SEO in 2024 was nothing short of a rollercoaster — full of twists, turns, and an occasional heart-pounding drop. From AI-fueled breakthroughs to unavoidable Google Updates, the past year saw its fair share of triumphs and flops. As we hurtle towards 2025, the burning question remains: what worked, what flopped, and what’s coming next?
To answer that, we went straight to the experts. We asked 15+ SEO pros for their thoughts on 2024’s biggest trends, what to expect in 2025, and their top tips for dominating the SERPs in the year ahead.
Here’s what they had to say.
If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that the best SEO strategies blend cutting-edge tech with a dash of good old-fashioned human insight. Some trends skyrocketed to success, capturing the hearts (and clicks) of searchers worldwide.
![SEO trends 2024 that worked]()
Some experts noted the role of AI this year, especially in content optimization. As AI-powered tools became more integrated into SEO practices, they helped align content with user intent and relevance. AI allowed for scalability, but experts emphasized that authenticity remained critical:
The most successful trend of 2024 was AI-powered content optimization, particularly using tools that enhanced relevance and user intent alignment. By combining machine learning insights with high-quality human editing, brands achieved both scalability and authenticity. For instance, websites that adopted EEAT principles highlighting expertise and trustworthiness saw significant ranking improvements. As I always say, 'AI accelerates success, but genuine value earns loyalty.'
2024 was the year we saw the rise of AI, ChatGPT and AI-driven search results in SEO. However, those who continued to focus on creating quality content, with information that users were looking for, continued to be successful. Focusing on optimizing the user experience - both through the website optimizations and through content, is what drove success in 2024. Additionally, refreshing old content and focusing on user signals was a big win in 2024.
Another recurring theme was the prioritization of user experience and aligning with search intent. SEO experts emphasized that search engines are rewarding websites that offer smooth, relevant, and engaging user experiences:
The most successful SEO trends of 2024 were prioritizing UX and aligning with search intent. Enhancing UX with faster load times and mobile-first design kept users engaged, while focusing on intent ensured content relevance. These strategies worked because search engines reward sites that meet user needs and offer seamless experiences.
I would say the drive towards user experience and the highest possible content has been very effective for us in 2024. We have focused on better website design, user experience and core web vitals - or speed. Additionally, we have been integrating AI tools into content ideation to speed up the human creation of content - which has also been a game changer for us.
Several experts pointed to the growing success of content clusters, emphasizing that grouping related content under a single pillar page worked well with Google’s ranking algorithms. Additionally, investing in digital PR and brand authority was a key strategy:
The biggest SEO win of 2024? Content clusters dominated. Sites that grouped related content under a single pillar page crushed it because they aligned perfectly with how Google ranks authority. Instead of scattered posts, the winning strategy was creating ecosystems of value that kept users engaged and boosted rankings across entire topic groups.
Backlinks are still the most successful strategy for SEO. Google has no other way of checking the popularity of a website in a way that is not biased. Only backlinks can provide this score.
In 2024, SEOs who remained focused on E-E-A-T reaped the benefits, both from users and search engines. With AI rapidly entering mainstream usage, many users are still wary of its outputs, placing even greater value on content with clear authorship and E-E-A-T. SEOs who use tactics like author profiles, lists of sources, and schema markup successfully leveraged this strategy in a way that could easily be understood by search engines.
Some experts pointed to the rise of Parasite SEO, a strategy that capitalized on high-authority websites to rank content quickly. Meanwhile, AI-driven search results were reshaping SEO, though traditional content creation remained vital:
One notable SEO trend in 2024 is Parasite SEO. It worked because it takes advantage of high-authority websites to rank content quickly, aligning with Google's preference for trusted domains.
2024 wasn’t about chasing clicks—it was about building content ecosystems that act like black holes. The smartest brands didn’t just publish great articles; they created hubs (tools, videos, guides, and resources) all designed to keep users circling back. That works because Google rewarded time spent and deeper engagement, not fleeting clicks. If people landed, explored, and saved your site for later, you won.
Digital PR remained an essential element in SEO success in 2024. Experts recommended focusing on high-quality link building, especially through trusted publications, as part of a broader strategy to establish brand authority:
In a year that saw many changes for the world of SEO, the importance of digital PR continued to grow. There are three reasons why digital PR is becoming more important than ever. Firstly, it’s the most effective way to gain high-value links to a site. Secondly, unlike most paid links, earned links often drive at least some referral traffic. And thirdly, the most effective digital PR campaigns generate brand awareness, having a positive cumulative impact on brand perception and branded searches.
