{"id":93,"date":"2024-08-12T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internship.infoskaters.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/12\/the-evolution-of-search-5-seo-trends-in-2024-and-2025-new-data\/"},"modified":"2024-08-12T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T11:00:00","slug":"the-evolution-of-search-5-seo-trends-in-2024-and-2025-new-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internship.infoskaters.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/12\/the-evolution-of-search-5-seo-trends-in-2024-and-2025-new-data\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Search: 5 SEO Trends in 2024 and 2025 [+ New Data]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m excited but exhausted by so many changes,\u201d Victor Pan<\/a> wrote in a HubSpot Slack channel just before dropping half a dozen links to the latest AI news. He\u2019s a product SEO here, and he sounds like he needs a hug.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

And no wonder. Even in tech, an industry that thrives on rapid change, AI is accelerating everything it touches by orders of magnitude. AI-powered search engines<\/a> like Perplexity are gaining mainstream momentum, SearchGPT<\/a> is securing deals with publishers to sidestep copyright issues, and your friendly neighborhood SEO is pinching the bridge of their nose.<\/p>\n

For the scoop on search trends you should know about as a marketer, AI-powered and otherwise, I talked to SEOs here at HubSpot and around the world.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

But before we look ahead, let\u2019s go back to the 1990s and take a quick look at how search has changed in the last three decades.<\/p>\n

How the Search Landscape Has Changed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An entire generation has grown up never knowing a time before Google.<\/p>\n\n

Image Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Image Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

To get a broader perspective on the evolution of search, I turned to Mikkel deMib<\/a>, a Denmark-based SEO who has been doing SEO<\/a> since before it was called SEO.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first few years, we called it \u2018search engine positioning,\u2019\u201d he tells me. I was alive and using the internet then, and I still feel like a kid listening to a bedtime story about the land before time.<\/p>\n

I ask deMib about some of the major turning points in the last 25 years that might provide some context for understanding the future of search. The switch to mobile, he recalls, was first prophesied around Y2K, shortly after the introduction of wireless application protocol (WAP) that allowed mobile devices to connect to the internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd of course it totally failed,\u201d deMib says, because \u201cfrom a usability point of view, it was terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was another decade<\/em> before Google adopted a mobile-first philosophy and content publishers adopted mobile-friendly UX. Now, deMib sees upwards of 90% mobile traffic in certain verticals, like women\u2019s fashion \u2014 a number that\u2019s not likely to surprise HubSpot readers.<\/p>\n

The Evolution of Search in 2024<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rory Hope<\/a>, Head of EN Growth at HubSpot, echoes Pan\u2019s exhausted excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a lot of chatter in the industry,\u201d he says, \u201cabout Google essentially thrashing between different priorities.\u201d And that\u2019s \u201ccausing a great deal of stress for the SEO community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pan takes a long view of all this AI-activated change, cautioning marketers to focus more on the grounding principles of good content rather than trying to optimize for every single update. <\/strong><\/p>\n

When I asked him how SEOs were figuring out how to optimize for Google\u2019s AI Overviews<\/a>, he reminded me that \u201cthere was a time\u201d \u2014 October 2015 \u2014 \u201cthat Google really pushed forward a new format called AMP.\u201d Accelerated mobile pages were designed for faster mobile loading, and \u2014 see if this sounds familiar \u2014 it let users read content without clicking through to the website.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now AMP is a dead project,\u201d Pan says. In other words: We can\u2019t see the future, so let\u2019s not panic just yet about a zero-click world.<\/p>\n

Go deeper: We\u2019ve got even more pro tips and actionable advice on adapting to the new search era<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I use the word \u201ctrends\u201d advisedly here. Every SEO I talked to emphasized the interconnectedness of the changes they\u2019re observing, exercising caution about using the word \u201ctrend\u201d (See above for Victor Pan calling time of death on Google AMPs).<\/p>\n

And many of the SEO trends we saw in 2023<\/a> are still playing out.<\/p>\n

That said, here\u2019s five things SEOs are keeping an eye on in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n\n

