Algorithms. Always-on strategies. Artificial intelligence. The arena of search engine optimization is being transformed by a vast array of different forces – and we’re still only at the top of the alphabet.
For business leaders and marketers, attempting to keep pace in this environment is challenging, but highly rewarding. While the emergence of AI and evolving user habits are certainly reshaping the future of search, organic SEO remains a fixture for digital growth, now and going forward.
Sizing up the SEO landscape in 2025, a few key trends stand out:
- Continuing disruption from algorithm shifts: From late 2023 to 2024, updates like the Helpful Content Update (HCU) and core updates have reshaped rankings, particularly impacting smaller sites. Recovery strategies must adapt to new priorities.
- AI and generative search impact: Google’s AI Overviews (AIO), formerly SGE, are pushing organic results down the SERP, causing challenges for click-through rates and driving more zero-click searches.
- Core Web Vitals evolution: Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced First Input Delay (FID) as a CWV metric. Site quality signals like these act as tie-breakers in ranking competitive pages.
- The rise of Reddit in search results: As of July 2024, Reddit ranked fifth among U.S. sites in terms of visibility in Google’s organic search results — up from 68th a year prior. While potentially related to a licensing deal signed between the two brands, this development also underscore’s Google’s increased focus on authentic, experience-based content.
Our guide to building an SEO strategy in 2025 will help you tie modern best practices into the enduring fundamentals of the craft.
What is an SEO strategy?
SEO strategy is a cornerstone of digital marketing. It is the framework that guides your approach to gaining visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) for terms valuable to your business.
Strategic SEO efforts lead to a sustainable and cost-efficient flow of organic traffic, bringing relevant people to your website or landing pages. As third-party tracking cookies fade out and paid media rates rise, organic SEO is an increasing priority for marketing leaders who want to foster long-term growth with limited budgets.
Key pillars of an SEO strategy
Certain components that would have appeared on this list a decade or two ago have disappeared, as Google has evolved its search algorithm to be driven by user engagement rather than traditional ranking signals. “Keyword stuffing” is a thing of the past – the only way to rank for competitive terms is through quality content that delivers on search intent.
With that said, there is a model that B2B marketers can use to reliably drive SEO success when aided by quality data and expertise. Build around these six SEO pillars:
- Keyword research
- SEO content
- Technical SEO
- Link building
- Maintenance and optimization
- Reporting and analysis
Keyword research
It all starts here. Keyword research forms the basis of SEO strategy, identifying the terms and phrases that your brand will aim to show up for. These are the questions your future customers are asking; the problems they’re trying to solve.
At TopRank Marketing, we take an intent-driven approach to keyword research, developing topical maps that help brands address the breadth of needs and curiosities for buyers at various stages.
SEO content
Content is the fuel that makes an SEO strategy run. SEO content marketing refers to the creation and optimization of web content designed to resonate with both humans and search engines.
Technical SEO
Although marketers can no longer “game the system” by stuffing keywords or harvesting low-quality backlinks, there are still technical elements that must be addressed to ensure your SEO content performs. These include page load speed, crawlability, mobile-friendliness and more.
- Learn more: What’s Involved in a Technical SEO Audit?
Link building
The practice of link building is generally associated with backlinks, which serve as powerful indicators of credibility and authority for search engines. But internal linking is also critical for helping crawlers properly understand the topical organization and focus of your website.
Maintenance and optimization
Things change fast in the business world. That’s why it’s important to keep key SEO-focused content on your website updated regularly. Google appreciates refreshed, timely content because users do. Marketers can also use data to optimize, redirect or consolidate existing pages.
Reporting and analysis
In-depth reporting is a vital component of any digital marketing strategy, and SEO is no different. Tracking organic search trends, keyword rankings, website engagement metrics and other factors will help you ensure your SEO strategy is on track and delivering results you can share across the organization.
- Learn more: What to Look For in an SEO Analysis of a Website
How to build an SEO strategy in 8 steps
You can find a more extensive exploration of the steps involved with creating a B2B SEO strategy in our full guide, but here’s a quick summary of eight steps that will get you started down the path to success:
- Set Clear Goals and KPIs: Define specific goals for your SEO strategy and align them with measurable KPIs like organic traffic, click-through rates, keyword rankings, and conversions.
- Conduct Comprehensive SEO Research: Dive into keyword research, audience analysis, and competitive research to lay a strong foundation for your strategy.
- Perform an SEO Audit: Evaluate your website’s current SEO status to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
- Develop an SEO Content Strategy: Align content planning with SEO goals, focusing on high-quality, relevant content organized by key solution-related topics.