Digital PR and focusing on really establishing brand authority via choosing the ‘best’ types of publications to work with specific to your industry, and having a strict vetting process when it comes to obtaining backlinks. I feel like this is going to only increase as a priority from the link building side of things due to so many publisher sites being affected by the HCU, so where do website owners go to get a real authority transfer from a link building perspective? National press and quality industry publications via digital PR and journalist outreach!
Psss. Just reminding you that Collaborator can be your trusted guide to getting quality backlinks in the world of Digital PR 😉 Check out our catalog now.
Finally, some experts shared their insights into optimizing for voice search and the importance of content pruning. These efforts were seen as crucial in maintaining SEO success as algorithms evolve:
Voice search optimization ensures your website and online content are easily discoverable when people use voice-enabled devices like Alexa, Siri, Bixby, or Google Assistant to ask questions. This is important because more and more users search for businesses and services using conversational queries rather than typing.
Content pruning. Google is scrutinizing index quality as the web grows, and if you trim the fat for them, there seems to be a reward.
From hyper-personalized content to AI-powered keyword clustering, the common thread here? Strategies that prioritize the user. At the end of the day, algorithms may evolve, but the need to cater to real human intent never goes out of style.
Every year has its fair share of SEO fails, and 2024 was no exception. Sometimes it’s outdated tactics. Sometimes it’s shiny new tools that overpromise and underdeliver. So, what flopped in 2024? Our experts spilled the tea.
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Some experts noted the role of AI this year, but pointed out that relying solely on AI-generated content without human oversight quickly proved to be ineffective. As one expert shared:
One ineffective approach in 2024 was over-reliance on AI-generated content without proper human oversight. The main reason was that search engines prioritized authenticity and quality, penalizing content that lacked depth or appeared overly automated.
Others expanded on the challenges of using AI content, emphasizing the lack of nuance and originality in raw outputs:
Raw ChatGPT output. ChatGPT on its own is of very poor quality. Needs several rounds of human editing.
Similarly, experts observed that AI content often lacked depth, a crucial factor for ranking high on search engines:
Just have AI write it—it’s efficient! Yeah, about that: Google isn’t stupid. I saw brands crank out AI blogs in bulk, and their rankings tanked. Why? AI creates content that’s safe, generic, and forgettable. It lacks nuance, voice, and originality.
The consensus was clear: AI can be a helpful tool in content creation, but without human oversight, it often falls short of the quality required by search engines.
Another trend that fell out of favor was over-optimization in SEO, especially aggressive tactics designed to game the system. Experts pointed out that such strategies — focused on churning out vast amounts of content or excessively tweaking on-page factors — were heavily penalized in 2024.
One of the least effective strategies in 2024 has been SEO over-optimization, also known as aggressive SEO. This method often entails generating vast quantities of content primarily to capture search volume, rather than to provide real value.
More-so than ever before — creating content just for the sake of creating content was heavily penalized in 2024. I believe that trend will continue into 2025.
The message here is clear: SEO strategies based solely on quantity over quality are no longer effective, and Google has become more adept at detecting and penalizing these tactics.
A tactic that has seen a significant decline in effectiveness is guest posting in bulk. Many experts highlighted how Google's algorithm has evolved to prioritize high-quality, authoritative backlinks over sheer quantity.
I would say that guest posting by quantity no longer works. As the ever-changing world of SEO took place, Google ended up being better and much less distracted, focusing a lot more on the top quality, not the amount of links or guest posts.
This shift towards valuing authority and relevance over volume has reshaped the way guest posting is approached. Instead of focusing on link accumulation, SEOs are now emphasizing the importance of building relationships and earning quality backlinks within specific niches.
Many experts observed that while creating large amounts of content was once considered a safe bet, it was no longer effective in 2024. Google’s algorithms have evolved to better detect low-quality content, especially when it’s churned out in bulk or lacks a personal touch.
Content at scale, the quality was not there and the search engines have evolved to better detect it.
Automated, low-quality AI content without a clear audience focus failed to perform. Google's updates penalized content that lacked originality or depth, proving that shortcuts rarely lead to sustainable results.
The ROI on creating new blog content radically dropped in 2024. The fallout of Google’s Helpful Content Update meant that it was increasingly difficult to rank new informational content.