1. AI<\/h3>\n

DeMib, who has seen more than his fair share of false starts and dead-ends in the SEO world, calls AI a \u201cfundamental shift in technology that is maybe as big \u2014 maybe even bigger \u2014 than the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Artificial intelligence<\/a> isn\u2019t so much an SEO trend as what it\u2019s powering: chatbots<\/a>, search engines, Google\u2019s AI Overviews, and more. AI Overviews<\/a> (AIO) has especially piqued concern, with everybody racing to understand what will happen if AIO keeps users on Google\u2019s search engine results page (SERP) instead of clicking through to websites.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of SEOs are making sure that AI is central to their overall strategies.<\/p>\n

In a HubSpot survey of over a hundred U.S.-based SEO professionals, 73% either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, \u201cAI tools, features, or solutions are becoming an important part of my company\u2019s SEO strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Many of those SEOs use AI for tasks like optimizing websites for technical SEO and improving SERP<\/a> rankings. AI is also a means to efficiency; nearly three-quarters of respondents said they use AI simply to save time.<\/p>\n

Not sure where to start? Here\u2019s a pro tip: HubSpot has a free AI search grader app<\/a> that quickly analyzes your brand based on what your prospects and customers are seeing across AI search engines \u2014 then gives you actionable recommendations on how to improve.<\/p>\n

2. Zero-Click Search<\/h3>\n

With the fitful launch of Google\u2019s AI Overviews in May 2024, \u201czero-click search\u201d shifted from theoretical concern to waking nightmare, depending on who you ask.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll likely see the term<\/em> used exponentially more in 2024 and beyond, but whether we\u2019ll actually see a zero-click world remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

In a HubSpot survey of U.S.-based SEO professionals, only 6% specifically named Google\u2019s AI Overviews as a threat to search traffic. And the biggest concern, generative AI chatbots, was selected by only 13% of respondents.<\/p>\n

A tiny percentage, just 2%, believe that Google algorithm updates<\/a> will result in search traffic losses.<\/p>\n\n

Readers of a certain age may remember when AOL was effectively synonymous with \u201cinternet.\u201d DeMib says that pre-2000, \u201c[the internet] was a lot of big sites like Yahoo! and AOL that defined themselves more like a portal. They were trying to give users everything they wanted to keep people on their site.\u201d<\/p>\n

It failed for Yahoo! and AOL and it will fail for Google, deMib believes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody can give users everything, in my opinion. It\u2019s not going to work. <\/strong>People are still going to want to buy products that are only found on a certain web shop. People want different perspectives. They’re not going to read all the news in one news outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

DeMib also points me to a study that SparkToro CEO Rand Fishkin did on zero-click. Among the findings, Fishkin found that although there\u2019s been an increase in zero-click searches, there\u2019s been a parallel increase in the number of searches.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s evening out,\u201d deMib says. \u201cThe number of people who click away from Google is actually about the same, even though the percentage has dropped.\u201d (You can read Fishkin\u2019s full study on the SparkToro website<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

And not everybody thinks zero-click is the start of the SEO apocalypse. Amanda Natividad, SparkToro\u2019s VP of Marketing, asked on LinkedIn<\/a>, \u201cDo you want people to see your [content] or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

She explains: \u201cWhen I\u2018m telling you to create zero-click content it\u2019s because you need to optimize for impressions. To optimize your social media content so that people see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Follow-up Search Intent<\/h3>\n

Even with the increase in zero-click queries, Amanda Sellers<\/a> says \u201cthat doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s the only search users will make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sellers is HubSpot\u2019s Manager of EN Blog Strategy, and she tells me how important it is to consider follow-up searches.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet’s say a user searches for something extremely basic and the AI Overview provides an answer. Some people are going to be satisfied with that answer \u2014 and some are not. So for the people who are <\/strong>not<\/em><\/strong> satisfied, what follow-up searches will they do to further refine their journey?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Sellers says that anticipating follow-up search intent is key to content strategy in 2024 and 2025. Ultimately, we should be writing content for our audience \u2014 not Google. (Ironically, this is also what Google says.)<\/p>\n

