is wasted, so 301-redirect it to a suitable page. This is especially common during site migrations or HTTPS switches, which many companies have done in recent years; careful redirect mapping preserves link juice during those transitions.
Local Off-Page (Citations): For local SEO, “backlinks” include citations – mentions of your business name, address, phone on local directories or maps (even without a link). Ensure your business is listed on key platforms (Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry-specific directories) with consistent NAP info. While the influence of generic directories has waned, niche directories and local chambers can still provide both referral traffic and a trust signal. Reviews on third-party sites are another off-page element: a business with plentiful positive reviews on Google, Facebook, or Tripadvisor builds a stronger online reputation, which can indirectly boost search performance (Google’s local pack algorithm heavily weighs review quantity and quality explodingtopics.com).
Key Takeaway: Off-page SEO in 2025 is about cultivating real authority and relationships online. Rather than chasing bulk links, focus on getting your site mentioned by the right sources. Audit your backlink profile for quality – a few top-tier links can move the needle more than hundreds of low-quality ones. Steer clear of link schemes; Google’s penalties may be less frequent now, but its ability to nullify bad links means spammy efforts are wasted effort. Instead, invest that effort into content marketing and PR that earn genuine kudos from others. Finally, recognize that off-page SEO goes hand-in-hand with your brand’s reputation. In the words of one SEO expert, “The best link building is building something worth linking to.” By staying true to that principle, your link profile should naturally strengthen, and with it, your search rankings.
5. The Impact of AI on SEO: Generative AI, Tools & Search Experience
If one force has upended the SEO world recently, it’s Artificial Intelligence – in two major ways: AI-driven search results (think Google’s AI overviews and Bing’s chat answers) and AI-powered SEO tools/content creation. As we reach mid-2025, understanding and leveraging these AI developments is critical for SEO success.
Google’s AI-Powered Search (SGE/AIO): Google has embarked on a significant transformation of its search interface by integrating generative AI. Initially introduced as the Search Generative Experience (SGE) in 2023, this feature creates AI-generated summary answers at the top of search results for many queries. In 2024, Google rebranded aspects of SGE as simply “AI Overviews”, and expanded it globally. As of late 2024, Google’s AI Overviews were rolled out to over 100 countries, reaching more than 1 billion users every monthbusiness.google.com. These AI summaries appear for a broad set of informational queries, synthesizing information from multiple sources into a conversational answer, often with citations linking to the sources. For example, a query like “How to improve website Core Web Vitals?” might trigger an AI overview that lists several tips (from various sites) in a paragraph format before the traditional listings.
This multi-faceted answer box is fundamentally changing user behavior on SERPs. Early studies show that when an AI overview is present, organic click-through rates can drop significantly. Estimates range from an 18% to 64% decrease in organic clicks for affected queries explodingtopics.com. Why? Because users might get their answer directly from the AI box without needing to click on a webpage. Currently about 15% of Google searches include an AI overview in the results explodingtopics.com, and this number is expected to grow as Google refines and trusts the system more. We are, in essence, witnessing the rise of “zero-click searches” on steroids – a trend that already existed with featured snippets and knowledge panels, now amplified by generative answers.
For SEOs and content creators, this raises the question: How do we remain visible and get traffic in an AI-dominated SERP? The answer seems to be Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) – a term gaining traction to describe optimizing content so that it gets referenced or featured in AI answers. Much like we adapted to featured snippets (which John Mueller noted is analogous – initially many SEOs hated featured snippets but soon asked “How do I get in?” searchenginejournal.com), we now must adapt to AI overviews. Google does provide citations in AI summaries for now. So one strategy is to ensure your content is good enough to be chosen as a source. Early analysis indicates that websites which rank highly in traditional organic results also have a strong likelihood of being cited in AI overviews impressiondigital.com – essentially, if you’re SEO’ing well already, you have a foot in the door. However, it’s not just about ranking; it’s also about content format and authority. Content that succinctly answers questions or provides a key fact is more likely to be quoted by the AI. Structuring pages with clear Q&A or prominent fact nuggets can help. Additionally, authoritative sites (with solid E-E-A-T) are more likely to be trusted by the AI. In one core update, Google confirmed that AI overviews are affected by core algorithm changes (i.e., if your site was demoted in organic, it likely will appear less in AI citations too) impressiondigital.com. So the same best practices of content quality and authority apply, perhaps with even higher stakes.
