9 Biggest SEO Trends of 2025 & How to Leverage Them

In this post, we'll screen 10 hunt motor optimization trends that are happening correct now.

By the extremity of this post, you'll know:

• What's moving successful SEO
• Where SEO is heading
• How to enactment up of your competitors successful hunt results

Let's start.

1. AI-Generated SEO Content Is Gaining Popularity

AI penning tools thief create ample volumes of contented quickly, allowing websites to screen much topics and target much keywords. 

And group are utilizing AI devices now much than ever. 

Our 2024 AI Content Marketing Report for SMBs shows that 50% of marketers usage AI to thief pinch contented writing.

But contented that’s generated solely pinch AI often lacks characteristic and depth. And AI-written articles connected akin topics from you and competitors whitethorn look the same.

This is simply a problem because Google values characteristic and whether your contented is adding thing caller to the conversation.

Without due editing and a concerted effort to see one-of-a-kind insights, AI contented whitethorn autumn short. Which tin impact your search rankings.

How to Leverage This Trend

Generate the first draught of your contented utilizing an AI tool. 

Then, heighten the generated contented pinch existent examples, stories, data, and different unsocial specifications to guarantee the last contented reflects your brand's expertise and value.

This two-step attack helps you create unsocial contented efficiently, while still aligning pinch what Google prioritizes.

Try utilizing ContentShake AI to create drafts that you tin polish. 

After configuring the tool, it will make a database of contented ideas applicable to your brand.

From the ideas page, click "Start writing" connected immoderate thought you like. Or click "My ain idea" if you person a taxable successful mind.

Enter your target keywords, connection count, tone of voice specifications, and readability level. 

Check the container adjacent to "Add an other SEO boost" to automatically optimize your article pinch up-to-date hunt data. Then, cli k "Create article."

Based connected your input, the instrumentality will make a first draught of your article. 

Click "Go to editor" to edit this draft. And see adding:

• Real examples
• Original information from your investigation aliases projects
• Expert insights from your manufacture experience
• Recent lawsuit studies you've worked on
• Customer stories and testimonials
• Industry trends you've observed

Once you’re done editing, you tin people the article straight pinch the WordPress integration aliases nonstop it to Google Docs to stock it pinch your team.

2. Matching Search Intent Is Even More Important

Google values contented that champion matches what users are searching for (their hunt intent), and this inclination is only getting stronger.

Semrush’s ranking factors study confirms matter relevance arsenic the astir important Google ranking facet today. Text relevance intends really good your contented matches what users want to find erstwhile they search.

Meaning your pages request to supply the astir adjuvant accusation for circumstantial queries. And align pinch what the searcher needs.

How to Leverage This Trend

Create contented that matches hunt intent and update aged contented to make judge it still satisfies what users want.

The first measurement is to find the intent down your target keywords. 

You tin do this by analyzing Google hunt results.

For example, erstwhile you hunt for "iphone 16 vs pixel 9," the apical results are each elaborate comparison articles that analyse features and prices. 

This intends users astir apt want a side-by-side comparison to make an informed decision.

But not each hunt results intelligibly show intent. 

For instance, Google shows a operation of results for “best yoga clothes”: awesome retailer merchandise pages and reappraisal articles. 

These mixed results show users mightiness beryllium successful different stages. Some are fresh to bargain straight from trusted brands, others are still researching options done reviews.

For a much definitive measurement to place hunt intent, usage Semrush's Keyword Overview tool. 

Open the tool, participate your keyword (or a database of keywords), and click "Search."

Check the "Intent" widget for 1 aliases much keyword intent types:

• Informational: Users want to study something
• Navigational: Users are looking for a circumstantial website aliases page
• Commercial: Users are doing investigation earlier buying
• Transactional: Users are fresh to return action

Next, create contented that matches the identified intent. 

Study the top-ranking pages to amended understand what format useful best.

And regularly reappraisal and update your existing contented to guarantee it continues to lucifer existent hunt intent.

3. Firsthand Experience and Expertise Holds More Weight

Google added "Experience" to grow its Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) model successful 2022, putting much accent connected an author's acquired knowledge and skills.

The caller model is called E-E-A-T and is utilized by Google’s Search Quality Raters, who measure the value of hunt results. 

This intends your team’s ain expertise tin make your contented much useful and trustworthy to readers—and that’s what Google intends to prioritize.

How to Leverage This Trend

Create content that displays your acquisition and expertise by sharing unsocial insights successful your articles.

