SEO in 2025: Usage, Trends, and AI’s Impact
March 16, 2025
Nik Vujic
Founder & CEO
Search engines remain the gateway to the internet, and optimizing online presence for them is a mainstream strategy for many U.S. companies, though adoption is not yet universal.
Despite many people claiming that SEO is losing its power over other marketing channels, the fact is that even among the most tech-forward generation (Gen Z), 99% of people still rely on Google. Digital marketing has undoubtedly expanded across multiple channels, including social media, email, and paid ads, but SEO continues to be a core strategy for companies looking to attract organic traffic.
Google alone drives over 63% of website referral traffic in the U.S., and 68% of all online experiences start with a search engine. These numbers highlight why businesses still rely on search visibility as a key driver of growth.
Throughout this article, we've worked hard to provide you with a detailed and accurate picture of SEO in 2025. We understand how important reliable information is when making strategic marketing decisions, which is why we've backed up our insights with the latest industry data and research.
For transparency and to help you dive deeper into any areas of particular interest, we've included all of our reference sources at the end of this article. Feel free to explore them for additional context as you refine your SEO strategy for the coming year.
SEO Adoption In 2025
The general perception of SEO in 2025 is overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of businesses seeing SEO as highly relevant and effective. In a recent industry report, 91% of marketers affirmed that SEO had a positive impact on their website performance and marketing goals.
Despite SEO being widely recognized as a successful way to increase organic traffic and conversions, the adoption levels don't follow this recognition.
While a vast majority of large and mid-sized companies have well-established strategies for optimizing their online presence, small businesses still lag behind. In 2024, only 17% of small businesses actively invested in SEO.
At the same time, companies that adopt search engine optimization are split between having in-house SEO teams and outsourcing to professional agencies. The mix between the two is also very popular, with nearly half of firms now blending in-house teams with external SEO agencies in order to stay competitive without building entire teams from scratch.
Ahrefs Studies show that SEO delivers over ten times more traffic than organic social media, and marketers consistently rank it among their highest-performing channels.
Available data shows that the conversation around SEO isn’t whether it works—it’s how businesses can maximize its potential. While AI-driven search, social media, and algorithm updates continue to reshape the landscape, it remains clear that companies prioritizing SEO see substantial benefits.
Far from being “dead,” SEO is viewed as a long-term investment that continues to pay off. In fact, 89% of marketers say SEO is a successful strategy, and 60% report it brings their best-quality leads.
SEO Delivers High-Value Leads and Long-Term Growth
One of the most significant advantages of SEO is its ability to attract customers who are actively searching for solutions. Leads from organic search have a 14.6% close rate, compared to just 1.7% for outbound tactics like direct mail or cold outreach. In other words, search-sourced leads convert about 8.5 times better than outbound prospects, indicating the high quality of traffic SEO brings.
Stronger ROI Than Paid Ads
SEO also outperforms paid advertising in return on investment. While PPC campaigns require continuous spending to maintain visibility, SEO builds sustainable long-term value. A study across 119 companies found that SEO delivers an 8× ROI, double the return of PPC advertising, making it one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies.
While it doesn’t promise quick returns like PPC advertising, businesses see an overwhelmingly positive ROI from SEO within 6 to 12 months on average.
A Top Revenue Driver for B2B and Content-Heavy Industries
For B2B brands and industries reliant on content marketing, SEO is a top-performing channel. In 2024, company websites, blogs, and SEO were ranked as the most effective drivers of ROI, surpassing both paid advertising and social media. As a result, 59% of marketers report that their SEO-generated revenue has increased in recent years.
While digital marketing landscapes shift, SEO remains a proven, compounding investment that delivers sustainable, high-quality results, cementing its role as a core strategy for businesses looking to establish their online presence.
Emerging SEO Trends in 2025
Search engines are undergoing their most significant transformation since the early 2000s, driven by AI integration and changing user behaviors. The rise of Google's SGE, fragmentation across social platforms, and algorithm updates focused on quality are redefining what works in SEO for 2025.
AI-Powered Search (Google SGE and LLMs):
A major trend shaking up search is the rise of AI-driven search results. Google’s introduction of the Search Generative Experience (SGE) in 2024 is a glimpse into the future. SGE uses generative AI to provide an “AI overview” at the top of search results, synthesizing information from multiple sources into a conversational answer.
The emergence of AI-powered search is expected to have profound implications for SEO. Early research found that SGE could significantly reduce organic clicks since users might get their answers directly from Google’s AI. In fact, some tests estimated a 20% to 60% decrease in organic traffic for sites on queries where SGE answers appear. The AI snapshot often occupies a large portion of the screen (average height ~1,764 pixels, per one analysis) and pushes traditional results far down.
Similarly, Microsoft’s Bing integrated OpenAI’s GPT into its search to offer chat-based answers alongside links. This move actually boosted Bing’s usage (it surpassed 100 million daily active users for the first time after adding the AI chat feature), validating user interest in AI-assisted search.
For SEOs, these AI-driven search experiences mean optimizing for answer visibility, which is a new challenge. Sites will need to focus even more on authority and concise, structured answers from which AI might draw. It also means diversifying traffic sources (since some clicks that used to come from Google may not materialize if the answer is given in SERPs).
