By SCS Marketing & PR
Search Engine Optimisation in 2025 is expected to be influenced by several technological advancements, shifts in user behaviour, and the evolving nature of search engine algorithms. Here SCS looks at what SEO is expected to look like in 2025:
AI-Powered Search Engines and Content
With the rise of AI technologies like GPT and BERT (which already influence search algorithms today), we are expected to see even more emphasis on AI-generated content. However, be aware as research by SEO data companies has already suggested that businesses using AI content could see rankings in the SERPs negatively impacted.
AI can play a role in creating content, but written content based on experience and opinion – which AI cannot achieve as it only regurgitates what is already on available on the internet – means this ‘human’ content will rank better.
Google’s Use of MUM (Multitask Unified Model)
MUM is Google’s AI-based algorithm designed to better understand complex queries. In 2025, MUM will likely be more sophisticated, enabling search engines to provide even more contextual, relevant, and multi-layered results for user queries.
Voice Search Optimisation
Voice search is nothing new but the growing use of voice assistants (like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant), SEO will have to account for voice search, which often has a more conversational tone. Content will need to be optimised for long-tail, natural language queries, focusing on question-based keywords and concise, direct answers.
The integration of chatbots and conversational agents on websites will grow. This means that conversational search behaviours (using full sentences and questions) will be a larger consideration when optimising for voice and chat-based queries.
Visual and Video SEO
With the increase in visual search tools (e.g., Google Lens), users could be searching by images more than ever before. Visual search optimisation will be crucial, requiring image SEO techniques such as alt text, structured data, and image sitemaps.
Video SEO is also expected to remain a dominant factor in 2025. As video consumption continues to rise, optimising video content (including metadata, transcription, and captions) for platforms like YouTube and social media will all benefit SEO.
User Experience (UX) and Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals, which measure the user experience (page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability), will continue to play a role in ranking algorithms. Websites will need to provide a seamless, fast, and mobile-friendly experience to maintain high rankings.
Mobile-first indexing, where Google predominantly uses the mobile version of a site for ranking, will be the norm by 2025. The mobile experience will be paramount, pushing businesses to optimise for mobile devices and improve responsiveness.
EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and Credible Content
With the increasing importance of trust and quality signals, search engines will continue to prioritise content from authoritative sources. Optimising for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness will be critical in sectors like health, finance, and law. Businesses will need to establish their authority through quality content, backlinks from reputable sources, and transparent practices. As misinformation continues to be a concern, search engines will become better at distinguishing between high-quality, authentic content and low-quality, unreliable sources.
Semantic Search and Intent Optimisation
Search engines will continue to improve in understanding search intent and context. SEO will shift more towards optimising for user intent, rather than focusing solely on specific keywords. This means that content will need to answer users’ questions and fulfill their needs in a way that’s more aligned with intent-based queries.
Overall, SEO in 2025 will be characterised by a deeper integration of AI and machine learning, a greater emphasis on user experience and personalisation, and the expanding role of voice, video, and visual search. Therefore, businesses need to stay adaptable and focus on producing high-quality, relevant, and personalised content, while embracing AI. As search engines get smarter, the key to success will be aligning SEO strategies with evolving technologies and user expectations.
About SCS Marketing & PR
If your business would like to find out more about our SEO services, please contact the SCS team on 01252 621293, via info@scsmarketingandpr.co.uk or complete our contact us form here.