The verdict? Tactics that try to game the system rather than embrace it are officially out. Google’s smarter, users are savvier, and cutting corners in SEO is a shortcut to irrelevance. Lesson learned.
Looking ahead, the SEO crystal ball is glowing with possibilities. AI, voice search, content experiences — oh my! We asked the pros what they think will take center stage in 2025, and the results didn’t disappoint.
![Top SEO trends for 2025]()
Several experts highlighted the increasing role of AI in shaping SEO strategies for 2025. Many believe AI tools will continue to evolve and become crucial in driving SEO efficiencies.
Content writing and editing with AI tools will work very well in 2025. SEOs will save tons of time while being able to deliver high-quality posts.
Leveraging AI for better SEO efficiencies, particularly when it comes to big data insights & breakdowns.
Next year, it will be very interesting to see what happens. AI will change the SEO landscape even more when more people start to use OpenAI's and Perplexity's search platforms.
I expect to see both AI Overviews and in-platform AI searches as major trends in 2025. As the public becomes more comfortable with AI and begins using it as a search engine, SEOs will need to optimize their content to ensure it appears.
For 2025, hyper-personalization will be huge. SEO is shifting to match user intent more closely with localized, niche, and intent-driven content. AI tools will help, but it’ll be about using them smartly, not lazily.
The consensus is that AI-driven tools will play an even larger role, from assisting in content creation to influencing search behaviors and ranking systems. As AI platforms like OpenAI become more integrated into search, SEO professionals will need to adapt, balancing automation with authentic, human-centric content.
Read also: Key Factors for Ranking in SearchGPT
While AI's role is growing, experts also underscored that high-quality content and trustworthiness remain central to SEO success. The E-E-A-T guidelines — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — will become even more critical.
I believe that parasite SEO will become even bigger in 2025. Google just can't deal with it algorithmically which means more and more people will abuse the system. Another thing which will be big in 2025 is high-quality content. Content that reflects genuine expertise and unique perspectives will be prioritized.
Similar to 2024, focusing on quality content and on the user experience will continue to be a priority for 2025.
Video content is continuing to dominate online engagement... Optimizing for YouTube SEO will be more important than ever. In 2025, businesses will need to focus on creating high-quality video content that's not only engaging but also properly optimized with relevant keywords, titles, tags, and descriptions.
The top area of focus for 2025 for me is to keep an eye on the adoption of AI-based searches like SearchGPT. TOFU content in particular is impacted and requires us to rethink about the value add we want our blog content to have.
The message is clear: even with technological advancements, content that demonstrates true expertise and offers value to the user is essential for ranking. Whether through written articles, videos, or other formats, ensuring the content is both authentic and optimized for user intent will remain a cornerstone of SEO.
The importance of video continues to grow as a central part of SEO, especially with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram becoming powerful sources of traffic.
In 2025, businesses will need to focus on creating high-quality video content that's not only engaging but also properly optimized with relevant keywords, titles, tags, and descriptions.
More AI Overviews. Google said in their Q3 they've reduced the cost of them by 90%, and we know keeping users on the SERP makes them more money. I think we'll see more video-first content as publishers use tools to convert to other mediums.
For 2025, hyper-personalization will be huge. SEO is shifting to match user intent more closely with localized, niche, and intent-driven content. AI tools will help, but it’ll be about using them smartly, not lazily.
Video-first strategies are becoming indispensable for capturing attention and driving engagement. With more people engaging with platforms beyond traditional search engines (like TikTok), businesses must optimize their multimedia content to keep up with these evolving trends.
Many experts believe that as AI search tools like ChatGPT gain popularity, traditional search engines may no longer be the first choice for many users. This shift will demand SEO professionals rethink their strategies.
I don’t think there will be a standout trend. I think content writers and SEOs will learn to embed AI in more productive ways during the content creation process, whether that is in research, brief creation or AI-assisted writing, and tracking performance.
We should expect to see ChatGPT increasingly used as a search engine... With the launch of the chat.com, and ChatGPT’s growing capabilities, the stage is set for the platform’s continued growth, including a potentially significant impact on the SEO landscape.
For me, it's definitely AI search. With the ability to shape search rankings, these algorithms pose both an opportunity and challenge for SEO specialists, who must adjust their tactics in order to continue to be effective.
With more users turning to AI-based search engines like ChatGPT, it’s clear that traditional search engines will face new challenges. SEOs will need to adjust by optimizing for these platforms while staying up-to-date with the evolving search landscape.
