SEO in Review: How 2024 Went Down and The Best Predictions for SEO in 2025 (Straight from the Experts)

SEO is changing -- not that it hasn't always been doing so, just that this time, it feels like the wave of change is bigger than ever before. This is not to say it's bad news -- on the contrary. As the history of search engine optimization proves it, most major changes in SEO have been followed by improvements in user experience, which is ultimately what search engines are all about: providing the best possible information to users.

How, more exactly, has SEO changed in 2024, though -- and how much more will it change? What are the

We rounded up a panel of experts and asked them the big questions in SEO, so you can better prepare for 2025 and the challenges it might bring.

2024 was a very full year...

Opinions on SEO will always differ, but if there is one thing everyone can agree on, it's that 2024 was a year of many changes.

First things first, we couldn't talk about SEO in 2024 without mentioning the elephant in the room: AI. To say the landscape of SEO has been reshaped by the significant advances in AI would probably be the understatement of the decade.

OpenAI isn't just revolutionizing content production speed; it's reshaping AI's role in keyword research, content optimization, and technical SEO. Google is responding to the surge of AI-generated content, as users increasingly turn to ChatGPT for information, prompting Google to enhance its own AI offerings.

AI content creation has reached new heights, influencing SEO strategies as tools generate high-quality, tailored content. If, in 2023, more all-bets-on-AI were starting to crop up, the SEO managers we've spoke with are approaching AI with a more balanced view now: they are adapting, but focusing on authenticity, quality, and relevance, rather than massive content outputs.

Moreover, the Google Search Algorithm Leak in 2024 has further shaken the SEO landscape, revealing key ranking factors and offering insights into Google's priorities. Additionally, the March Algorithm Update deprioritized many affiliate sites, shifting focus from commercial value to user-centric content.

It's been...a lot for the SEO world. But the good news is more and more businesses are now aware of the true power search engine optimization holds -- so, despite the somewhat turbulent year, we can only expect SEO to continue growing in importance and impact.

The TL; DR?

• AI influence: Rise of AI-generated content reshaped SEO strategies and increased zero-click searches in Google’s Search Generative Experience, highlighting the need for optimizing featured snippets and content depth.
• Algorithm shifts. Both the March Core Update and the leaked algorithm insights have reminded, everyone, once again, just how crucial topical authority and content quality are for SEO.
• Technological strides: SEO became more competitive and required a balance of AI advancements with quality, user-centric content that alignes with Google's not-so-new, but increasingly important baseline standards:
• • E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) -- for every type of content )
  • YMYL (Your-Life-Your-Money) -- for health and finances-related content
• More emphasis on brand-building and digging deeper into user search intent. Keyword research is still important, but most of the SEOs we've spoken with have shared a similar sentiment: there is now more focus on understanding and aligning with user intent, as opposed to just targeting specific keywords. This means creating content that truly satisfies a user's search query and provides value beyond just ranking for certain terms.

Just how significant was the Helpful Content Update for SEOs in 2024?

In short, most SEO managers believe the Helpful Content Update was quite important this year. No less than 60% of all our respondents said it was either very or extremely important, and just 5% thought it was "not important at all".

This is quite telling of how Google's main algorithm update in 2024 influenced the way SEOs approach content creation and optimization. With a focus on user experience and helpfulness, websites that provided valuable content to users saw an increase in rankings and traffic. This aligns with Google's goal of providing the best possible information to their users, making it more important than ever to create high-quality, informative content for your audience.

Were AI tools as important as they've been touted?

After the shock wave of ChatGPT in 2023, and the rapid adoption cycle for AI tools in everything marketing-related, we wondered if the hype had died down towards the end of this year. As it turns out, the answer is... not quite.

A not-so-surprising 42.86% of our survey respondents said AI tools play a very important role in their SEO strategy, and 23.81% said the role of AI is extremely important in their day-to-day work. In contrast, only 9.52% of our respondents said AI tools are not important at all or simply of little importance.

By the looks of it, there's little doubt over this fact now: AI is here to stay, ladies and gentlemen.

To what extent are SEOs using AI in 2024?

While most SEO pros can agree Artificial Intelligence has been extremely (or at least very) important in 2024, we wanted to dig a bit more into just how much they've been using AI tools this year. Consistent with most of the data we've gathered (empirically, in the market, and through this survey), 61.90% of our respondents said they use AI tools very often (daily), and 33.33% said they use them often.

Perhaps more telling is that only 4.76% of the SEOs we've asked said they don't use SEO at all.

How important was the increased SEO competition in 2024?

As mentioned before, the Helpful Content Update, the leaks, the rise of massive (or not so massive) AI usage in SEO and content marketing, and the increased popularity of ChatGPT for users all played a role in making SEO a more competitive space in 2024.