It’s also worth noting that Google has been somewhat cautious: for YMYL topics (Your Money or Your Life – health, finance, legal, etc.), Google limits AI overviews or provides more disclaimers, due to the risk of inaccuracies searchenginejournal.com. They do not want to provide medical advice via AI without high confidence. This means in those niches, traditional SEO might remain relatively more important (with fewer AI distractions). Still, experts in sensitive fields are doubling down on trust signals – if an AI summary is going to cite one of ten possible health sites, it might favor one with clearly vetted medical reviewers and robust credentials.
Bing’s Chat & Multi-Engine Landscape: Meanwhile, Bing’s integration of GPT-4 into search (via the Bing Chat mode) has been a bold move. Users on Bing (especially using the Edge browser) can engage in a conversational Q&A style search, with Bing generating answers and often showing citations as well. Bing has reported increased engagement and some market share uptick due to this AI chat feature. For SEO, being cited by Bing’s answer could drive traffic, though Bing’s share is still modest. But more interestingly, this is training users to expect conversational answers. Other search engines like DuckDuckGo introduced DuckAssist (an AI summary pulling from Wikipedia for certain queries). Even Brave and some smaller engines have experimented with AI summaries. The LLM adoption is indeed stealing some market share or at least search volume from traditional Google: by late 2024, alternative search interfaces plus chatbots collectively handle a small but growing portion of queries (one survey said 2.96% of search engine traffic was going to AI chatbots as of 2024, a number expected to rise searchengineland.com). Gartner even predicts that by 2026, traditional search volume may drop 25% due to AI alternatives ignorance.ai. This means businesses might need to optimize not just for Google, but for being featured in ChatGPT (which now connects to the web via plugins), Bing’s chat, or other AI platforms.
SEO Strategy in an AI Answer World: One piece of advice from Google’s John Mueller is not to panic: he suggests that AI answers will “evolve similarly” to featured snippets did – causing initial concern but eventually just another element SEOs optimize for searchenginejournal.com. His recommendation is to approach AI overviews like featured snippets, focusing on solid content and technical SEO (since the fundamentals like crawlability still “make sense” for AI) searchenginejournal.com. We might see new analytics data soon – Google has hinted at providing publishers with insights into how often they are shown in AI overviews and how that drives traffic. In fact, at a 2025 Search Central Meetup, many SEOs voiced a “desire for tracking and visibility into AI Overviews” impressions and clicks lilyray.nyc. Google may integrate this into Search Console, which will help refine strategies.
One emerging tactic is targeting more complex, in-depth content that AI might not fully answer, prompting users to click through. If AI gives a quick summary for a broad query, think about what follow-up questions or specifics a user might ask next – and ensure your content delves into those. Also, some experts suggest optimizing for the conversation: for instance, if you imagine a user asks an AI, “What’s the best project management software and why?”, an AI might list a few with reasons. If you have a blog titled “X vs Y: Which Project Management Tool is Best in 2025?” with a balanced analysis, the AI might pull from your pros/cons in its answer. So, creating comparison content and clearly structured arguments can be beneficial.
AI Content Creation and SEO Tools: The other side of AI in SEO is how practitioners use AI to do their jobs. The advent of GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and other advanced language models has supercharged AI-driven SEO tools and workflows. Many tasks that once were manual or time-consuming can now be assisted by AI. Here are some areas AI is reshaping in SEO:
Content Generation and Optimization: AI writing tools (like Jasper, Copy.ai, and even built-in tools in platforms like Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant) can draft blog posts, product descriptions, meta tags, and more. By June 2025, websites using AI-powered content strategies have reported significant efficiency gains – some claim 30% increases in organic traffic after integrating AI (when combined with human oversight) thekeynotecurators.comthekeynotecurators.com. The key is using AI to scale content without sacrificing quality. Best practices include having human editors refine AI drafts, injecting real examples and experiences that AI wouldn’t know, and ensuring the content meets Google’s helpful content criteria (unique, valuable, not just rehashed info). AI is also used for content refreshes – e.g., quickly updating outdated statistics or rewriting sections to improve clarity and SEO alignment. In keyword research, AI can cluster keywords into topics, suggest semantically related terms to include, and even predict search intent nuances. For on-page, tools now analyze the top results and (using AI) suggest what subtopics or FAQs your content should cover to be comprehensive.
Technical SEO and Analysis: AI is helping parse large data sets like log files or analytics to spot patterns (e.g., identifying crawl anomalies or pages with declining engagement). Some companies use machine learning to predict which SEO changes (title tweak, schema addition, internal link) might boost a page’s performance, based on training data from similar pages. Automation is also big: there are scenarios of using AI to generate thousands of meta descriptions or product schema markup across pages, saving countless hours. Google Cloud and other ML services can integrate with CMSs for custom SEO automation. However, caution is needed to avoid generic outputs – e.g., meta descriptions that all sound the same could hurt click-through rates; some uniqueness is important.
