As we head into 2025, the entire structure of the internet and how we interact with it is up in the air. Social media, a famously adaptive part of the internet, appears far more set in stone than SEO.
The integration of AI into search algorithms and search results has fundamentally altered how content is ranked. A strong focus on user experience and engagement will always be important, but many question if it’s becoming less so because of the way that content is now being referred to in AI SERP answers - and earning a place on that reference is more about trustworthiness. This can be seen in the emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).
The shift towards semantic search and user intent is also more prominent, with search engines now prioritizing comprehensive topic coverage over simple keyword matching.
November 2024 Core Update
Google's November 2024 core update, launched on November 11, is currently still being rolled out. The update is expected to take approximately two weeks to mature and is said to aim to enhance search result quality by promoting genuinely useful content (which is often cited) while reducing visibility of content created solely for search engine rankings.
Early observations indicate mixed results, with some websites experiencing ranking decreases while others report no significant changes. The volatility tracking tools currently show normal levels of fluctuation, though this may change as the rollout progresses.
Google has emphasized that this is a typical core update without specific new features or changes. For websites negatively impacted, Google maintains its standard advice: focus on creating high-quality, user-focused content rather than attempting specific technical fixes.
Notably, Google has indicated that sites affected by the September 2023 helpful content update should not expect significant recoveries with this update.
Modern Link Building Tactics
Link building strategies have only gotten more important with E-E-A-T, as authority is becoming king. Digital PR is becoming a big part of acquiring high-quality backlinks. While guest posting remains popular, it’s clear that the rising costs and administrative challenges have only grown the demand for SEO services. This is ultimately the best way to ensure your strategy is relevant, because the industry is changing more rapidly than in the 2010s, when we could all become SEO experts on the side.
AI-Driven Search Optimization
Many believe that the introduction of AI is mostly impacting the content itself. While true, Google doesn’t appear to be too alarmed at this (or concedes it as inevitable), which is why they focused on E-E-A-T instead.
However, the use of AI within search optimization is still profound, because it can be used to optimize and rank. For example, it’s not just LLMs generating articles, but LLMs that are tuned in for SEO optimization, as well as LLMs helping create broader strategies like link building and content structuring and tagging. It’s also easier for non-technical website owners and marketers to manipulate large lists of keywords and their metrics, having AI analyse it for them. The result is simply fiercer competition.
However, this streamlined and quant-centric approach itself is being combated not only by E-E-A-T, but the ability for Google’s algorithm to better understand user intent. Although this was always the goal of modern SEO to a degree, it’s less about keywords and more about general intent. In a sense, it’s becoming less mathematical for marketers.
E-E-A-T and Content Strategy
E-E-A-T has become fundamental ranking signals. Content depth remains a significant factor here, with top-ranking pages often averaging around 1,500 words (very quickly, length does not become an advantage). The biggest shift, which came last year was towards demonstrating genuine expertise. This can be through topic coverage and valuable supplementary content, but it’s a lot to do with author authority and visibility. For example, having a “Written by CEO John Smith; Edited by FCA-authorised Sofie Jones” with links to their Linkedin.
Content recency is important, as well as the magnitude of updates and presence of multimedia elements. Websites must also maintain appropriate contact information and demonstrate domain trust through consistent information across all platforms.
When it comes to local SEO, not quite as much has changed because this was often an area focused on trust, visibility and intent. However, the source of traffic and the places they search may change as Google becomes challenged by social media and AI native platforms. Therefore, opportunities may arise to work in partnership with AI companies, or cater SEO towards their needs. This isn’t clear exactly yet because it’s so new, but the way Perplexity chooses its sources in the future may deviate significantly from Google’s algorithm.
As search engines head towards more sophisticated evaluation methods, they’re also in an existential threat. What we do know, though, is that they cannot survive without valuable content being made, and so their interests align, to some degree, with ours.