Just how much did it influence actual SEO strategy, though?

Once again, suspicions were confirmed, with more than 32% of our respondents saying SEO competition has strongly or very strongly influenced their approach to optimization this year. And more than 27% said it was at least somewhat important in how they handled SEO in 2024. Literally no one thought increased competition bore no effect on their tactics.

What else influenced SEO strategy in 2024?

We wanted to see if anything slipped under the mainstream SEO radar for this year, so we asked our SEO specialists about other potential factors that could have affected their work.

Here are some recurrent themes we've noticed:

• A focus on personalized, engaging content to align with user intent and maintain competitiveness against AI-generated content.
• Some SEOs mentioned that regularly refreshed content helped them keep up with industry changes and algorithm updates.
• Since social media results started to gain more importance in SERPs, many SEOs told us they started building content ecosystems across social media, video, and podcasts for broader audience engagement.
• Voice search took off too, which meant many SEO managers started putting (even) more emphasis on that as well
• A shift to bottom-of-the-funnel, conversion-focused content was also noticed, as the competition in the SEO landscape grew and businesses looked for more direct ways to drive sales.
• The rise of zero-click searches and featured snippets meant that SEOs had to optimize their content for these types of results, leading to a change in traditional keyword research strategies.
• Some also mentioned an increased focus video content, as well as more efforts going into link building.

What is the biggest change SEOs expect in 2025?

Nobody holds the crystal ball as to how, specifically, SEO will continue to change in 2025. However, the experienced SEOs who took the time to answer our survey agreed on a bunch of common threads:

• Video optimization: Video content will become more critical, even within search engine results as well as in GenAI applications.
• Algorithm updates: Expect further updates, potentially introducing better anti-AI spam measures and revised SERP rankings targeting content with high bounce rates.
• AI-driven search evolution: AI-generated content growth requires a focus on technical SEO, quality, and adherence to E-E-A-T guidelines to differentiate from 100% AI content.
• Zero-click searches increase: The rise of AI search results may lead to more zero-click searches, affecting organic traffic and click-through rates.
• Multimodal integration: An increasing push towards integrating images, voice, and other modes of search.
• AI-personalized results: AI will continue to refine search results based on individual user profiles and behaviors. While the SEO world doesn't have a specific response to that (yet), the key lies in further catering to the needs and wants of our audiences, while also keeping an eye on emerging optimization techniques.
• Parasite SEO resurgence: There might be renewed interest in leveraging other platforms for SEO gains (a concept not at all foreign for SEOs who've been around a while, but which might gain a "second life" in 2025 as a result of algorithm changes and AI involvement.)
• User experience and brand focus: User experience and strong brand presence will be pivotal amidst SEO shifts.

What will the role of AI tools be in 2025 SEO strategies?

Like it or not, AI isn't going anywhere -- and our SEO experts agree. In fact, they agree so much that a whopping 80% said AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard will have an extremely important role next year.

In contrast, no one thought Artificial Intelligence tools will be not important at all, not very important, or only somewhat important. So, if you haven't started leveraging AI for your search engine optimization efforts, now is definitely the time to do it.

Will traffic on websites increase or decrease in 2025?

Again -- no one holds the secret sauce to 100% accurate predictions in SEO -- and much less so when it comes to traffic.

Yet, in classic SEO fashion, most of our experts can agree on one thing: whether traffic will increase, decrease, or stay the same next year, all depends on a variety of factors:

• It might decrease because:
• • AI-driven solutions like Gemini and ChatGPT will become popular sources of information, reducing reliance on traditional websites.
  • Smarter SERP algorithms will increasingly filter out low-quality AI-generated content, leading to a decline in traffic for sites with less authoritative information.
  • As Google prioritizes AI search results, some human-created content could see a traffic reduction, although competition for top SERP positions will intensify, benefiting those who secure them.
• It might increase because:
• • Mastery of AI platforms can enhance website optimization strategies, improving ranking capabilities and driving traffic.
  • Investments in high-quality content and optimization for featured snippets could boost traffic by achieving visibility in high-ranking SERP positions.
  • Recent SEO optimizations and revamped strategies could position websites to attract more organic traffic, strengthening their role in the marketing mix.
• And it might stay the same or fluctuate from business to business because:
• • The changing landscape demands harder work for maintaining current traffic levels, requiring strategic shifts from informational to transactional keyword focus.
  • Websites with strong foundational SEO may maintain steady traffic, while those relying on outdated tactics might decline.
  • Traffic fluctuations will be influenced by how platforms like Google manage AI integrations and determine SERP visibility for different content types.

The two golden words: user experience

Ever since Penguin and Panda came along, content became "king", but user experience has grown to be the main currency by which this "kingdom" makes its purchases. We wanted to know what our SEO specialists think of user experience and just how important it is for SEO, going forward.