It’s a bully thought to create writer pages that item your team’s qualifications and specializations. Like this writer page for 1 of Semrush’s writers:

While bylines don’t straight impact hunt rankings, they grounds characteristics Google ranking systems subordinate pinch useful contented As Google’s Public Liaison for Search Danny Sullivan said successful this post:

You tin besides get experts to reappraisal your contented for added credibility—especially connected Your Money aliases Your Life (YMYL) topics. Like Healthline does here:

4. Alternative Search Engines and Platforms Are More Popular

SEO professionals are expanding their attraction beyond Google to seizure postulation from divers hunt channels. 

This displacement is driven by evolving personification behaviors and the request to mitigate risks from Google algorithm updates.

While Google still leads the hunt market, different platforms are gaining traction.

Bing's hunt market stock has increased successful caller years.

TikTok is besides becoming a go-to hunt platform—with 51% of Gen Z women preferring it complete Google.

Even newer AI-powered hunt options for illustration Perplexity and ChatGPT hunt are starting to pull users. 

This divers hunt marketplace intends you should deliberation beyond Google erstwhile readying your SEO strategy.

How to Leverage This Trend

Here are a fewer tips:

• Focus connected Bing SEO alongside Google. Read our Bing hunt guide for details.
• Stick to the SEO fundamentals of creating high-quality contented and delivering a bully personification experience
• Develop an integrated marketing strategy crossed platforms
• Collaborate pinch your societal media squad to create and optimize contented for societal search
• Monitor your site's capacity crossed aggregate hunt engines to pass SEO decisions
• Stay informed astir the latest SEO trends and user behaviors

SEO professionals are quickly adopting AI tools to streamline their work. 

Semrush’s study reveals that 67% of businesses now usage AI for SEO and contented marketing tasks.

These devices excel astatine processing ample datasets, identifying trends, and providing speedy insights. 

They tin besides assistance pinch on-page and technical SEO analysis, speeding up traditionally time-consuming tasks.

That said, AI useful champion erstwhile mixed pinch quality expertise and strategical thinking. 

How to Leverage This Trend

Test different AI SEO tools that align pinch your needs and find really to incorporated them into your workflows. 

Get started pinch Semrush Copilot, an AI SEO adjunct that analyzes your site's hunt performance. 

It provides actionable recommendations by consolidating information from aggregate Semrush devices and reports. 

Use these insights to amended your hunt rankings and visibility.

Based connected your needs, effort different AI devices like:

• ChatGPT for contented outlining and uncovering on-page optimizations
• LinkStorm for analyzing and improving your soul linking structure
• Market Brew for testing contented capacity crossed different hunt engines

6. Zero-Click Searches Are Changing Search Behavior

SparkToro investigation suggests astir 60% of Google searches now extremity without a click, meaning users nary longer request to sojourn websites to get the accusation they’re looking for.

For example, this featured snippet succinctly answers the mobility connected the results page:

This trend—driven by SERP features for illustration featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI Overviews—presents opportunities arsenic well.

For example:

• Your marque gains vulnerability moreover without clicks
• You tin scope users early successful their hunt journeys
• You tin showcase expertise straight connected the hunt results page

How to Leverage This Trend

You tin look successful SERP features by focusing connected halfway SEO champion practices that are utilized by the ranking algorithm to rank immoderate different hunt result.

Here are a fewer tips to consider:

• Create concise, informative contented that straight answers communal questions
• Structure contented pinch clear headings and short paragraphs
• Use schema markup (markup that provides much accusation astir your content) to thief hunt engines understand your pages
• Improve your content's readability for users and hunt engines

Then, usage the Keyword Magic Tool to place keywords wherever SERP features appear. And attraction your efforts connected optimizing for those opportunities.

Open the tool, participate a seed building (a wide word related to your niche), prime a location, and participate “Search.”

You’ll spot a database of keyword ideas. And the “SERP Features” file shows which SERP features the keywords trigger.

Visit the results pages for these position to amended understand what’s showing.

Then, optimize your contented specifically for the SERP features you spot (like creating a bulleted database for a featured snippet that lists steps). To summation your chances of appearing successful SERP features.

Further reading: What Are Zero-Click Searches & How Do They Impact SEO?

7. User Experience Is Essential for Sustainable Organic Growth

Google emphasizes the value of personification experience—and we besides cognize from the 2023 antitrust proceedings and leaked documents that personification relationship signals effect rankings.

Much of this has to do pinch page experience, which includes factors for illustration mobile-friendliness, security, and easiness of navigation.

Google uses a group of metrics called the Core Web Vitals to measure really user-friendly your tract is.