SEO is expanding beyond Google, and experts foresee a growing importance in diversifying traffic sources by targeting platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube.
Conversations over queries. People don’t search 'B2B marketing strategy' anymore; they ask, 'What’s the fastest way to get leads for SaaS?'
Our focus for the new year is how to move away from traditional search engine optimisation and include or focus more on AI search but also native search options in multiple platforms such as social media.
Hyper-local SEO will rise with AI's ability to personalize results. Interactive content, such as quizzes or calculators embedded into blogs, will boost dwell time and engagement metrics.
The themes are clear: smarter AI, better integration of video and multimedia, and a stronger focus on authority and trustworthiness. Pro tip: if you’re still sleeping on smart AI assistants, it’s time to wake up.
With great opportunities come great challenges, and 2025 will be no exception. We asked our experts to dish on what’s keeping them up at night as they prepare for the year ahead. Spoiler alert: AI is both a blessing and a curse.
Some experts noted the role of AI in shaping SEO strategies for 2025. AI is increasingly being integrated into search engines, making content creation and user intent analysis more efficient—but it also brings new challenges.
The traffic erosion is a big issue, due to the several changes: AI overviews, snippets, and other noises on Google will probably be enough to satisfy users' search intent without the need to visit a website.
In 2025, securing quality backlinks through guest posts is a major challenge. With AI making content cheap, editors now prefer payment over content trades.
The old-fashioned SEO will not work in 2025 and onwards. SEOs must pivot to invent new strategies to adapt to the new AI-driven landscape.
The rise of conversational and long-tail queries, driven by large language models (LLMs) and AI overviews, will necessitate a shift in SEO strategies.
SEO faces challenges as users rely less on search engines, favoring apps, social platforms, and voice assistants. This reduces traditional metrics like traffic and rankings.
AI brings both opportunities and hurdles. On one hand, AI-generated summaries and snippets can address user needs directly in search results, limiting the need for clicks. On the other hand, SEO specialists will need to adapt by optimizing for AI-driven search results, such as featured snippets, and developing strategies to maintain visibility even when direct user traffic is reduced.
One of the most pressing challenges in 2025 is the ongoing rise of zero-click searches. These are searches where users get the information they need directly in the search results, often without clicking on any websites.
Zero-click searches are a big challenge for SEOs in 2025. SEOs must adapt and optimize their content to appear in these results, even if they do not produce clicks, to maintain visibility.
The biggest challenge? Competing in a zero-click world. It’s great for users, and terrible for old-school SEO strategies.
SERP volatility is going to challenge SEO specialists even more in 2025... SEOs will need to adjust in three main ways: appear in new spaces, diversify traffic sources, and manage internal expectations about changing metrics.
Experts emphasized that adapting to a world where clicks are not always the ultimate metric is critical. SEO specialists must find ways to stay visible in search results, even when their traditional strategies of driving clicks are no longer as effective. This includes optimizing for zero-click results like AI overviews and snippets, and diversifying traffic sources by embracing emerging platforms.
As SEO strategies become increasingly complex, specialists must adapt to new technologies, workflows, and ever-changing algorithms.
The rapid pace of change is most likely the biggest challenge for 2025... SEO specialists will have to be quick to spot trends and modify their strategy.
Being replaced by AI. How to overcome: Learn other fundamental skills like selling, other aspects of marketing and use AI to outsource mundane tasks.
Google will maintain its monopoly, but inroads on other information channels will continue, offering new ways to reach audiences.
The consensus here is clear: the SEO landscape will continue to evolve rapidly, driven by AI and new technologies. SEO specialists must stay flexible and constantly update their strategies to keep pace with changes in user behavior, search algorithms, and emerging tools. In particular, AI workflows will continue to disrupt traditional SEO, so professionals should stay open to learning new skills and adopting AI for efficiency.
Finally, many experts noted the growing tension between content quality and the need for large-scale production. While AI can produce content at scale, the focus on creating valuable, meaningful content remains crucial.
The biggest challenge? Balancing scale and quality. Everyone wants more content, but if it’s not valuable, it’s dead weight.
A key challenge will be managing AI-generated search interfaces, where users rely on summaries rather than visiting websites.
The takeaway? Stay flexible. The SEO world moves fast, and specialists who adapt quickly will always have the upper hand.
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What better way to end than with actionable advice? We asked our panel for their top tips to crush it in 2025. Here’s what they had to say.