- Execute On-Page and Technical Optimizations: Optimize content with semantic keywords, headers, and technical aspects like page speed and schema markups to enhance search engine visibility.
- Implement a Link-Building Strategy: Acquire backlinks from authoritative sources and utilize internal linking to boost content rankings.
- Continuous Measurement and Analytics: Stay vigilant, monitor trends, and adapt strategies based on evolving search algorithms and user behaviors.
- SEO Reporting: Showcase the impact of your SEO efforts across the organization to drive alignment and continued investment.
Get a full breakdown of the tactics worth adopting or dropping from your strategy this year with our SEO Glow-Up webinar.
How should SEO trends affect my strategy in 2025?
Here’s a quick overview of the most significant trends affecting the SEO landscape, and how agile marketers should be accounting for them in their strategies this year.
Artificial intelligence and AI Overviews
AI is without question the most disruptive force in SEO, as in many other areas of marketing and business. If you’ve been running searches online in recent months, you’ve likely noticed some of the AI functionality being introduced on platforms. For example, last year Google started rolling out its Search Generative Experience (later redubbed AI Overviews), which uses the technology to summarize results, helping searchers find what they’re looking for more efficiently and intuitively.
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There’s no doubt that AI tools like these will have a progressive impact on search behaviors and web traffic. Early research has suggested that AI Overviews are pushing organic results down by an average of 900 pixels, affecting the click-through rates of even top-ranking pages.
However, there does appear to be a gap between perception and reality when it comes to AI and search. Generative engines are gaining popularity, but still haven’t made much of a dent in Google’s dominion over search, and while zero-click searches are on the rise, AI summaries only appear in select SERPs.
It should be noted that Google openly remains focused on driving traffic to publishing websites: “As we bring generative AI into Search, we’re continuing to prioritize approaches that send valuable traffic to a wide range of creators, including news publishers, to support a healthy, open web,” said a spokesperson.
In other words, don’t make any rash or dramatic decisions about your SEO strategy based on what we’re seeing thus far. As of 2024, Google was still reportedly processing roughly 8.5 billion searches per day. With results being pushed down the page, we are already seeing that higher organic rankings are more critical than ever.
“Looking ahead to 2025, SEO isn’t just about keywords anymore (hasn’t been for a while now) — it’s about building genuine authority in your space. With AI changing how people search, brands need to think beyond just writing for Google. Create content that actually helps your audience and answers their questions naturally. The winners will be those who focus on real expertise and value, not those trying to game the system. It’s about showing up where your customers are actually looking, whether that’s in traditional search results or through new AI-powered search features.” – Ryan Leighty, Search Manager at TopRank Marketing
Core algorithm updates
Everyone in the field of SEO recognizes that Google’s constantly evolving algorithm presents challenges in terms of understanding what to prioritize. The good news for B2B marketers is that these updates are almost always designed to improve the quality and relevance of results. If your brand is creating great content that delivers what your audience wants and needs, you’re going to be in good shape.
The most recent Google algorithm updates have continually emphasized the prioritization of helpful content, with the August 2024 core update notably looking to level the playing field by helping elevate “small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content, when relevant to users’ searches.”
Growing emphasis on human, expert content
In the age of AI, search engines are placing an even greater emphasis on human-created content informed by genuine expertise. This is especially crucial in the B2B marketing space, where solutions are complex and trust is of the essence.
“Brands that excel will master authentic dialogue and thought leadership using content that AI can’t replicate,” predicted Jo Cameron, Director of Content Marketing at Moz, in their roundup of 2025 SEO predictions. “With AI handling the basics, the winners will stand out by showcasing unique voices and genuine expertise through storytelling.
This sentiment was echoed by the experts we reached out to for 2025 SEO planning insights. “The future of SEO in 2025 looks a lot like how it’s always looked,” Steve Slater, Sr. Manager, SEO and SEM at HealthPartners, told us. “Content that is centered around the audience that provides a unique perspective or experience and tries to separate from the noise will continue to win.”
In other words: put the humanity of your brand at the forefront. Adhere to E-E-A-T principles by featuring content that brings forth the experience and topical authority of your team. Address authentic challenges and pain points for your audience. Feature author bylines to help readers quickly verify the content was written by an actual person.
Set your SEO strategy up for success in 2025
As much as the world of SEO is in flux, the fundamentals remain the same: by creating stellar content that provides a great experience for your audience, your brand will be more likely to rank and gain visibility in Google results, driving high-quality unpaid traffic to your website.
Make sure your SEO strategy is built for success and equipped with the right talent to execute. Learn more about TopRank Marketing’s SEO services.
