AI SEO in 2025 (part1 of 3)

Key Takeaways:

Traditional SEO strategies are rapidly losing effectiveness as AI reshapes how people search for and consume information
The distinction between optimizing for search engines and optimizing for AI is becoming a critical factor in digital marketing success
Companies that adapt their SEO strategies for both traditional search and AI platforms are seeing significantly better results than those focused solely on Google rankings

[Affiliate Disclosure: Most links in this article are affiliate links. Clicking them supports my work at no extra cost to you—so, thanks for clicking around like an organ grinder on Adderall!]

A large company in Dubai contacted me a few weeks ago. They had questions about how to leverage AI in their SEO strategy. I was surprised—after all, I consider myself more of an AI writer than an SEO expert. Within days, two other small business owners reached out with similar questions. It got me intrigued. Why does it suddenly seem like so many SEO specialists are now in over their heads? Not knowing much about the topic, these inquiries sparked my curiosity. After diving deep into research and consulting various sources, I have learned a lot about the state of SEO in 2025 and the answers will surprise you because they sure surprised me.

This series of three articles aims to unpack the complex relationship between AI and SEO in 2025. I'll explore why traditional SEO strategies are becoming less effective, examine how AI is transforming search behavior, and investigate what this means for businesses trying to maintain their digital visibility. Most importantly, I'll look at practical strategies companies can implement to adapt to this evolving landscape. The goal isn't just to understand the problem – it's to find actionable solutions that work in today's AI-driven world.

In this first article, I'll examine the scope of traditional SEO's decline and why it's happening. Using real case studies and market research, I'll demonstrate how AI has fundamentally altered the way people find information online. The data reveals some surprising trends that every business owner and marketer needs to understand. While some might find these changes concerning, I believe they present new opportunities for businesses willing to adapt.

In the age of super productivity, Notion helps organize anything and everything.

The State of SEO in 2025

This transformation in traditional SEO (google) stems from two distinct forces: Google's algorithmic changes and evolving user behavior. While AI is reshaping how people search, many of the traffic drops we're seeing result directly from Google's manual penalties and core updates targeting low-quality content. Understanding this distinction is crucial - businesses must address both evolving algorithms and changing user expectations to succeed. Additionally, search engine optimization is undergoing its most significant transformation since Google's Penguin update. According to BrightEdge's 2024 Channel Report, a significant shift in user behavior is expected, with predictions suggesting that AI-assisted search could become the starting point for the majority of online experiences. It’s also important to add that AI has had an incredible impact on both ends of the SEO spectrum. On the one hand, more and more people are using AI to begin their online journey. This is changing the nature of SEO because the way that people use the internet has already been shifted by AI. On the other hand, so much low quality AI content has flooded every corner of the internet, Google has had to take clear and definitive steps to suppress this tidal wave of garbage. These two trends together represent a “soft-reset” of the internet in 2025.

To understand the scope of this change, I analyzed several comprehensive studies of search traffic patterns. The evidence of this shift is particularly clear in Ahrefs' recent analysis of 1,600 SaaS companies, which compared organic traffic data between August 2023 and August 2024. The findings revealed dramatic changes across multiple sectors.

While these case studies highlight significant traffic losses, they represent companies that failed to adapt to Google's quality guidelines rather than typical SEO performance. They serve as cautionary tales of what can happen when businesses prioritize content volume over quality and authentic expertise. The key lesson isn't that SEO is dying, but rather that old shortcuts and volume-based strategies no longer work.

• Causal, a finance platform for startups, experienced a 99.52% decline in their estimated organic traffic, dropping from 307,158 monthly visitors to just 1,485. This decline coincided with Google's manual penalty for AI-generated content.

• Forbes, a major digital publisher, saw significant visibility drops across multiple content categories after Google's November 2024 Site Reputation Abuse update, particularly affecting their /advisor/, /health/, and /home-improvement/ sections. This surprised me. If a major publisher like Forbes can be penalized for using too much AI, what hope do other small or independent publishers have?

• BetterCloud, a SaaS spend management platform, lost 94.14% of their estimated organic traffic following Google's November Core Update, declining from 42,468 to 2,489 monthly visitors.

• In the travel sector, established platforms like Hotels.com and Kayak.com saw declines of 28% and 35.5% respectively in their organic traffic, based on comparative data from the same study.

Custom AI agents. It's like an army of bots that work just for you!

Changing Patterns in Content and Traffic

The transformation extends beyond mere traffic numbers. Search Engine Land's analysis of recent Google updates reveals three distinct shifts in how content performs in search:

First, there's been a documented change in content effectiveness. Traditional review articles are losing ground to user-generated content, particularly on platforms like Reddit. Search Engine Land's analysis of SERPs shows this shift clearly - for example, Reddit discussions have taken top positions for commercial intent keywords like "best moisturizer," displacing traditional review sites that previously dominated these searches.

Second, the economics of search traffic are changing. According to HigherVisibility's 2024 ROI analysis, businesses report returns ranging from $2.75 to $12.30 for every dollar spent on SEO, averaging around $5.50. This compares favorably to paid search advertising's average return of $2 per dollar spent, though SEO typically requires a longer timeline to achieve results.