These metrics see the following:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How quickly the main contented loads
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How accelerated the page responds to personification input
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How unchangeable the page layout is while loading

How to Leverage This Trend

Create a user-friendly website by optimizing cardinal elements that effect personification experience, specified arsenic page velocity and navigation.

Start by implementing these champion practices:

• Optimize your page speed by compressing images, removing unused plugins, and minimizing JavaScript and CSS files
• Choose mobile-responsive themes from your platform's room (WordPress, Shopify, aliases similar)
• Keep your main paper logical and organized 
• Avoid pop-ups. If needed, usage only 1 subtle and easy dismissable pop-up per page for basal messages.
• Set your assemblage matter to communal web fonts successful ample capable sizes for easy reading
• Contact your hosting supplier to group up SSL certification and alteration HTTPS for unafraid browsing

Next, cheque if your changes are working. 

Use Semrush's Site Audit instrumentality for this..

Open the tool, participate your domain, and click "Start Audit."

Complete the configuration steps and tally your audit. 

Then, l astatine the "Core Web Vitals" conception nether "Thematic Reports." And click "View details."

Review your pages' statuses and humanities performance. 

Check the "Top Improvements" tips for and activity to instrumentality them (you whitethorn request to inquire a developer for help).

8. Hyper-Focused Keyword Research Is Key for Niche Markets

Keyword research that’s much focused connected long-tail hunt phrases pinch clearer hunt intents are moreover much important for brands pinch smaller aliases newer websites.

In fact, 10- to-15-word keywords get 1.76x much clicks than single-word terms.

These phrases besides thin to beryllium easier to rank for. Because less websites target them. 

And since they're much circumstantial (like "best fund gaming laptop nether 800" vs. conscionable "laptop"), they pull users who mostly cognize what they want.

By targeting highly circumstantial hunt terms, you tin execute higher rankings and scope users who are much apt to convert.

How to Leverage This Trend

Optimize your contented pinch much circumstantial keywords that lucifer precisely what your target assemblage is searching for. 

Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find these keywords. 

When moving your search, adhd your domain to the "AI-powered feature" section to spot your Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score. Which shows really difficult it will beryllium for your nonstop domain to rank good for that keyword. 

Then, click connected the “Personal KD %” filter, participate “29” successful the “To” field, and click “Apply” to spot keywords that are easy for your tract to rank highly for.

Many of these will beryllium long-tail keywords.

Review the database and prime keywords that are particularly applicable to your niche.

Create a content calendar astir them. And create in-depth contented that addresses personification intent for each term.

9. Local SEO Isn’t Just Google Business Profile Optimization

Local hunt results are becoming richer and much divers acknowledgment to features for illustration section packs, knowledge panels, and image carousels—and appearing successful those varied places is important for success.

This intends your local SEO strategy must spell beyond creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP).

You request to build a broad online beingness that establishes your business arsenic a trusted, charismatic entity.

Factors for illustration reviews, online mentions, and system information tin importantly power your section hunt visibility.

How to Leverage This Trend

Focus connected building your business's estimation and visibility crossed your section organization to amended section hunt rankings.

First, usage Semrush's Listing Management instrumentality to guarantee your name, address, and telephone number (NAP) accusation is accordant crossed directories.

After you motion up for a plan, spell to the "Listings" tab to spot your NAP accusation crossed directories. The instrumentality will item inconsistent accusation that you should fix.

Then, attraction connected customer feedback. Ask customers to time off reviews connected Google, Yelp, and different platforms wherever section prospects look for businesses for illustration yours. 

And respond to each feedback promptly to show you worth customer input. 

Use Semrush's Review Management to negociate reviews crossed aggregate platforms. 

Open the instrumentality and participate your business name. Select the correct business from the drop-down paper that appears and click the hunt icon.

Once the instrumentality is group up, look astatine your reviews.

You tin moreover usage AI to make responses to Google reviews. And group up automatic replies.

Next, make your website a section assets hub pinch contented specifically for your section audience. 

You tin do this by:

• Adding location-specific pages to your website pinch unsocial section insights
• Sharing occurrence stories featuring section customers
• Providing accusation astir your vicinity and community

Check retired Semrush’s free section SEO course that teaches champion practices for attracting section customers.

Adapt to the Latest SEO Trends

SEO trends will proceed to evolve—and immoderate of the ones we mentioned successful this article will go much prominent. 

But the fundamentals will stay the same:

• Publish adjuvant contented applicable to your audience
• Deliver an fantabulous personification experience

Semrush offers SEO devices to thief you do both.

Start your free trial today.