SEO Testing and Insights: AI is aiding A/B testing for SEO. For instance, one could use AI to generate two variant title tags for a set of pages and measure which yields better CTR. Or use image recognition AI to suggest better alt text for images (making them more likely to rank in image search). AI can also monitor competitor content – some tools use NLP to assess the sentiment and messaging of competitors’ content, which can inform your strategy.
Chatbots and On-Site Search: A tangential SEO aspect is on-site experience. Some brands are deploying AI chatbots on their sites to help users find information or products. This can indirectly boost SEO by improving user engagement (keeping users on site longer, which can reduce bounce rates). A satisfied user is also more likely to link to or share your site. It’s all connected – for example, if a blog has an AI chatbot that quickly finds the exact article a user needs, that user might reference your blog elsewhere.
Google’s Stance on AI-Generated Content: We touched on this earlier, but to reiterate: Google is not outright against AI content; it is against low-quality or mass-produced AI content meant just to game rankings. In practical terms, sites that flooded their pages with auto-generated text without regard for accuracy or originality have been hit by the “Helpful Content” algorithm (some termed it the “AI content crackdown” in late 2022). Conversely, publishers who use AI as a starting point but then enrich the content are often thriving. A Google update in Sept 2023 removed the phrase “written by people” from its guidelines, a tacit acknowledgment that AI-assisted content can be acceptable searchenginejournal.comsearchenginejournal.com. Google’s advice boils down to: don’t publish AI content if it’s not something you’d be proud to publish without the AI. You should be able to answer “yes” to questions like, “Would readers feel they got value from this content?” and “Is this content written (or reviewed) by someone who knows the topic well?”searchenginejournal.comsearchenginejournal.com. Indeed, one new guideline is explicitly: “Is this content written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic?”searchenginejournal.com – showing that AI can draft, but human expertise should review. Many SEO teams have adapted workflows such that writers now act more like editors/curators, guiding AI outputs and layering in expertise.
AI SEO Tools Proliferation: The market is seeing a proliferation of AI-based SEO tools. From AI content briefs (that analyze top results and outline what your content should include) to AI-driven keyword research that predicts emerging topics (tools like Exploding Topics use algorithms to find trending searches), to automated site audit tools that can prioritize issues based on potential impact. Even link building has an AI assist: some tools can scan the web for contexts where your brand was mentioned without a link and draft a polite outreach email to ask for one – effectively doing the grunt work of prospecting and initial contact. However, savvy SEOs know to use these as aids, not replacements for the personal touch when needed.
Voice Search & Multimodal – The AI Connection: Voice search (covered more in the next section) also intersects with AI. Voice assistants (Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa) use AI to parse natural language queries and often read out featured snippets as answers. Optimizing for voice involves more conversational content, which aligns with Google’s push for natural language understanding via AI. Additionally, Google’s Multisearch (the ability to search with an image plus text, or voice plus context) relies on AI (like the MUM model) to connect modalities. Google Lens’s evolution to handle “search what you see” with images, and even video, is powered by AI vision models blog.googlebusiness.google.com. SEO now extends to providing data that AI can use – for example, adding structured data like speakable schema for voice, or correct alt tags for images, helps AI interpret and present your content in these new search formats.
Expert Perspectives: Many industry experts believe that AI is not here to kill SEO, but to transform it. As one Search Engine Land article noted, two-thirds of consumers think AI will “replace search in the next five years”, yet currently only a tiny fraction of searches are through AI chatbots searchengineland.com. SEO professionals are split: some fear losing traffic to AI answers, others see opportunity. Renowned marketer Rand Fishkin advocates focusing on brand-building and non-search channels as a hedge – essentially assuming zero-click trends will continue, so you want people seeking you out by name or finding you through platforms where you have a presence (social, email, etc.). Meanwhile, Google itself is trying to reassure the industry: their data indicates that users in the SGE program actually “search more and visit a greater diversity of websites” because the AI prompts new curiosity business.google.combusiness.google.com. If that holds true, AI summaries might actually expand the pie of queries, leading users to dig deeper into topics via follow-up searches or clicks on cited sources. Indeed, Google found that those using AI overviews often follow the citations for more info rather than stopping at the summary business.google.com.
