5 Changes To Make For Your 2025 SEO Game Plan
2024 has been an interesting year for SEO.
Unpredictable algorithm updates and the launch of SearchGPT and other AI search engines have left SEO experts wondering about the future of SEO.
With 2025 approaching soon, now is the best time to improve your SEO game plan and stay ahead of your competitors.
But what SEO trends should you focus on?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Our team of Brisbane SEO experts have identified five key steps you need to incorporate into your SEO strategy to attract more traffic to your website in 2025.
Optimise For AI Search Engines
AI search engines like SearchGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity are on the rise.
They generate direct answers to queries instantly, removing the need for users to scroll for answers on multiple web pages.
These AI search engines are expected to reduce organic traffic significantly.
For example, Google AI Overviews often result in zero clicks, even for the top-ranking organic search results.
The good news is all these AI search engines cite the publications used to generate responses as sources.
To drive traffic from AI search engines, content must be optimised effectively.
The key to optimising content for these search engines is to shift focus from keywords to users.
Keywords with high search volume often have unclear search intent. These short keywords provide insufficient information to understand what users are truly searching for.
Now users mostly type longer queries, giving search engines more information to understand their needs.
To appear as a source in AI search engines, create content that aligns with user intent, addresses their pain points, and genuinely helps readers.
Helpful, intent-matching content is more likely to be cited by AI as a trusted source.
Keep Up With Algorithm Changes
According to the fourth annual State of SEO 2025 report by Search Engine Journal, the number one challenge for SEO in 2024 has been algorithm changes.
This comes as no surprise. And it’s most likely that algorithm changes will continue to be a challenge for ranking content in 2025.
For many search queries, platforms like Reddit and Quora claim the top spot in Google search results.
This goes against the E-E-A-T principle of Google, further confusing SEOs.
The introduction of AI Overviews in Google’s search results has led to zero-click experiences even for top search results.
To combat algorithm changes, digital marketers need more budget.
However, companies are reluctant to increase their marketing spend, making it more challenging to get traffic with limited resources.
SEO marketers are thinking about going back to basics since ranking factors known previously to them aren’t relevant anymore.
Instead of obsessing over how to beat the algorithms, focus on user needs and create content that delivers value to the readers.
Another way of maintaining organic website traffic is to diversify.
Social media, email marketing, podcasts, and other channels will be explored more in 2025 to maintain a steady flow of traffic.
Build E-E-A-T Writer Authority
Google’s content ranking criteria E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) will remain just as important as we move into 2025.
To optimise content for E-E-A-T, ensure that each piece promotes knowledge and expertise of the topic.
Google favours those who use subject matter experts as writers, evaluating expertise at a content level rather than a site level.
Writers with a personal connection or experience with their content topic are prioritised by the search engine over those who don’t appear to.
Meaning that building author credibility has become more important than ever.
Google increasingly promotes content written by authors whose expertise and authority can be verified.
One of the most effective ways to improve author credentials is by creating author profiles on your site.
Here, you can showcase past achievements, affiliations with reputable publications, industry expertise, and other relevant details in their bio.
Having a credible author profile is not only important for search engines but also for readers.
Readers are evolving and increasingly want assurance that the content they consume is created by genuine experts.
Besides a strong author bio, presenting unique data and personal experience shows originality and authority.
Readers are more interested in reading content that has meaningful insights gained from original research.
To understand user behaviour, working closely with the support and sales team is key.
Doing so helps digital marketers and content writers identify content gaps and real pain points of customers that often go unnoticed.
Increase Focus On Technical SEO
The demand for technical SEO specialists will grow significantly in 2025.
Deep knowledge of technical SEO has been a highly sought-after skill for many years in the SEO industry.
Yet many SEO specialists lack confidence in technical SEO as it is one of the field’s most challenging aspects.
In 2025, the importance of technical SEO can’t be ignored.
Implementing the best technical SEO practices enhances website crawlability and leads to a better understanding of your content by search engines.
Schema markup, structured data, clean code, and relevant internal linking will result in better search rankings for relevant keywords and rich snippets, attracting more traffic.
Issues like broken links, improper redirects, and duplicate content can result in poor rankings and penalties by search engines.
Technical SEO is crucial for identifying and resolving these problems.
Websites that rely heavily on Javascript often face rendering issues, which can affect indexing.
Knowledge of technical SEO ensures that server-side rendering or other Javascript-related issues are addressed.
Limit AI Content Optimisation
Content can be generated using AI instantly but it often needs more insights and experience that only come with human touch.
AI can speed up the content creation process, but automating the whole process with no human guidance leads to content that is rejected by both the readers and search engines.
SEO writers need to build content production processes that ensure they are not heavily relying on AI tools.
AI tools can play a vital role in research, editing, developing content strategies, and data identification.
But connecting these dots to produce valuable content is something that only a human with a deep understanding of the target audience can do.
One of the best ways to ensure better outcomes with AI is by making your own.
Create your own AI platform, eliminating the need to share your data and analytics.
Train your AI model by feeding it more information about your business from CRM tools, Google Analytics, and more.
If that is not feasible, there are cheaper alternatives, like custom GPTs or Google’s Gems.
Using AI for content production can be transformative when done right.
However, completely relying on AI tools and ignoring human intuition and experience will result in content lacking value and E-E-A-T which will never rank.
Choose BFJ Digital For Your SEO Needs
For SEO, 2025 will be all about innovation and originality.
Producing content that delivers value to the users will win the SEO game.
Ensure your content meets Google’s standards in terms of value and E-E-A-T and focus on improving your website’s health and performance.
We understand that implementing and keeping up with SEO best practices can be a bit challenging in this ever-changing climate.
That’s where BFJ Digital comes in.
We create powerful, meaningful content designed to increase rankings, site traffic, and leads.
We cover all areas of SEO, from content production to local Google Business Profile optimisations to technical SEO audits, and more.
Get in touch with our team of Brisbane SEO experts today and find out how we can take you to the top of the search results page.
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