Is SEO dead in 2025? Simply put, no. But it’s evolving quickly—as it has done many times before.
One thing is certain, however: 2024 was a tough year for SEOs.
Google’s AI overviews and core updates shook up search rankings. Watching rankings drop without explanation was frustrating, leaving many wondering if SEO even had a future.
Even heavyweights like Forbes Advisor and CNN weren’t spared. Personally, I’ve wrestled with SERP volatility too.
But here’s the thing: new opportunities are emerging from these disruptions.
And I’ve got data and expert insights to prove it.
Is SEO Dead?
No, but it’s going through massive changes.
First, Google’s absolute search monopoly is coming to an end—but not as fast as you may think.
According to recent data, Google still dominates, with 83.54% of the online searches.
But new players are emerging.
ChatGPT commands 4.33% of searches, YouTube accounts for 6.79%, and other platforms such as social media networks collectively represent 3.37% of search activity.
Of course, we can expect the share of non-traditional search engines such as AI chatbots to grow.
And this shift makes sense.
AI chatbots provide immediate, personalized answers, rather than making users sift through links.
However, Google’s position remains strong for several key reasons:
- Google still processes billions of searches daily, maintaining its position as the primary gateway to information online—and I don’t think it’ll lose its leadership in the upcoming years.
- AI tools fundamentally rely on human-created content for training and responses. Without original content being published and indexed by search engines, these AI models would have nothing to learn from or reference.
- Google isn’t standing still. The company is actively innovating by integrating AI into search results—for example, with AI overviews and summaries. While this creates new challenges for content creators, it also signals Google’s commitment to evolving the search experience.
This confidence is backed by market performance—Google’s market value grew from $1.76 trillion to $2.14 trillion in 2024 alone, marking a 22% increase at the peak of AI adoption.
Source: Oberlo
Secondly, Google itself is actively changing the rules.
Throughout 2024, we saw many major algorithm updates focused on content quality and user experience, such as the March 2024 core update:
Even industry giants weren’t immune—arge sites like Forbes Advisor and G2 lost significant traffic after being penalized by Google.
But these changes are actually benefiting many smaller businesses.
Our recent survey of 700+ Semrush users shows that 78% still consider SEO extremely or very valuable for their company.
We also found that 62.9% of businesses saw SEO improvements in the past six months of 2024 and only 9.5% experienced traffic declines.
All this means that SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolving into a more nuanced practice that rewards authenticity and expertise over technical optimization alone.
Success now requires high-quality original content, a deeper understanding of user intent, and the ability to adapt to rapid changes in search behavior and technology.
Why Do People Say that SEO Is Dead?
Let’s take a step back.
What’s all the fuss about? Why are we panicking?
Here are some major hurdles that we’ve been seeing in the SEO industry:
1. Changes in Google Algorithms and SERP Volatility
The SEO industry has experienced major shake-ups in 2024.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the SERPs, you’ve probably noticed it too.
Google has rolled out a series of core and spam updates over the past few years to bring down low-quality content.
And sometimes—unfortunately—it has also affected high-quality, relevant pages.
While Google is trying to figure out its algorithms, we’ve seen lots of SERP volatility—especially after major updates in March and November.
This has been a familiar picture on Semrush’s Sensor tool for a while now:
Some sites gained traffic overnight, while others saw significant drops. For example, Forbes Advisor lost an insane amount of traffic in a span of a few months:
At the same time, many sites like Housefresh.com recovered traffic after initially losing it—and even experienced growth.
I’ve also noticed changes directly in the SERPs, affecting how Google approaches search intent.
For example, keywords related to tools (e.g., “Best AI tools”, “Best image generators”, etc.) saw product pages replace listicles.
Compare February 2024, when most results for “AI tools” were blog posts…
…with November 2024, when the SERP was instead dominated by tool pages.
This is just one example of how search intent is evolving, and it’s happening across the board.
What does this mean?
The volatility we’re seeing isn’t a sign of SEO dying—it’s a sign of evolution.
As industry expert Ann Smarty, co-founder of Smarty Marketing, explains:
Everyone, no matter how big or small, is seeing less traffic over the years. It’s the reality we have to deal with. You need to be okay with it and adapt to stay in the game. If you depend on traffic, it will go down. But it will still happen, and maybe become more focused.
2. Google’s AI Overviews Stealing Clicks
Google’s AI Overviews provide quick answers to user queries and appear right at the top of the search page.