Many experts emphasized the growing importance of AI in SEO strategies for 2025. From leveraging AI to understanding its limitations, here’s what they had to say:
Focus on building genuine relationships for link-building, prioritize quality over quantity in backlinks, and stay ahead by optimizing for AI-driven search results like ChatGPT and Google Bard.
Think deeply about creative strategies, leverage AI only to give yourself more time/resources for critical thinking & strategy, and look at how SEO can benefit & help other channels and vice versa. Data is amazing!
There's a drive to focus more on your offering with regards to strategy, as this is a key area that AI has yet to cover. I'll definitely be growing my content strategy offering in 2025. There's also pressure to stay updated and master AI-powered tools to build those strategies for clients, analyse competitors and content gaps, as SEO specialists who do not use these tools will find themselves lagging behind.
Focus on hard/expensive areas to copy in content, i.e. video. Invest the time learning how LLMs work and what jobs they are good at and not so good at, and as always, if you're doing a repetitive task on a computer, you're using the computer wrong.
Burn the blog calendar. One standout and topical piece will outperform 20 generic 'evergreen' ones every time. Structure your content so AI engines pull your answers. Be the A in FAQ. Own your niche. If you can’t outspend the big guys, out-focus them.
While AI is gaining prominence, many experts highlighted the enduring significance of high-quality, user-centric content:
Instead of creating content solely based on keyword research and ranking strategies, focus on what your audience genuinely needs. Build a brand identity around specific topics so that people seek your site directly. Actively participate in forums, social media, and other community platforms to establish credibility and create a loyal audience base.
First, concentrate on the customer experience. With AI on the rise, providing a superior user experience will be key. Generate valuable or interesting content of unique insight or perspective, to attract humans who identify more with human input than machine use.
Forward-thinking SEOs should focus on three things in 2025. The first thing is digital PR. Google is increasingly interested in 'real brands,' so faking it with paid links is going to become less effective. Secondly, SEOs should pay close attention to maximising value for users who land on their site. Content should now be focused more on adding value and creating conversions, rather than simply on including relevant keywords.
Three tips for 2025: Build content ecosystems, use AI to scale workflows (but always add the human touch), and double down on user intent. The game hasn’t changed—it’s just getting more competitive, so depth and focus are your secret weapons.
Several experts stressed the importance of user experience and technical SEO as foundational elements in 2025:
Focus on UXO (user experience optimizations). This can be done with both optimizing your website and optimizing your content. Stay agile and flexible. Experiment, experiment, experiment.
First, I would recommend that SEOs continue to focus on E-E-A-T in 2025 to create trustworthy content that stands out from the crowd. Second, SEOs will need to keep a finger on the pulse of emerging search technologies such as AI-driven search results. Third, don’t forget about user experience and technical SEO in 2025 to make the most of the website traffic you receive.
Spend time getting smarter before doing things, diversify your skills, and focus on crawling and indexing.
Don’t try to take shortcuts when it comes to link building. Focus on context and quality rather than sheer quantity of links. Don’t sleep on your crawl budget. Keep on top of it and make it as easy as possible for search engines to get to where they need to go.
Finally, some experts highlighted the need to harmonize AI with human creativity and insight:
Embrace hybrid creativity: Use AI as a collaborator to enhance your processes, but always inject human insight and originality. Focus on intent-driven content: Dive into your audience's needs and create content that solves their specific problems.
My tips for 2025 success are to balance AI with human creativity, build your topical authority, and regularly audit technical SEO—speed and UX will be paramount.
Improve your personal brand to open new career opportunities. Work on improving both hard/soft skills and complimentary skills to not stress about getting replaced by AI. Work on reverse engineering and seeing how to show up and improve rankings in LLMs.
Consistency, creativity, and curiosity: these are the golden trifecta of 2025 SEO success. Focus on building lasting strategies, experimenting with fresh ideas, and staying ahead of the curve. Because in this game, standing still means falling behind.
![A big thank you to our SEO experts]()
2024 was a year of experimentation, innovation, and (let’s be honest) some trial-and-error. But if there’s one thing our experts agree on, it’s that the future of SEO lies in combining technology with empathy. As we charge into 2025, let’s learn from the past, embrace the future, and keep our eyes firmly on the prize: creating meaningful connections with searchers.
Ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities of 2025? Armed with insights from these top SEO experts, you’re already a step ahead. The rest is up to you.