The New User Journey

Moz's recent search behavior study reveals significant changes in how users interact with search results: approximately 18% of Google queries result in users modifying their search terms without clicking any results, while 21% lead to multiple result clicks as users search for comprehensive information.

Voice search has become increasingly important, though exact usage statistics vary widely between studies. What's clear from the data is that voice search results overwhelmingly favor featured snippets and direct answers, with Google's own data showing that over 70% of voice search results come from SERP features like Featured Snippets and People Also Ask sections.

The evidence points to a clear conclusion: traditional SEO isn't just becoming less effective - it's being fundamentally reshaped by changes in both technology and user behavior. This transformation isn't just affecting small players; even industry giants are struggling to maintain their search visibility using conventional methods.

Looking Ahead: Google Search in 2025

Based on current trends and expert analysis, several key changes are reshaping traditional SEO. Here's what businesses should expect:

Growing in Importance: User experience has become paramount, with 66.67% of SEO experts rating it as extremely important for 2025. This means focusing on how real people interact with your content, not just how search engines see it.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) will be even more crucial. Google's recent updates show a clear preference for content that demonstrates first-hand experience and genuine expertise. For businesses, this means showcasing real customer stories, case studies, and expert insights rather than generic, AI-generated content.

Technical SEO fundamentals remain vital. Data shows that 88% of websites still have basic technical issues like improper HTTP to HTTPS redirects, and 95.2% have problems with redirect chains. Getting these basics right will continue to matter.

The best FREE AI Image Generator out there!

Declining in Effectiveness: Several traditional SEO practices are showing diminishing returns:

Keyword-focused content strategies: Simply targeting high-volume keywords is no longer enough. Instead, develop comprehensive topic clusters that address user intent. For example, rather than creating multiple articles targeting variations of "best moisturizer," develop in-depth content that covers the entire skincare journey, including personal experiences and expert insights.
Mass-produced short-form blog posts: While quick, 500-word articles are losing effectiveness, long-form, well-researched content (2000+ words) continues to perform well. The Causal case study shows how 1,800 AI-generated short articles led to a Google penalty, while companies producing fewer but more comprehensive pieces maintained their rankings.
Programmatic SEO: The data from Datanyze's case study shows how automatically generating thousands of similar pages (like individual profile pages for every company in their database) led to a 95.46% traffic loss. However, programmatic SEO can still work if each page provides unique value and meets user intent.
Generic affiliate content: Review sites lost significant traffic in 2024 when they couldn't demonstrate hands-on experience. For example, traditional "10 Best Products" lists are being outranked by Reddit discussions and expert reviews. Successful affiliate content now requires personal testing, unique insights, and clear evidence of actual product use.
Review content without expertise: Google's E-E-A-T guidelines strongly favor reviews from verified users or acknowledged experts. The success of user-generated content on platforms like Reddit shows that authenticity matters more than polished presentation.
Traditional link building: Guest posting for links alone is losing effectiveness. However, digital PR and creating linkable assets (like original research, surveys, or unique data) continue to drive valuable backlinks. It's important to note that while these practices are declining in effectiveness, the core principles behind them - like quality content and authentic expertise - remain valuable. The key is evolving these strategies to meet current standards rather than abandoning them entirely. For example, while mass-produced content is problematic, well-researched, comprehensive content continues to perform well.

Learnworlds is the best learning platform in the world - by far. So if you teach anything from Affiliate Marketing to Yoga, Learnworlds is the platform you'll use.

What to Stop Doing: Based on the evidence, businesses should reconsider these practices:

Investment in high-volume, low-quality content: Stop producing daily blog posts just to maintain a posting schedule. Instead, invest in fewer, higher-quality pieces that demonstrate expertise and original research. The BetterCloud case study shows how thin content in their /academy section led to significant traffic losses.
Excessive focus on keyword density: While keywords remain important, obsessing over exact match usage and density is outdated. Focus instead on natural language optimization and comprehensive topic coverage. Data shows pages with natural keyword usage outperform those with artificial keyword stuffing.
Meta keywords and basic meta descriptions: Meta keywords are completely ignored by Google, and generic meta descriptions don't impact rankings. However, compelling meta descriptions can improve click-through rates, so focus on writing them for humans, not search engines.
Automated content generation without editing: The Forbes case study shows how even major publishers suffered when relying too heavily on AI-generated content. If using AI, ensure substantial human editing and enhancement with original insights, data, or expertise.
Thin affiliate pages: Simply aggregating products with basic descriptions no longer works. The data shows successful affiliate sites now include detailed comparison tables, original photography, video reviews, and documented testing procedures. For example, sites reviewing software should include screenshots of actual use, not just feature lists.

Paperpal. In the age of AI hallucinations, Paperpal sees through the illusions.

Coming soon:

In the next article, I'll explore how AI is transforming SEO, including the rise of AI search engines, how they work, what they’re looking for, and their impact on traffic patterns. The final piece will provide actionable strategies for businesses to adapt to this new landscape, including specific techniques for optimizing content for both traditional search engines and AI platforms.