As 2025 approaches, the world of SEO is evolving rapidly. With advancements in AI and a more complex search ecosystem, SEO professionals must refine their strategies and education to stay competitive. What trends will shape the future, and what elements of SEO will remain crucial? In this article, I’ll explore my top predictions for SEO in 2025.
Shift to a Multi-Search SEO Strategy
In 2025, Google’s dominance will face growing competition from AI-driven search engines, reshaping how SEO professionals approach SEO strategy and SEO education. The focus will shift from optimizing for Google only to creating strategies tailored for Large Language Model (LLM) platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. As AI tools and AI-powered search gain traction, SEO experts must adapt by understanding how LLMs process and interpret information. This evolution calls for strategies beyond Google’s algorithms to ensure visibility across a broader range of search platforms.
From Backlinks only to also Mentions: A New SEO Paradigm
Backlinks have long been the backbone of Google’s search ranking system and remain crucial for SEO success. High-quality content, smart keyword usage, and technical SEO elements are all vital, but data shows that top-ranked pages still have 3.8 times more backlinks than their lower-ranked competitors.
However, ranking in Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Claude operates differently. Unlike Google, LLMs rely on mentions rather than backlinks. Their algorithms prioritize words and phrases frequently associated across vast training datasets. The critical question becomes: Which websites contribute to an LLM’s training data? Securing mentions on these influential sites is essential to appearing prominently in AI-driven search results, marking a shift in SEO strategy for the LLM era.
Building SEO for LLM Visibility
Establishing where these models draw their training data is essential to ensuring your brand and website are featured in the answers generated by LLMs. This strategy positions your content to be included in the LLM ecosystem.
Research by Rand Fishkin and Sparktoro highlights Reddit as a prominent data source for LLMs, given its practice of selling data for training purposes. Platforms like Wikipedia and YouTube (via transcribed video text) also contribute significantly to LLM training. This underscores the importance of building a presence on these platforms.
By focusing on appearing in trusted, high-authority websites and forums and incorporating YouTube video content into your SEO strategy, you can align your SEO efforts with the shifting dynamics of AI-driven search. Such visibility will be critical for staying relevant in 2025.
I asked Perplexity: “What are the top websites LLMs are being trained?”
The image below shows the answer and the top 10 websites used to train LLMs.
Original Content Will Define SEO Success in 2025
According to the Europol Innovation Lab, by 2025, an estimated 90% of online content will be generated by artificial intelligence. While AI tools can enhance efficiency, they cannot replicate the depth of human experience or expertise. In this era of AI-saturated content, originality will become the most valuable currency in SEO.
A leaked Google API document referencing an “OriginalContentScore” hints that Google prioritises mechanisms to measure and reward unique content. This reinforces the need to go beyond summarizing existing information. Instead, creators should aim to provide fresh perspectives, add new insights, and reference sources, enhancing them with in-depth analysis.
Keeping content fresh is equally essential—frequently updating articles with new data, research, and viewpoints ensures relevance and maintains a competitive edge. In 2025, success in SEO will belong to those who prioritize authenticity and originality in their content creation strategies.
The Power of Original Research
Research is one of the most effective ways to create high-quality, original content. This approach provides unique data and positions your brand as an authority in your field. By conducting your studies or surveys, you generate data that no one else has, giving you a competitive edge. Original research is highly linkable, as other content creators will cite your findings, boosting your site’s authority. Sharing unique data can also establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. For iGaming SEO, this could involve internal information about games and trends from company tools and data in SEO content creation.
Leveraging Personal Experience for Compelling Content
Personal experiences and insights are powerful tools for creating authentic, engaging content. Here’s how to make the most of them:
- Case Studies: Share real-world examples of your successes and challenges, offering valuable lessons to your audience.
- Expert Commentary: Provide your professional perspective on industry trends and developments, showcasing your authority.
- Product Reviews: Share your honest experience about the products you tested, highlighting both pros and cons, to give readers a genuine look at what they can expect.
Readers are drawn to personal opinions and will likely stay longer on your page if they feel your experiences shape the content. For Casino SEO, this could involve having content writers play slot games firsthand before writing their articles.
The key is to use AI as a supplement—gathering data and insights—but always interpret those findings from your unique perspective. AI should help refine your writing, but your voice and expertise should be at the forefront.
The Growing Role of AI Agents in SEO Tools
AI SEO agents are transforming the way we approach search engine optimization. These advanced tools leverage artificial intelligence to assist with various SEO tasks, offering strategic recommendations and continually learning from data to improve their performance.
An AI agent is a software program capable of interacting with its environment, collecting and analyzing data, and performing tasks autonomously to achieve specific goals.
What sets AI agents apart is their ability to make rational, data-driven decisions. They use physical and software interfaces to sense their environment and make informed choices.
Key Features of AI SEO Agents:
- Automation of Repetitive Tasks: AI agents can handle time-consuming tasks like keyword research, competitor analysis, and content optimization.
- Data-Driven Insights: These agents analyze large datasets to identify trends and opportunities, optimizing SEO strategies.
- Personalized Recommendations: AI provides tailored advice on content creation, keyword targeting, and technical SEO improvements.
- Continuous Learning: As search engine algorithms evolve, AI agents adapt their strategies to stay updated
Specific Applications of AI SEO Agents:
- Real-Time Data Analysis: AI agents can analyze website performance in real time, helping optimize content and structure for better SEO results.
- Improved Content Creation: They enhance content production efficiency and quality by generating data-driven insights.
- Enhanced Keyword Research: AI agents can conduct in-depth keyword research, identifying high-value targets for optimization.
- Automated Content Audits: These tools assess keyword density, readability, and SEO compliance.
- Technical SEO: AI agents can identify crawl errors, page speed issues, and other technical SEO elements that may impact rankings.
- SEO Content Briefs: AI can generate comprehensive, SEO-friendly content briefs to guide writers in crafting optimized content.
While AI SEO agents offer impressive advantages, they are not without their limitations. They may require human oversight to ensure accuracy and quality control. However, As technology advances, AI agents will become increasingly essential for SEO professionals seeking to enhance their strategies and improve productivity. Popular tools such as Rewrite, Reworked, and SurferSEO are examples of AI-powered platforms currently shaping the SEO landscape. In 2025, we will face a growth of more SEO Tools that use AI agents, and to be above the competition, SEOs must not only test the tools but also become experts in using the best ones on the market.
Be Ready for 2025: Embrace AI to Stay Ahead in SEO
To stay ahead in this changing landscape in 2025, SEO professionals must adapt by embracing new strategies, from optimizing for AI-driven search engines to focusing on original content and leveraging the power of personal experience. AI-powered tools, including SEO agents, will be vital to streamlining processes, providing data-driven insights, and helping to automate routine tasks. However, it’s essential to strike the right balance between AI and human creativity—your unique insights and original content will remain your most valuable asset in this new era of SEO. By staying adaptable, focusing on high-quality, original content, leveraging new AI tools, and understanding emerging trends, you can position your brand for SEO success in 2025 and beyond.