For example, if you search “what is generative AI?”, Google instantly shows an answer by pulling information from various websites.
The goal is to make search faster and more convenient for users.
But for websites, it’s a different story.
While these overviews include links to the original sources, many users don’t feel the need to click through.
As a result, organic search might continue to decrease and we’ll see more zero-click searches.
But this situation presents more opportunities than it might seem:
- AI Overviews still drive brand awareness and visibility, even without (or with fewer) direct clicks
- AI summaries work best for basic information—they can’t replace detailed guides that have steps, examples, and instructions
- AI Overviews seem to favor content from two main sources: established brand names and pages with high-quality original content (such as unique data or research). Focusing on these areas can also help you increase your visibility there.
One of the key issues is that we still struggle to quantify and track clicks and impressions from AI Overviews.
As Ann Smarty points out:
It’s difficult to understand what users are clicking on. Was it an AI overview? Organic search? Something else? Measuring traffic and clicks has become hectic.
While we wait for analytics tools to adapt to the new reality, you can still track other metrics.
For example, Ann recommends focusing on branded search as a key performance indicator:
When people start searching for your brand, it’s a great signal that your strategy is working. It shows you’re being highlighted across channels, even in places we can’t measure consistently yet.
The growth of your branded search is a strong indicator of whether your SEO strategy is working or not.
3. Shifts in Consumer Search Behavior
As we discussed earlier, consumer search behavior is evolving.
Google is no longer the sole go-to for answers.
Instead, people are turning to various platforms, including AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, as well as forums such as Reddit and Quora—especially for simple queries.
And while this trend will continue to grow, what’s really changing is how people search.
We’re seeing a shift from simple keywords to complex, conversational queries. For example, rather than searching “best laptop 2025,” users now ask detailed questions like “What’s the best laptop for video editing under $2000 with good battery life?”
This shift is creating distinct content opportunities:
- Basic information and quick answers are moving to AI
- Detailed guides, expert analysis, and original research still drive significant search traffic
- Product comparisons and other content that influences buying decisions will remain important in traditional search—and so will expertise-driven content
And as I mentioned before, all AI tools are only as good as the content they’re trained on.
As Sergei Rogulin, Semrush’s Head of SEO, points out:
Search traffic will decline, but Google and other LLMs will still need human content. AI needs to be trained on new content. And we’ll see how it’ll unfold so that people stay motivated to write new content. That’s in the long run, though.
On top of that, recent research by ProRankTracker revealed an important insight: your Google and Bing rankings significantly impact your visibility in AI tools.
Their study found that 45% of top-ranking Google pages (and 63% of Bing pages) appeared in ChatGPT web results. For Perplexity AI, 63% of top-ranking Google URLs appeared as sources.
This data suggests that strong SEO performance can also directly influence your visibility across AI platforms—making good SEO more important, not less.
4. The Rise of AI-Generated Content
At the same time, we’re seeing more and more AI content in search results.
Our analysis of the top 20 SERP results for over 20,000 keywords showed that 8% of top-ranking articles were AI-generated in October 2024.
While this number is still small, it’s growing steadily.
Source: Originality.ai
But here’s what’s interesting: companies that use AI strategically are seeing remarkable results.
Our research of 700+ businesses revealed that when AI is used as a tool rather than a replacement for human expertise, it can actually enhance SEO performance.
The data backs this up: 39% of marketers saw increased organic traffic when creating content with AI assistance. And 33% report it performing better than purely human-written content.
The secret? Successful companies aren’t just feeding prompts into ChatGPT and hitting Publish. Instead, they’re:
- Starting with original research and expert insights
- Using AI to generate first drafts, structure, and optimize content
- Having human editors refine and personalize the output
- Adding real-world examples and case studies
In fact, 73% of successful companies use a combination of AI and human writing, with only 5% relying on AI alone.
As Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation Marketing, puts it:
I think AI is the equivalent of spell check today. It’s something every creator should consider as part of their toolkit to be more efficient and effective at prioritizing the areas they need to focus on. This ensures their voice is coming across, their message is clear, and the story they’re telling is captivating and uniquely theirs.
5. Changes in the SEO and Content Marketing Job Markets
However, there’s a downside to this trend.
Yes, businesses are increasingly using AI to produce content faster and at scale.
But this shift is impacting jobs in SEO and content marketing.
