Key Changes to SEO That Business Owners Should Know for 2025

By Corey Hinde

The world of SEO (Ranking higher on Google) is always evolving. 
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What worked yesterday might not be effective tomorrow. If you've been in business a while you’ll be used to the rules of the game constantly changing!

Some things will always be true in SEO - your website needs to be fast and well built, your content needs to be on point, and the Google machine loves backlinks to your website.  

But change is always part of the SEO landscape.

In 2025, businesses need to adapt to stay ahead of the curve. 

Here are some key changes that business owners should be aware of:  

AI's Growing Influence

• Google is increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to understand user intent and deliver the best search results.  This isn’t necessarily brand new, Google has been at the forefront of AI for a long time.

• This means focusing on high-quality content that provides real value to users.  Spend time understanding your clients problems, and create valuable content that they’ll use and even share.  

• AI can also help with keyword research, content creation, and identifying areas for improvement.   Simply using a tool like ChatGPT for ideas generation might be just the push you need in 2025!
  
  

The Rise of Conversational Search

• With the increasing popularity of voice search, businesses need to optimize for long-tail keywords and conversational queries.  Your content may well be similar to what it was before, just be aware that more people are using voice search than ever before, so understanding your ideal clients is important.

• Consider how people might naturally speak when searching for your products or services.  

• Use natural language in your website content and optimize for voice search assistants.

​E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) Remains Paramount

• Google prioritizes content that is created by experts and is deemed trustworthy and authoritative.  You can show Google your credentials by being active on social media, and sticking to your niche. 

• Focus on building brand authority through high-quality content, strong backlinks, and positive online reviews. 
  
  

User Experience is King

• A positive user experience is crucial for both user satisfaction and search engine rankings, meaning - this content gave the person searching, what they wanted.   

• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate. Do you have software installed to watch website visits? Can you survey more clients and prospects to learn how they use your website? 

• Focus on providing valuable and engaging content that keeps users on your site.  Checklists, tools, surveys, calculators - think broadly about things your clients need or want or would spend time using.  

• ​A good example is Budget Car Sales in Auckland - they have buying guides, calculators, plenty of images and video, all on their website.  Keen car buyers could easily spend an hour on their website. 

Video Content Reigns Supreme

• Video content is becoming increasingly important, both for user engagement and search engine rankings.  

• Consider creating videos for your website, YouTube channel, and social media platforms.

• Optimize your videos with relevant keywords and engaging titles and descriptions.  

Local SEO Continues to Evolve

• Google My Business (Google Business Profile) remains crucial for local businesses.  For many business niches, the Google Business Profile ranking is more important than the website ranking. 

• Focus on building citations, encouraging customer reviews, and optimizing your Google My Business profile.  

• Stay up-to-date with the latest Google My Business updates and features.

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on user intent: Create content that truly addresses the needs and questions of your target audience.  

• Prioritize quality over quantity: Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that provides real value to users.  

• Embrace new technologies: Leverage AI tools and stay updated on the latest SEO trends.  

• Build strong relationships: Build relationships with other websites and influencers in your industry to earn high-quality backlinks.  Google’s algorithm (who gets ranked where), is still highly dependent on backlinks. 

• Continuously monitor and adapt: Regularly review your SEO performance and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.  
  
  

By staying aware of these key changes and adapting your SEO strategy, you can ensure your business remains competitive in 2025.  

Don’t forget the main 3 broad areas of SEO at all times:

• Technical (speed etc)
• Backlinks to your site
• Quality content.

Remember - SEO is important, but not fast.  Google Ads (paid traffic) is also important, and faster.  For ideal results, you’ll be looking at both of these, all of the time.

Good luck with your business and feel free to reach out for some help!

If you allocate some time each month to reviewing these 3 areas, you’ll be doing better than most of your opposition, who simply do not do those things.