However, not all queries are equal. Simple fact-based queries (e.g. “What’s the capital of X country?”) might never yield a click if the AI answers directly. Complex queries (e.g. “How can I improve my credit score without a stable income?”) will likely still drive users to click for more nuance. The SEO strategy is to identify which types of queries in your space are more prone to zero-click due to AI, and perhaps shift focus to queries where users seek depth or a human touch. It’s also a signal to diversify traffic sources (as a business decision): one should not rely solely on generic Google searches in the age of AI – building an email list, fostering direct visits through branding, or engaging via social media and other discovery channels can mitigate the risk of traffic loss.
Key Takeaway:AI is rewriting the SEO playbook, but not rendering it obsolete. SEOs must now optimize content not just for the “10 blue links” paradigm but for a world of AI-curated answers. Continue to follow core SEO principles (technical excellence, quality content, authoritative links) because these will determine if and how your site features in AI-driven results. Embrace AI tools to work smarter – use them to generate ideas, speed up execution, and analyze data at scale – while always applying human judgment to maintain quality. Keep a close eye on the evolving search landscape: as voice and visual search grow, and as Google/Bing refine their AI features, new optimization techniques will emerge (for example, perhaps schema to indicate “preferred snippet” content, or methods to influence how AI summarizes your page). In essence, the winners in 2025 will be those who adapt – leveraging AI to their advantage in workflow, and adjusting SEO strategy to ensure their content remains visible and compelling in the era of generative search.
6. Voice, Visual & Multimodal Search Trends
Search is no longer confined to the classic text query. The way people search is expanding into voice commands, image inputs, and combinations of modalities – thanks to increasingly sophisticated AI and ubiquitous mobile devices. Understanding these trends is crucial for a holistic SEO strategy in 2025.
Voice Search on the Rise: The voice search revolution that was predicted a few years ago is steadily materializing, even if not exactly as initially imagined. Today, more than 1 billion voice searches are made each month across various platforms explodingtopics.com. Voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana have become household utilities. 41% of American adults use voice search dailyexplodingtopics.com, and globally over 20% of people have used voice search on mobile devices (with usage even higher among younger, tech-savvy demographics) explodingtopics.com. Smart speakers are widespread – about 36% of Americans (12+) own a smart speaker in 2025 explodingtopics.com – and by some estimates, 75% of US households will have one by 2025aioseo.com. The types of queries performed via voice tend to be conversational and often locally focused (“Where is the nearest pharmacy?”, “What’s the weather like tomorrow?”, “Play music by [Artist]”, etc.), but also include informational questions and simple tasks.
From an SEO perspective, voice search queries are usually longer-tail and question-based. For example, a text search might be “best budget smartphone 2025”, whereas a voice query might be “What is the best budget smartphone I can buy in 2025?”. Because of this, content that targets natural language questions can perform well. A critical stat: around 40.7% of all voice search answers come from featured snippetsdigitalsilk.com. Essentially, when voice assistants answer a question, they often read out the featured snippet from Google’s results (with attribution in Google Assistant’s case; Alexa often sources from Bing/WolframAlpha depending on query). This means optimizing for featured snippets doubles as optimizing for voice. Implement strategies like:
Creating FAQ pages or Q&A sections in your content where questions are phrased exactly how a user might ask them and answers are concise (paragraph or list format). Google’s speakable schema (for news content) can mark parts of text as suitable for TTS (text-to-speech), which is specifically helpful for news publishers to be picked up by Google Assistant’s news briefings.
Using natural, conversational language in content. For instance, including filler words or a more human tone in certain pieces (blog posts can be more conversational than a formal whitepaper).
Targeting long-tail keywords that resemble spoken queries. Tools can help find question keywords (e.g., queries that start with who, what, how, etc.) and these can guide content ideation.
It’s also important to ensure local SEO is tight if you want voice search traffic for local intent queries. Many voice searches are of the “near me” variety. Having an updated Google Business Profile, including relevant keywords in your business description, and plenty of positive reviews will increase the chance that Google Assistant suggests your business when someone asks for, say, “best pizza near me” while driving.
One more nuance: voice results are often a single answer. If your site is number two, in text search you still get a click; in voice, the assistant likely only speaks the top result or snippet. This raises the stakes for ranking first. At the same time, if the voice answer is satisfactory, the user might not click at all, which again emphasizes the need for branding and other means of engagement. Some companies are exploring strategies like having their own Alexa Skills or Google Assistant Actions so that users engage directly with their content via voice (bypassing traditional search). For example, a meditation app might create a Google Assistant voice action so users can say “Hey Google, ask [AppName] for a 5-minute meditation” – this is beyond SEO, but it’s part of the voice ecosystem.
