2025 SEO Predictions: Entity-Based SEO, Less Traffic, More Value…

Every year we are expected to provide SEO predictions for the future. As much as I like to stay away from looking too far into the future, I like talking about what’s likely coming within a few months or a year.

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None of these predictions are exactly new, for that exact reason. We’ve been seeing this happening for a while now but these are still good reminders:

1. Even Less Organic Traffic

This has been going on for at least a decade now. Every new SERP feature is stealing some of the clicks. In 2024 this was AI Overviews and Reddit threads. 

But here’s one important reminder for you: If a searcher is there for a quick answer and never lands on your site because they got that quick answer immediately from SERPs, this may be a useless click anyway. Clicks are getting fewer but the value of clicks is increasing as well because people are coming to your site for an action, not to find answers.

The good news is that despite all the scary predictions that web traffic is going away, we need to watch where the money goes. Google hasn’t so far figured out a better revenue source than clicks. Even their AI overviews are being monetized through PPC ads. ChatGPT and other players will have to come up with their own advertising platforms, and chances are, those rely on clicks as well.

When we know how ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms are going to monetize themselves, we will know where our marketing strategies fit in. So far, it looks like these are going to clicks, so good old SEO is there to stay.

2. More Challenging Attribution

There are many reasons why measuring the exact and tangible impact of SEO strategies is going to become more and more challenging. The dynamic nature of AI answers and more complicated search journeys are the main ones.

For example, Google isn’t planning to report on traffic from AI overviews and because of their dynamic nature (which is going to be even worse as AI overviews are more personalized), attributing clicks to your SEO efforts will be next to impossible.

The steady growth of traffic and conversions will still be possible to see. So will rankings (even though rankings are not as important anymore because organic search visibility is different for every SERP, regardless of where you rank).

Set your executives’ and/or clients’ expectations right. SEO is a long-term process. It has always been. Organic search traffic is still the best type of traffic (because it is intent-based). That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that reporting is going to be more vague. We will have to live with that.

3. More Branded Searches

Discovery journeys are becoming more diverse. People may find your brand using generative AI or through a Reddit discussion or a TikTok video. None of that will likely include a direct link to your site.

However, people will eventually arrive at Google to research your company or product and make buying decisions.

Branded search has always been any brand’s biggest asset, albeit not easily controllable. Keep a close eye on your branded queries and make sure you give all the product-related answers on your site so that searchers are all funneled to your landing pages.

4. SEO and Brand Authority

Building a strong brand has always been part (or better yet a goal) of any SEO strategy because site authority is a huge signal. As more and more people use generative search to find answers and discover brands, building a brand is unavoidable because generative AI platforms won’t know about your business unless it is talked about.

Entity-based SEO strategies are more important than ever. You need to talk about your brand outside of your site whether it is in-house influencers or viral marketing campaigns or social media ads or better all of that. 

5. Site Reputation Abuse Becoming Algorithmic

Google has hinted about that at least twice so far: They are working on algorithmic systems that would override site authority in cases when that site authority may be abused. Be prepared that these systems will go very wrong. 

If you have sections of the site that are “starkly different” from your main site (whether in topic or format), these sections may be considered separate sites (and stop passing authority signals to the rest of your site).

A good internal linking strategy may help bypass that. Make sure no section of your site is an island. Content needs to talk about your products in a problem-solution context and deep-link to those products. Commercial landing pages should be referencing your informational pages. This will keep your site relevant to buying journeys.

6. Marketing diversification

This one is self-explanatory but also something that many businesses miss. As discovery and buying journeys get more and more diverse, so should your marketing. Try different platforms, look at what your new emerging competitors are doing, and more importantly invest in long-term assets that can create solid revenue sources regardless of what happens to your traffic sources.

These assets could be any client retention methods you are ignoring right now, like a strong email newsletter, an on-site community of brand advocates, or a good stable referral program. 

If you are lost, get in touch. We’ll discuss your site and what your marketing strategy for 2025 could be!