AI in search is still evolving, but it’s clearly a trend to watch. SEO strategies are adapting to ensure content can be part of the AI summaries (e.g., by using schema markup, answering questions clearly, and continuing to pursue featured snippets, which are often feedstock for AI answers).
Content that ranks well on Google remains essential for being included in AI answers because it serves as the primary source material AI systems pull from when generating their answers, including product recommendations, brand mentions, and other high-value commercial information.
New Search Behaviors & Channels:
Beyond traditional search engines, user search behavior is fragmenting across new platforms, which is another factor influencing SEO strategy. Social media and other digital channels are becoming search engines in their own right. For example, 40% of Gen Z users now turn to TikTok or Instagram instead of Google when looking for information (such as a place for lunch)
Younger audiences often prefer the visual, peer-driven discovery of those apps. This means businesses need to consider SEO beyond Google – optimizing for visibility on social search (hashtags, in-app search keywords, and engaging content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube).
Similarly, voice search remains a notable trend. It's estimated that 20% of all searches happen via voice, and voice assistants often only give one spoken answer. Optimizing for voice involves targeting natural language queries and featured snippets (since voice assistants usually read out snippet content).
Other channels include Amazon for product searches, app stores for app content, and so on. The emergence of these new search channels doesn’t kill classic SEO, but it expands the playing field. Effective digital marketing in 2025 means considering how your content can be discovered on multiple platforms and tailoring your SEO approach (e.g., local SEO for map results, video SEO for YouTube, etc.) to meet users wherever they search.
Google Updates and Strategy Shifts:
Google continues to roll out algorithm updates that influence SEO tactics. In 2024 alone, Google launched four core updates and multiple spam updates aimed at improving search result quality.
The Helpful Content Updates (a series of updates starting in late 2022 and refined through 2023/24) particularly impact SEO strategy. These updates use algorithms to detect “unhelpful” content – often pages created just to rank (including AI-generated fluff) – and demote them.
The emphasis is firmly on “people-first” content, aligning with Google’s goal of surfacing content that genuinely helps users. For instance, Google’s November 2024 core update reinforced that high-quality, user-focused content is more important than ever for maintaining rankings. Google explicitly aims to reward sites that “put user needs first” and provide fact-checked, authentic content while punishing low-quality, non-human-centric material.
This shift means SEO strategies have had to pivot away from low-effort content production. Many sites hit by these updates learned that there are no quick fixes. Only by improving content depth and usefulness can they recover, often at the next core update cycle.
In addition, recent updates have doubled down on trust signals (author expertise, authoritative sources) and on technical factors like page experience. Long-standing tactics such as keyword stuffing, link schemes, or other shortcuts are increasingly ineffective as Google’s algorithm gets ever better at spotting and ignoring manipulative practices.
The takeaway for 2025 is that SEO success aligns with long-term user value. Google’s continuous tweaks simply reinforce that strategy: invest in great content, technical excellence, and a trustworthy reputation, and you’ll withstand algorithm changes.
The SEO Fundamentals That Still Matter in 2025
Despite rapid advancements in AI and search engine technology, the core principles of SEO remain as compelling as ever. While tactics evolve, fundamentals like content quality, keyword relevance, backlinks, user experience, and a people-first approach continue to form the basis of a successful SEO strategy.
Content Quality & Keyword Relevance:
Even as AI-driven search reshapes how results are delivered, content remains the backbone of SEO. Google’s ranking algorithm considers hundreds of factors, but relevance and quality always come first. In fact, 57% of marketing executives say content creation is the most effective SEO tactic.
However, keyword strategies have evolved. Stuffing keywords in order to get exact matches is no longer an effective strategy. The dominant approach now is understanding search intent and covering a topic comprehensively. With 52% of Google searches being informational, businesses that provide clear, in-depth answers to user queries gain an edge. Effective content now includes synonyms, related topics, and structured insights to align with modern search engine algorithms.
Semantic Search: How Google Understands Information
Search engines are better than ever at interpreting natural language and context. Thanks to AI advancements like BERT and MUM, Google understands meaning rather than just matching keywords. Since search behavior on Google is constantly shifting and people continuously use new terms to search for products and services (15% of searches are entirely new), rigid keyword strategies no longer work. Content must be broad, well-structured, and semantically relevant.
One notable adaptation is passage indexing, where Google ranks individual sections of content rather than just entire pages. This makes clear headings, logical content flow, and structured data (schema markup) extremely important. Breaking down content into digestible sections increases the likelihood that even a single paragraph from your page can rank for specific queries.
Backlinks and Authority: The Power of Credibility
Despite new ranking factors, backlinks remain one of the strongest signals of authority. Studies show that top-ranking pages have 3.8× more backlinks than lower-ranking ones, and 96% of websites in Google’s top 10 have over 1,000 backlinks.
However, link-building has changed, and spammy tactics no longer work. Google now prioritizes quality over quantity. Digital PR, high-value content, and natural link acquisition strategies continue to be the best ways to build site authority and rank competitively.
