7 SEO TRENDS THAT SHAPED 2024 AND WHAT THEY MEAN FOR YOUR 2025 STRATEGY
Many 2025 SEO trend articles will offer broad predictions like “technical SEO will remain important” or “content quality will still matter,” along with mentions of TikTok and voice search being key players.
Instead of speculating about trends for 2025 or repeating SEO tactics that continue to work, this article will focus on what transpired in 2024, the implications for SEO, and how these insights should shape your SEO strategy as we move into 2025.
1. AI-POWERED SUMMARIES DISRUPTED GOOGLE SERPS
Three key truths about AI Overviews right now:
- In certain niches and for some sites, they've already had a significant impact.
- For other niches and sites, they've made no difference at all.
- Their influence is growing.
So, how does this affect websites? For sites where AI Overviews are prevalent in search results, the impacts can vary:
- Less traffic: Your page might get pushed down in the rankings, leading to reduced traffic.
- More traffic: Being featured in AI Overviews could bring more visitors to your site.
- Inaccurate tracking: Rank tracking tools might show your page ranking "#1," even if it’s buried below the "load more" button where fewer users actually see it.
2. AI-GENERATED CONTENT SAW A MASSIVE SURGE IN PRODUCTION
The ability to quickly generate reasonably high-quality content at a low cost has significantly impacted SEO in 2024.
According to Originality AI, the percentage of AI-generated content ranking in the top 20 Google results has more than doubled this year.
This surge in AI content has given rise to entire industries, including:
- AI content detectors
- AI writing tools
- AI content editing services
3. GOOGLE’S RESPONSE TO AI-GENERATED CONTENT
During the pandemic, many people turned to online sources for comparison shopping, leading to a surge in searches for terms like “best X” and “best X for Y.” Smaller affiliate sites had quietly been ranking for these terms, but as search volume increased, media attention and user notice also grew, bringing additional scrutiny.
As a result, Google implemented updates that saw these smaller affiliates replaced by larger, more authoritative sites. This is a pattern we’ve seen over the years, with everything from large publishers churning out thin content to guest blog marketplaces and niche sites. AI-generated content has followed a similar trajectory, with the cycle often going like this:
- A new tactic or trend starts working for ranking on Google.
- Attention begins to build around the tactic, often highlighted in tech press articles.
- Google takes action—sometimes algorithmically, sometimes manually.
- The tactic may still work, but with limitations, often only for a specific audience or with adjustments.
4. SEARCH RESULTS BEGAN PRIORITIZING FORUM AND TOOL CONTENT
- Calorie deficit
- Slope
- Diameter of a circle
- How to find the p-value
5. AFFILIATE AND NICHE SITES FACED SIGNIFICANT SETBACKS FROM UPDATES
Google’s Helpful Content Update had a major impact on smaller, niche sites—those focused on specific topics and often reliant on Google for traffic. These sites typically monetized through ads or affiliate marketing.
While some sites have managed to recover, others have only seen partial improvements, and many have abandoned efforts to rank on Google altogether.
The updates sparked much speculation and confusion, with several theories circulating about their focus, including:
- An emphasis on brand authority
- A mismatch between weak domain strength and inappropriate anchor text
- "Over-optimization," with smaller sites being penalized for aggressive SEO tactics like keyword-stuffed title tags, headers, and content, as well as link-building strategies that lacked quality.
6. PARASITE SEO GAINED MOMENTUM
Every change Google makes often prompts a reaction from SEOs, and in 2024, we’re seeing a notable trend take shape:
AI content is improving, becoming more widely available and cost-effective. Google has increasingly favored UGC (user-generated content), forum content, and articles hosted on high-authority sites like Forbes. This shift has given rise to an SEO tactic known as Parasite SEO and “Site Reputation Abuse.”
While Parasite SEO isn’t new, it has gained traction in 2024 as more SEOs employ it to leverage high-authority sites for ranking. Here’s how it plays out:
- Reddit spam: Marketers have figured out ways to manipulate Reddit, ensuring their posts and recommendations rise to the top of threads, driving traffic and rankings.
- Contributed articles: Marketers pay for articles featuring their affiliate links on authoritative sites. These articles often rely on low-quality, inexpensive link-building tactics, allowing them to rank, especially on high-authority domains.
- Brands using affiliate marketing: Large, established brands like Forbes and CNET are cranking out AI-generated content and product roundup posts, earning affiliate income from these pages.
7. GOOGLE’S MONOPOLY STATUS WAS OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED
- A search documentation leak occurred.
- An endpoint exploit exposed more details about the algorithm.
- In the summer, Google was officially declared a search monopoly in court, and next year, the Department of Justice may require Google to take major actions, such as spinning off and selling Chrome.
- Changes to Google's algorithm due to reduced behavioral data.
- A shift in Google's practices as they operate under increased scrutiny from the U.S. government.
- Potential adjustments to search result layouts, syndication practices, and other unforeseen consequences triggered by the monopoly ruling.
SEO SUCCESS TIPS FOR 2025
Here are a few immediate actions you (or your SEO manager) can take to stay ahead of 2025 SEO trends:
1. LEVERAGE USER-GENERATED CONTENT AND LARGE SITES
2. INVEST IN TOOLS AND CALCULATORS
3. DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR AI CONTENT
KEY TAKEAWAYS TO GUIDE YOUR 2025 SEO STRATEGY
As we move further into 2025, here are some important factors to keep in mind:
1. MONITOR AI OVERVIEWS AND SEARCH RESULTS
2. STAY UPDATED ON GOOGLE'S PR AND LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
GET PREPARED FOR BETTER SEO IN 2025 WITH MCIVOR MARKETING
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