Visual Search & Image SEO: The growth of visual search is another significant trend. Tools like Google Lens and Pinterest Lens allow users to search using images or the camera – essentially asking, “what is this?” or “find something like this.” According to Google, people are now using Lens for over 20 billion visual searches per monthbusiness.google.combusiness.google.com, a massive number that underlines how mainstream this has become. This is nearly double the volume from just a couple years prior, showing a steep adoption curve (Lens usage jumped by 46% in the US between 2020 and 2024 alone gwi.com). Visual search is particularly popular for shopping and local discovery: Google noted 1 in 4 visual searches via Lens are shopping-relatedbusiness.google.combusiness.google.com. Users might snap a picture of an outfit they like to find similar clothing online, or take a photo of a plant to get information on it.
For SEO, image optimization is crucial to tap into this. Key practices include:
High-quality, relevant images: Use original, high-resolution images where possible. Generic stock photos won’t stand out in visual search; Google’s AI is likely to surface images that best match the user’s image or are contextually relevant.
Descriptive file names and Alt text: Ensure every important image has an alt attribute describing it (both for accessibility and SEO). Include keywords if relevant, but more importantly, accurately describe the image. For example, alt="red running shoes Nike Air Zoom model 2025" is much more useful than alt="shoes". The file name (red-nike-air-zoom-shoes.jpg) and surrounding text captions can also contribute to how Google understands the image.
Structured data for images: Implementing schema like Product markup with image URLs can help your images appear in rich results. Google also uses metadata to display images in certain contexts (like recipe search results with images, product carousels, etc.). Ensure your images are included in your sitemaps as well, or use an image sitemap, to help Google find them.
Optimize for Google Images: Many users still use Google Images as a search tool (especially for things like infographics, memes, travel destinations, art, etc.). Ranking in Google Images can drive traffic (when users click “Visit”). Google Images ranking factors include relevance of the page, authority of the domain, and of course the image itself. Having the image near relevant text and maybe a caption helps. Also, check that your site allows image crawling (no blocked images via robots.txt) and that large images can be fetched quickly (fast hosting or use CDN).
For e-commerce, visual search offers a direct funnel. Google’s multi-modal search now lets users do things like take a photo of a product and add text “near me” to find local availability, or “how to style” to find outfit ideas. Retailers should ensure their product images are appealing and that they have multiple angles, etc. Google’s push toward Google Shopping Graph and integrating Lens into it means your product images need to be on point. There’s talk that “search what you see” will even extend to video frames (Google demonstrated the ability to pause a YouTube video and search visually within it wired.com). As that rolls out, having your video content well-tagged and chaptered could matter.
Multi-Modal Search: Multi-modal is the blending of text, voice, image (and in the future, perhaps video) in queries. Google’s Multisearch feature (available in Google Lens) allows you to take a picture and then type a refinement. For example, snap a photo of a couch and then type “coffee table that goes with this” – Google will try to find matching coffee tables. This is powered by AI models like MUM (Multitask Unified Model), which can understand information across text and image. For SEOs, multi-modal means the lines between traditional keyword optimization and other forms of optimization blur. You need to think about context: if someone sees X and wants something related, will your content be there?
A practical step is ensuring your content is adaptable to different inputs. For instance, if you have a cooking site, a user might use voice (“Show me how to dice an onion”) and Google might surface a YouTube or an image guide. If you have both a well-optimized article and a short video or series of images demonstrating it, you cover both bases. In fact, Google’s search results often include mixed media: images, videos, and text results blended. Creating video content (with transcripts, for SEO) and image galleries can enhance your reach in these blended SERPs. Statistics show video now accounts for 82% of all internet trafficexplodingtopics.com, and YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. Thus, “video SEO” – optimizing your videos’ titles, descriptions, and ensuring they’re embedded or linked on your site – is also part of capturing multi-modal searchers. Google frequently features YouTube videos in results (with key moments highlighted), so savvy SEOs often pair an article with a video for key topics.
Local and Multi-Modal: For local businesses, visual and voice search combine in features like Google Lens translating foreign restaurant menus or AR navigation in Google Maps. Ensuring things like your Google Business Profile has photos (inside and outside of your business, product photos, etc.) can influence visual search outcomes. When someone uses Lens on a storefront, Google can pull from Business Profiles to show ratings and info. So upload quality photos and keep details updated.