4. Ranch-style SEO<\/h3>\n

Clearscope CEO Bernard Huang made ripples in the SEO world with an April 2024 blog post called \u201cWhy Ranch-Style SEO is Your Future-Proof Content Strategy<\/a>.\u201d It begins with an exhortation to \u201cunlearn what you know about SEO.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sounds scarier than it is. Huang says that rather than focusing on long, in-depth articles, publishers should \u201c[disaggregate] content into precise, digestible pieces that strategically align with the user’s search journey.\u201d That is, switch from skyscraper SEO strategy to ranch-style.<\/p>\n

Huang lists three reasons<\/a> why ranch-style is the future of search:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s responsive to the shift from keyword-centric to topic-centric SEO. <\/p>\n

It mitigates the negative impacts of generative AI on the web. <\/p>\n

It \u201cpartners\u201d with firsthand experience as a ranking factor. <\/p>\n

This goes hand-in-hand with Sellers\u2019 advice about follow-up search intent: Good content strategy is about anticipating your readers\u2019 questions at each stage of their journey.<\/p>\n

5. Video SEO<\/h3>\n

Video SEO is already a specialization, but expect more growth in this area. Pan says \u201cconsumers want to watch videos on their favorite platforms\u201d \u2014 not necessarily your website \u2014 and that requires an understanding of both YouTube optimizations<\/a> and how social media platforms give visibility to native versus externally hosted videos.<\/p>\n

Sellers adds, \u201cWhen you\u2019re creating content in this challenging search landscape, it\u2019s more important than ever to keep in mind how your audience searches for and consumes information<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Consumers have the tools and ability to research quite literally anything, and an increasing number of prospective customers are turning to YouTube. Rory Hope, HubSpot\u2019s Head of EN Growth, says it\u2019s because they\u2019re \u201cseeking human perspectives in relation to their pain points.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, Hope points out, more and more video carousels are popping up in Google search results \u201cas part of its goal to serve more human-led perspectives for users.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this adds up to an important focus area for SEOs, Hope says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSEOs should be monitoring the search results pages for target keywords and topics to see which ones have video carousels, and then coordinate with media teams to create relevant video content.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The Future of Search: How Marketers Are Shifting Gears<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Search is dead; long live search!<\/p>\n\n

HubSpot original research shows that SEOs are generally optimistic about Google\u2019s AI Overviews and other generative AI search engines, with 48% of respondents saying that AIO would improve search traffic over the next six months.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one braided through line in these trends, it\u2019s that AI is driving a lot of change in the search landscape<\/a>, SEO is very much alive and well, and the human element is still vital to search.<\/p>\n\n

More than three-quarters of SEOs agree that they will use AI in 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s addition of a second \u201cE\u201d to E-A-T<\/a> in late 2022 was a clear signal that publishers should be writing for their readers \u2014 not Google. \u201cContent creation isn\u2019t about keywords. It\u2019s about topics and editorial angles,\u201d says Sellers.<\/p>\n

\u201cExpertise,\u201d the original \u201cE,\u201d could theoretically be faked by AI. But \u201cexperience\u201d \u2014 not so much.<\/p>\n

To recap, here\u2019s how our experts recommend that marketers and SEOs shift gears to accommodate new trends in the search landscape:<\/p>\n

Write for your audience. <\/p>\n

\u201cUse AI for the things AI is good for, and use human-led content for the things that human-led content is good for.\u201d<\/strong>\u2014Amanda Sellers
\n \u201cEverybody should embrace and spend some time with all the new AI-based tools that are becoming available now.\u201d\u2014Mikkel deMib
\n \u201cMonitor SERPs for target keywords and topics to see which ones have video carousels, and create relevant video content.\u201d\u2014Rory Hope
\n Deepen your topical coverage and sharpen your editorial angles. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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