User Experience & Technical SEO: The Silent Ranking Factors
A fast, user-friendly website isn’t just good for visitors—it’s essential for rankings. Google’s Core Web Vitals update made page speed, mobile performance, and site stability ranking factors. Yet, only 33% of websites meet these standards, meaning businesses that optimize for speed and usability gain an edge.
Technical SEO essentials that include mobile optimization, secure HTTPS, structured URLs, and alt text for images—remain non-negotiable. Search engines need to crawl and understand your site efficiently, and a well-optimized site not only ranks better but also improves engagement and conversions.
The “People-First” Approach: Google’s Ultimate Priority
Perhaps the most important shift in SEO is Google’s commitment to prioritizing people over algorithms. Its latest updates favor helpful, trustworthy, and expert-driven content over low-quality, keyword-stuffed pages. This aligns with the E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)—which determines whether content is worth ranking.
The takeaway? SEO success in 2025 still comes down to delivering value. Sites that answer user questions, provide well-structured, accurate content, and prioritize usability will continue to rank—regardless of how search evolves.
AI’s Growing Impact on SEO Strategies
The rise of accessible AI tools (like GPT-4 and various SEO-specific AI software) is changing how marketers approach SEO. A large majority of marketers are now using AI in some form for SEO tasks. In fact, about 75% of marketers use AI tools regularly in their workflow.
Businesses have embraced AI for help with content and optimization, and nearly 60% of companies are already applying generative AI in their marketing processes.
Even small businesses, historically lag in tech adoption, are jumping in – 67% of small companies leverage AI to improve their content and SEO.
The most common use cases for AI in SEO include content creation and research. Marketers report using AI to generate content outlines (63% do this) and to brainstorm keyword ideas (60%) as top applications.
Other popular uses are drafting meta descriptions, analyzing search trends, and converting audio/video to text for SEO purposes. This integration of AI is changing SEO strategy by streamlining labor-intensive tasks – for example, 75% of marketers say they use AI tools to cut down time spent on manual tasks like meta-tag optimization.
AI-Generated Content in SEO: A Powerful Tool—If Used Correctly
AI-generated content is becoming a significant force in SEO, but success depends on how it’s used. While 65% of companies report better SEO results with AI, and 68% see higher content marketing ROI, search engines are not blindly rewarding AI-written text—they prioritize quality, accuracy, and user value.
Google does not penalize AI content outright, but it holds AI-generated pages to the same E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards as human-written content. Poorly executed AI content—such as thin, repetitive, or misleading information—risks being filtered out. On the other hand, well-structured, fact-checked AI-assisted content can rank well and engage audiences, with 73% of consumers saying they trust AI-generated content when appropriately vetted.
Many companies combine AI with human oversight, using AI to draft articles or optimize pages, while editors refine the work for accuracy, readability, and SEO best practices. This hybrid approach often leads to the best results, allowing businesses to scale content creation while maintaining quality.
In short, AI is a valuable SEO tool—but only when used strategically, with human expertise guiding the final product.
AI is transforming SEO, but its impact varies by industry. E-commerce and media brands use AI to scale content, optimize images, and generate product descriptions, while regulated industries like healthcare and law take a more cautious approach, using AI as a research tool rather than an autonomous writer. Across all sectors, the key to success is human oversight—AI can assist, but expertise and accuracy remain essential.
GSD Approach to SEO in 2025
At Get Stuff Digital, we're all about honest SEO. We don't try to game the system but instead, create a sustainable foundation for healthy organic growth through quality content and strategic backlinks.
We leverage cutting-edge AI tools to gain data-backed insights into search behavior, keywords, and how people look for products and services. This allows us to create content specifically designed to satisfy user intent.
Our strategy is based on what actually works in your specific market. We study the unique search patterns and competitive landscape of your niche, whether you're in healthcare, retail, tech, or another field, and adjust our tactics accordingly.
We also promise to stay far away from spammy tactics and keyword stuffing. Instead, we offer genuinely helpful and valuable content that authentically promotes our client's brand, products, and services. We are always:
- Adapting to AI-powered search like Google SGE
- Optimizing for new search behaviors across multiple platforms
- Staying current with Google's algorithm updates
- Maintaining focus on SEO fundamentals: quality content, semantic search, authoritative backlinks, and technical excellence
Our approach embraces Google's "people-first" priority, ensuring your content meets E-E-A-T standards (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). With GSD, you get SEO that works for 2025 and beyond—ethical, effective, and built for long-term success.
Sources:
- AI & SEO: How to Prepare in 2025
- 12 of the Most Important SEO Statistics to Know in 2025
- 74 Important SEO Statistics
- The State of SEO in 2025
- 83 SEO Statistics for 2025 (Current & Verified)
- How to Use AI for SEO Wins in 2025
- AI and SEO: What You Need to Know
- 130 SEO Statistics Every Marketer Must Know in 2025
- Why AI SEO Will Dominate Your Search Strategy in 2025: AI Agents Are Taking Over
- SEO Trends 2025: Thriving in the Age of AI and Algorithms
- 31 Local SEO Statistics You Need for 2025
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