Augmented Reality (AR) Search: While still niche, AR search is emerging. Users can point their phone at the world and get information. Google’s AR in Maps Live View can show arrows to nearby shops. From an SEO perspective, this is about having geotagged information and again, a well-maintained local profile. In e-commerce, AR is used for letting users “try” products (like seeing a 3D model of a chair in their room). Optimizing for that might mean providing 3D models or participating in Google’s 3D/AR schema if applicable.
Expert Insights & Data: Industry data underscores the importance of adapting to these modalities. A report by GWI in 2025 highlights that voice tech is becoming “second nature” especially for millennials and Gen Z – with 34% of millennials using voice assistants weekly gwi.com. They also note voice is an “enabler” for accessibility – which means providing voice-friendly content is part of inclusive design gwi.com. On visual, Google itself promotes that “Lens queries are one of the fastest growing query types on Google”, indicating you ignore it at your peril business.google.com. SEO experts like Aleyda Solis often advise on technical and international SEO including image and video optimization – a holistic approach ensures you capture traffic from all channels. There’s also a forward-looking perspective: as multi-modal AI (like OpenAI’s GPT-4 which can interpret images) becomes mainstream, search might evolve to handle very complex queries like “I got this bill (picture attached), what does it mean for my taxes?” and give an answer. It sounds sci-fi, but we are on the cusp of such capabilities.
Key Takeaway: To thrive in voice, visual, and multi-modal search, optimize beyond text. Ensure your content strategy includes rich media – quality images with proper metadata, videos with transcripts and SEO-friendly titles, and possibly even interactive content. Write in a way that answers spoken questions and consider adding an FAQ schema for common questions. If appropriate, implement structured data like HowTo and Q&A which are specifically good for voice/snippet results. And absolutely take control of your presence on platforms powering these searches: update your Google Business Profile for local voice queries, use Google’s Merchant Center (which now can feed into free listings that appear in Lens results for shopping), and keep your social media images tagged (since Bing and others sometimes pull from Pinterest, etc., for image search). In sum, think like a user who might ask or show something to find your business – and make sure you’ve provided the answer or image in a way the search engines can easily deliver.
7. Expert Quotes & Industry Perspectives
In the fast-changing SEO landscape of 2025, hearing from those on the front lines offers valuable context. Here are some insights and quotes from SEO industry experts that encapsulate the current mindset and best practices:
Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable) – on the pace of Google updates: “We are seeing an unprecedented frequency of Google core updates. It’s clear Google isn’t waiting as long to roll out improvements. This keeps SEOs on their toes – you can’t rely on a stable algorithm for too long. The focus must be on long-term quality because chasing each update is impossible.” (Source: coverage of December 2024 dual core updates impressiondigital.com).
Lily Ray (Amsive Digital) – on AI content and E-E-A-T: “I integrate AI into my toolkit as anyone does, but most first attempts look like ‘very average content.’ It takes time and expertise to build something valuable at scale linkedin.com. Google’s latest updates have reinforced that who creates or reviews your content matters. If you get hit by one algorithm update after another, you need to evaluate your site like an outsider: would you trust this site if you weren’t the one running it?” (Source: Lily’s LinkedIn and conference talks lilyray.nycreddit.com).
John Mueller (Google Search Advocate) – on the continued importance of SEO in the age of AI: “SEO is not dead. Lots of people outside the industry might wish it were, but they don’t realize how much of what they value online is due to the work of SEOs. Even as AI evolves, technical SEO still makes sense – search engines and LLMs need a solid foundation of content to learn from searchenginejournal.comsearchenginejournal.com. So my recommendation for 2025 is: keep doing the fundamentals. Make your sites crawlable, fast, useful. And for AI overviews, think of it like featured snippets – it’s frustrating to lose traffic initially, but soon you’ll be figuring out how to be the source of those answers.”searchenginejournal.comsearchenginejournal.com
Brian Dean (Exploding Topics, Backlinko founder) – on user experience and CTR: “Early signs show AI summaries can cause an 18–64% decline in clicks for some queries explodingtopics.com. That sounds scary, but remember: we had similar fears with featured snippets and mobile. Publishers adapted by optimizing for those formats and it largely balanced out explodingtopics.com. I think the same will happen with AI. The lesson is you can’t just chase clicks; you need to build a brand and community. Focus on content that people seek out (newsletter, direct, etc.), not just content that ranks. Google’s getting better at satisfying easy questions instantly – and that’s fine. We should be the ones answering the hard, in-depth questions and providing experiences an AI can’t.” (Source: Exploding Topics SEO trends & personal blog explodingtopics.com).