In the first quarter of 2024, SEO job listings dropped by 37% year on year. This suggests that companies may be leaning more on AI and less on traditional SEO roles.
It’s not just SEO roles that are being affected. Content marketing jobs are also under pressure.
According to a 2025 Content Marketing Institute study, one in three marketers reported that their company let go of team members in the past year.
On top of this, finding marketing jobs has become increasingly difficult.
68% of marketers believe it’s harder to find a marketing job now than it was five years ago.
Most blame financial or economic pressures (75%) and tougher competition (69%).
However, 33% of marketers say AI is directly responsible for these challenges.
How can you address these challenges and keep your career afloat? The key is to evolve alongside AI rather than resisting it.
While AI can write content and do keyword research, the most valuable marketers today go beyond these basic skills. They:
- Develop comprehensive marketing strategies aligned with business goals
- Create data-driven content plans that drive conversions, not just traffic
- Build thought leadership through original research and industry expertise
- Use AI to enhance productivity, while focusing on high-impact initiatives
How You Can Overcome These SEO Challenges
So, what can you do to adapt to these changes? Here are a few ideas.
1. Create Net-New Value Content
If your content doesn’t offer something unique, it won’t rank—or even make it into AI summaries.
To stand out, your content must deliver value that AI can’t replicate.
The best pages leverage real experience, expert analysis, and unique data. Most importantly, they provide fresh perspectives—offering opinions and insights alongside useful information.
This could be your team’s hands-on experience with a new technology, data from your latest customer survey, or your expert predictions about where your industry is heading.
Here are some examples of what you can do.
Perform Original Research
Create content based on data that no one else has. Run surveys, analyze internal data, or conduct experiments.
For instance, my team conducted a three-layer study to determine if AI-generated content can rank on Google.
The data from this research is powering multiple content pieces—including the one you’re reading now.It also helps us to attract attention organically and bring in new site visitors.
The best part? We used our own proprietary data and surveyed our own users to put this together.
Document Real-World Experiences
Share specific challenges, results, and lessons you’ve learned.
Backlinko’s blog post, “How to Create a Content Brief,” is a great example. It explains how their team creates content briefs for their writers—something AI will never be able to replicate.
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Collaborate with Experts
Don’t rely on writers to research everything, especially when it’s not their domain.
Bring in subject matter experts (SMEs) to add credibility and depth. These could be your own employees, industry thought leaders, and even clients.
For example, I interviewed Ann Smarty (Co-Founder of Smarty Marketing) and Ross Simmonds (CEO of Foundation Marketing) to fuel our AI SEO research.
I then incorporated their ideas into our content:
2. Perform Regular Content Audits and Updates
SERPs are more volatile than ever, with frequent Google updates reshuffling rankings.
It’s a widely discussed topic on LinkedIn these days:
Unfortunately for me, I’ve even seen this firsthand.
For example, I create a lot of content about AI, an industry that’s constantly evolving.
One of my pages dropped from positions 1-3 down to 20 in just a few days, causing insane traffic fluctuations.
Why?
The SERPs were shifting: new competitors appeared, and suddenly my content wasn’t as fresh as it needed to be.
The solution?
Frequent updates. In less volatile industries, updates are usually less frequent.
I’ve revisited that same piece multiple times over the past six months, and constantly added new insights from my first-hand experience with AI tools.
Each update helped the piece regain its ranking and keep it relevant.
Here’s what I recommend doing:
- Keep an eye on SERPs and search intent: Search results change fast. I’ve learned to check the top-ranking pages for important keywords regularly. If the intent shifts and my content becomes outdated, I adapt it accordingly.
- Add personal insights: AI tools can summarize existing data, but what they can’t do is share your unique experiences. I’ve found that adding real-world examples or lessons from my own work can make a huge difference.
- Optimize for search engines along the way: Whenever I update, I revisit keywords, meta descriptions, and internal links. These small updates have helped my pages remain competitive.
3. Measure, Test, and Adapt Your Content Strategy
When resources are limited, focus on what will deliver the best results. Before creating a free tool or resource page to attract traffic, ask yourself:
“Will it convert enough users (or reach another objective) to justify the effort?”
Predicting this can be tough, especially with organic traffic or blog posts. But not impossible.
Monitor Historical Data
First, look at past performance:
- Has this type of content worked well before?
- Does this audience drive conversions?