Their answers did not disappoint. An overwhelming 66.67% of SEOs believe user experience will be extremely important in 2025, and 19.05% believe it will be very important. There's no way to escape it: your target audience should become your main compass (just in case it isn't yet.)

What should you buckle up for next year?

Challenges are part of why search engine optimization is so fun. By the looks of it, 2025 will not let any SEO pro get bored.

The list of things that keep our SEO heroes up at night in 2025 is long, but here's a quick summary:

• Increased competition due to the exponential use of AI for content production
• Merging SEO managers with CRO teams to enhance website experience and boost organic rankings
• Adapting to new trends and rapid AI updates (we are likely to see more of these)
• Balancing AI-generated and traditional content to ensure quality and competitive output
• AI-driven search and zero-click results pose a challenge; optimizing for AI features is crucial
• Keeping pace with updates and conducting quick experiments
• Enhancing E-E-A-T, using structured data, and aligning content with AI-recognized user intent
• Maintaining quality in human-created content against AI-generated alternatives
• Quality link acquisition and adapting digital PR strategies remain challenging
• Pressure from upper management for quick SEO fixes and short-term wins
• Building brands over keywords and requesting budgets for new content formats
• Expanding content production supply chain slows processes
• Innovating content with proprietary data and insights
• Managing expectations and KPIs in a changing landscape with non-traditional metrics
• Expanding skill sets and differentiating AI-only from AI-assisted content
• Avoiding over-reliance on AI without a foundational skillset
• Sticking to long-term strategies amidst evolving AI communication and practices

What ranking factors will become more important next year?

Up to the big leak this year, Google has always been pretty secretive about its ranking factors. But with AI crashing the SEO party and shifting user behaviors, some ranking factors will likely become more important than others.

Here's what our SEO specialists think of this:

• Video content recognition could significantly influence ranking factors.
• Click behavior and whether users return to search after clicking are important.
• Algorithms may adjust to improve second searches, deprioritizing ineffective sites.
• User engagement, time spent on page, and bounce rates will become more critical.
• Technical factors like website health, bounce rates, and E-E-A-T are key.
• User Experience (UX) and Core Web Vitals will gain importance for rankings. Positive user experience signals, including page speed, will be even more crucial.
• Enhanced E-A-T is vital for credibility and high ranking.
• Align content with AI and semantic searches for better contextual relevance.
• It will be more important structured data and schema markup for richer search results.
• Original, high-quality content remains essential. Optimally personalized and innovative content will drive SEO success.

What SEO tools will play a role in 2025 strategies?

AI here, AI there -- but we all know search engine optimization is about a lot more than "just" AI. We wanted to see what our experts want to use in 2025 to build, support, and enhance their SEO strategies. Most of these names were not a surprise -- they've been making it to the top of preferences for years now.

Some, however (like design tools, for example), felt more like newcomers to the SEO world -- showing, once again, how the SEO skillset is expanding, and how AI is increasingly intertwined with our work.

Here's the top 16 list of SEO tools that will shape the next year, in no specific order

• Screaming Frog
• SurferSEO
• Semrush
• Ahrefs
• Jasper (and other AI tools)
• Infographic generators
• Topic trend analysis tools
• Google Lighthouse
• MarketMuse
• Canva
• Surfer SEO
• GSC (Google Search Console)
• GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
• Data Studio
• SEOclarity
• SEOMonitor
• Ziptie

Money talks: will budgets be cut in 2025?

Talking money might not be the most comfortable thing in the world, but with some SEO teams getting smaller and budgets (seemingly) getting tighter, budget became a crucial question we wanted to ask our SEO pros about.

After the storms of the last couple of years, our respondents were quite optimistic about the landscape. Almost half (47.62%) think budgets will increase in 2025, 42.86% think they'll stay the same, and only 9.52% think budgets will drop.

Where do you go, SEO?

Fortune telling may not be one of our strengths, but educated guesses are the next best thing. Our search engine optimization specialists think AI may have shaken the world of digital marketing -- but no SEO funeral seems to be in the prediction charts.

On the contrary. Every SEO person we've spoken with maintains the same kind of resilience that got us all through Penguin, Panda, Mobilggedon, and other similar "ends of the world". It's a game of adapting to the new rules, not dropping the ball. It's all about staying creative, and -- most importantly -- making sure you have solid foundations.

If one thing is certain about the future of SEO, it's that there will always be challenges and changes to keep us on our toes. But no hope is lost: 2024 was a year of learnings, and, based on all the discussions we've been having, 2025 will be a year of solidifying and applying all of these (new) lessons.

Looking for SEO experts to help you navigate next year and stay on the good side of the tide? Contact Mayple and we'll match you with the best SEO specialist or SEO agency for your specific needs, all in a matter of days.