Glenn Gabe (GSQi) – on core updates and recovery: “If your site was hit by a core update, don’t rush into random changes. Google’s own advice is to wait and reflect impressiondigital.com. We’ve seen recoveries take months and usually involve significantly improving content quality, demonstrating expertise, and pruning low-value content. It’s rarely about a technical trick; it’s about aligning your whole site with what users want. One recent trend – sites that fixed user engagement issues (like UX problems causing pogo-sticking) often fared better in subsequent updates. User experience and content quality go hand in hand.” (Source: Glenn’s core update analyses on his blog, citing Google’s recovery docs impressiondigital.com).
Marie Haynes (Marie Haynes Consulting) – on E-E-A-T and reputation: “We have empirical evidence that online reputation feeds into search quality. Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines talk a lot about reputation of authors and websites. In 2025, I’m advising clients to invest in that: get good reviews, manage your brand image, get authoritative folks to author your content. It’s not just fluff – sites with sketchy reputations (scam allegations, etc.) struggle to rank, even if they have ‘SEO content.’ One quote from Google I keep referencing: ‘Improve your content and you might see recovery’ impressiondigital.com – they deliberately avoid saying build links or tweak keywords. It’s about content and trust.” (Source: Marie’s podcast and articles, referencing Google core update advice impressiondigital.com).
Pedro Dias (former Googler, SEO consultant) – on where search is going: “Search is becoming an answer service, not just an information retrieval service. AI overviews, conversational search, these are attempts to fulfill intent directly. This doesn’t kill SEO, but it raises the bar. The easy queries will be answered by AI; the tougher ones will lead users to in-depth content. So put simply: easy content is out. If your content is a regurgitation of what’s already out there, Google might summarize it and not send traffic. If your content is unique, with original research, or a unique perspective, that’s something AI can’t replace (at least not yet). I also think branding will be huge – when Google’s answers can’t be fully trusted, people will seek out sources they recognize.” (Source: Q&A from SEJ’s “7 experts on AI overviews” searchenginejournal.comsearchenginejournal.com).
These perspectives collectively highlight a few core themes: quality, experience, and adaptability. SEO experts agree that focusing on user trust and satisfaction is a winning strategy – whether that’s through better content, technical improvements, or brand building. They acknowledge that AI is changing the game, but believe SEO will evolve rather than disappear. The consensus is that one must keep learning and iterating. As one LinkedIn commentator wryly noted, “In SEO, the only constant is change – 2025 just has change on turbocharge.” Staying updated via authoritative SEO blogs (Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, etc.), official Google channels, and experimenting on one’s own sites will be key to thriving amidst these trends.
Conclusion & Outlook for the Rest of 2025
The SEO landscape as of mid-2025 is both challenging and exciting. We’ve witnessed sweeping algorithm updates from Google that double-down on content quality and user experience, signaling that old-school SEO tricks are increasingly futile. Market trends show technical SEO and page experience are more important than ever, as speedy, mobile-friendly sites with clean architecture win both in rankings and user retention. Content strategies must evolve to emphasize depth, originality, and trust – essentially aligning with Google’s E-E-A-T and “helpful content” paradigm. Traditional backlink strategies are giving way to holistic digital PR and authority-building, although backlinks done right remain a crucial piece of the puzzle.
The rise of AI is the defining narrative of 2025. On one hand, generative AI is now front-and-center in search results (Google’s AI overviews, Bing’s chat), altering how users interact with SERPs. On the other, SEO practitioners are harnessing AI tools to work smarter – from content generation to data analysis. The net effect isn’t the end of SEO, but a transformation of it. SEOs now need to think beyond just getting blue-link rankings and consider how to be the source that powers an AI answer or how to entice users who got an answer to still visit for more value. The concept of search optimization is expanding to visibility optimization across various surfaces – text, voice, visual, and AI-driven.
Looking forward to the rest of 2025, here are some forecasted trends and recommendations:
Continued Algorithm Tweaks: Google will likely continue rolling out core updates every few months. Expect at least one more big core update in late 2025. These will further refine how AI content is handled and may incorporate more user engagement signals as Google gains confidence in those metrics. Also, Google might integrate SpamBrain into core ranking even more, meaning it will silently ignore even more low-quality signals (links or content) without needing separate “spam updates.” For SEO professionals, staying the course on quality is the best preparation – those who were hit and made improvements often see recovery on subsequent updates impressiondigital.com.