Then take this data to shape your content strategy: double down on formats and topics that have proven to drive results, and spend less time on content types that don’t move the needle for your business goals.
Understand Conversion Across the Funnel
Next, track how users convert at each stage of the funnel. Without this understanding, resources can go to waste.
On my team, we collaborate with UX designers and product owners to monitor performance at every touchpoint, and adjust content experiences accordingly.
For example, our designer helped add various conversion points to our free tools:
This data helps us make smarter decisions and continuously improve our content performance.
Run Experiments
Experimentation is essential, especially when things are changing quickly. Test new ideas, learn from the results, and adapt.
For example, HubSpot seems to have shifted to writing in the first person after internal experiments showed it better aligned with Google’s E-E-A-T standards.
Most of their articles now focus on showing first-hand experience:
Plan Distribution Early
Content that doesn’t get any traffic won’t convert anyone. And while SEO still works, it’s a long-term game—and a very volatile one.
So try to think beyond rankings and add more content distribution channels to your mix.
For example, Andy Crestodina, the founder of Orbit Media, has been getting great results with his LinkedIn newsletter
Even with SEO fluctuations, it helped him generate traffic and engagement for Orbit Media (I mean, over 200k subscribers):
4. Use AI, but Do So Responsibly
You don’t need to avoid AI—just make sure you’re using it responsibly. Google doesn’t penalize AI content: it targets low-quality content, regardless of how it’s created.
What does that mean?
AI shouldn’t replace your writers. Nor should you ignore AI and fear using it. Instead, treat it as an assistant that helps you improve your content’s quality.
For example, 73% of Semrush users we surveyed combine AI with human writing:
Besides, they use AI tools for all sorts of tasks, from finding content ideas to creating initial content drafts:
It’s also important to combine AI tools with SEO data. Remember, most tools such as ChatGPT don’t actually offer real-time competitive data on keywords and SERPs.
You can either combine such chatbots with SEO software or use specialized AI SEO tools.
For example, our ContentShake AI app uses Semrush’s real-time data to help you create high-ranking content.
It generates article drafts that incorporate your target keywords, use original information, and take search intent insights into account.
You can then manually enhance those drafts by adding original insights, expanding the content using AI chat, generating AI images, improving readability, and more.
Ann Smarty sums it up well:
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“Using AI is completely fine—as long as it’s part of a thoughtful process. When we work with writers, we usually provide briefs with inputs from subject matter experts or research. Writers can use these inputs with AI tools to write faster, but it still involves about 50% AI and 50% human effort, including writing and editing. The key is balance. Creating everything from scratch in one click and hoping it works doesn’t make sense. Zero AI tolerance policies often feel like stubbornness to me—AI, when used responsibly, is just another tool to get better results.” |
5. Expand Your Marketing Skillset
I keep seeing headlines like this everywhere: “Content writing is dead.” “SEO jobs are disappearing.” “AI will replace all marketers.”
The reality is much more nuanced.
Yes, if your only skill is writing basic articles or plugging keywords into content, AI tools can now handle these tasks.
But successful marketing has always been about much more than that.
The key is to evolve from being just a content creator or SEO specialist to becoming a strategic marketing professional who can see the bigger picture.
Focus on understanding business strategy, audience needs, and how to create truly unique content that drives results.
Think of it this way: AI can help you write faster, but it can’t tell you what content your audience needs, how it fits into your marketing funnel, or how to measure its business impact.
These strategic skills are becoming more valuable, not less.
The Bottom Line: SEO Isn’t Dead—It’s Evolving (Again)
Let’s put things in perspective: SEO has supposedly “died” many times before.
Whether it was the introduction of Google Ads, featured snippets, or video content, each new development was predicted to be the end of SEO.
Yet each time, SEO adapted and evolved—just as it’s doing now with AI.
How can you adjust to this and thrive in 2025?
Don’t run from the changes. Embrace them—while maintaining focus on these fundamental principles:
- Create genuinely valuable content that serves human intent and provides a unique perspective
- Stay agile and ready to adapt to new technologies and search behaviors
- Diversify your traffic sources and content formats
- Use AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, your marketing efforts
- Regularly audit and update your content to maintain relevance
Remember: while the tools and techniques of SEO may change, its core purpose remains the same—helping people find the information they need.
As long as people continue searching for answers online, SEO will remain an important part of digital marketing strategy (at least in some form).