AI Integration Deepens: Google’s Search Generative Experience is still technically in experiment mode (as of June 2025). By end of 2025, it may move from labs to default for many users, potentially capturing a larger share of queries. Google will refine citation practices, possibly even featuring publisher logos or calling out official sources in the AI answers to appease news publishers. Bing, not to be outdone, will likely integrate its chat more seamlessly into standard search (for instance, showing summarized answers by default for certain queries). SEOs should keep an eye on Google’s announcements – features like “AI Mode” in search (which Google talked about in June 2025 blog.googleblog.google) suggest more interactive search sessions (talking and listening in real-time to search). This could blur the line between search and chatbot. It’s a good idea to experiment with these tools personally to understand how they pick sources.
Survival of the Brandest: In an era of abundant information (much of it AI-generated), brand authority will be a major differentiator. We anticipate Google placing even more weight on sources that have established expertise. Practically, this could mean sites with strong author profiles, positive user reviews, and real-world recognition will outperform faceless content farms. Businesses should invest in marketing beyond SEO – social media engagement, community building, possibly even old-fashioned techniques like press releases and events – because all of it indirectly feeds into how search engines and users perceive your brand.
Voice & IoT Searches: The tail end of 2025 might see voice search branching into more IoT devices (car interfaces, smart TVs, etc.). Optimizing for voice will thus mean potentially optimizing for multiple platforms. Ensure your business information is correct on voice platforms (Alexa Skills, Google Assistant directory). Consider concise, conversational answers for common questions available on your site (some schemas like FAQ can be read directly by voice assistants). With the improvement of AI, voice assistants might handle more transactional queries (“Book me a hotel room in London next Friday”), which ties into vertical search optimization (working with platforms like Google Travel, etc., depending on your sector).
Visual Commerce & Search: We expect visual search to become a bigger factor in e-commerce discovery. Google is pushing features like “Search within screenshot” on Android and enhancing Lens. Pinterest and Amazon also have their own visual search tools. By late 2025, online retailers who provide robust image data (multiple high-res images, 360 views, etc.) and even AR models could gain an edge. Keep an eye on Google Merchant Center updates – Google is aggregating more free product data; ensure your feeds are optimized so your products appear in visual searches with availability info.
Emerging Search Verticals: SEO isn’t just Google. 2025 and beyond will see continued importance of optimizing for YouTube (video SEO), App Stores (ASO), and maybe even AI App marketplaces. For example, if people use ChatGPT’s Plugins or Bing’s third-party integrations to get info, being present there might matter. It’s wise to diversify: if you have content, turn it into a video or podcast; if you have a service, consider an app or tool integration. All these create additional discovery pathways.
Regulatory and Privacy Changes: This is more background, but laws like GDPR, CCPA, and potential new regulations on AI and data could affect SEO. For instance, if browsers further limit cookies or tracking, some user metrics might become less available, which could indirectly influence how personalized search results are. Also, antitrust actions could even impact Google (forcing more openness or changes in how they feature their own properties). While speculative, SEOs should be aware of the digital policy environment.
In summary, SEO in 2025 is holistic and user-centric. It’s about excelling in all the micro-moments a user might have: when they speak a question, when they see something intriguing, when they type a detailed query, or when an AI is curating answers for them. The common thread is that the best answer wins – and “best” is measured by completeness, accuracy, trust, and user satisfaction. The tactics and tools will continue to evolve rapidly (as our deep research has shown, what’s cutting-edge today can be table stakes tomorrow). But if you focus on delivering real value, technically accessible to search platforms, and keep adapting to new formats, you’ll ride the waves of change successfully.
As we head into the latter half of 2025, SEO professionals should remain agile. Keep learning, keep testing, and maintain a user-first mindset. As Google’s own mantra goes, “focus on the user and all else will follow”blog.google. That wisdom holds as true as ever – perhaps even more so – in this dynamic era of search. By aligning your strategy with that principle, you’ll not only improve rankings but also drive meaningful results for your business or clients, regardless of what algorithms or AI bring next.
Sources:
Google Search Central – “New ways we’re tackling spammy, low-quality content on Search” (Mar 2024) blog.googleblog.google
Immwit Digital – “Impact of the June 2025 Google Algorithm Update on SEO Rankings” immwit.comimmwit.com (unconfirmed but indicative of SGE effects)
(Note: All citations reference the latest available information as of June 2025. The SEO field changes quickly; readers should stay tuned to official Google updates and reputable SEO news sources for the most current guidance.)blog.googleexplodingtopics.com
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