SEO blogging strategy in 2025
We saw massive changes in search and AI (Artificial Intelligence) development during 2024. One big thing was Google’s introduction of AI Overviews for search*. I distinctly remember the first time they appeared at the top of my search results as I sat working from our AirBnB in Kent. I momentarily wondered if the change in IP address location had triggered something different 😂
Back then, I hated the intrusion of AI into my every day research and would scroll straight past to get to the real results 🤔 Fast forward a few months, and I’ve warmed to them. AI Overviews are great for quickly finding useful sites and I use them to filter which I want to explore further. They summarise what you’re going to find in an article, then give a link so you can read it in full.
It shows how much search is changing, and this trend will only continue in 2025. We’re likely to see even bigger changes as search becomes more AI-driven and natural language based. It will have an impact on website visibility, meaning your blog strategy needs to keep up.
* AI Overviews were introduced into the UK in 2024 and are being gradually rolled out across the world
Key takeaways
AI Overviews and generative search are changing how we find information online.
Writing human-first content that demonstrates EEAT is still crucial for visibility in search results.
Conversational content, using a natural style is important both for AI generative search and human users.
Writing content that answers questions and is structured for use in an AI Overview can help you adapt to generative search.
By using social media, email marketing, and online communities, you can diversify your approach and help stay more visible online.
How AI is changing search
In early 2024, the big buzz around AI was using it to create content. ChatGPT suddenly meant that anyone could write blog posts, and they were churned out in their thousands!
Of course, Google soon caught on and updated the algorithm. Whilst AI-generated blog posts themselves were not penalised, the low-quality and unoriginal content was. Search engines started cracking down on spam and thin content (content lacking depth with little to no value for users).
Younger generations have also been moving away from traditional search. Instead, they use social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to find information. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) use social media as part of their every day life and 31% prefer to search on social media over search engines.
ChatGPT has changed how we search too. You can ask it to create a personalised home workout routine without the laborious task of scrolling through endless websites to do the work yourself. But this kind of capability can also reduce the number of search results and website visits for businesses.
Then there’s something called generative search.
What is generative search?
Generative search is like having a chat. You can use natural, conversational language to ask a question, and the AI will give you a concise reply. If you want to get depth information, you can continue searching with conversational follow-up questions.
There are three big players in generative search:
Google Gemini: Creating conversational answers and AI Overviews
ChatGPT Search: Integrating natural conversational chat with web search
Microsoft Copilot: Blending AI search with apps like Teams and Skype
Instead of only showing users a list of links, generative search uses AI to provide answers to questions. Alongside those answers are links to cited results - and people will often click on these believing them to be more trustworthy.
Why generative search may affect visibility
When ChatGPT rose to popularity a couple of years ago, I wondered whether it would negatively affect my work as a content writer. Interestingly, it’s seemed to have a positive effect with businesses looking for well-researched SEO-friendly content written by humans for humans.
Generative search gave me a similar pause for thought because there’s a valid fear that it could reduce website hits.
The reason? People may find the answers they need in AI Overviews without needing to click through to the full article. But the Overviews do include links to full articles so, if your website is part of an AI Overview, you’ll still get visitors as people want to read more in depth.
Right now, I’m more inclined to think that a good SEO content writer is even more important as we navigate this new era of search.
Search algorithms and Generative AI still need trustworthy, well-structured content to provide answers. If your website is already optimised for Google search, it stands a good chance of surviving (or even thriving) in an AI-search environment.
Eight top tips for writing good SEO content in 2025
Generative AI technology is coming whether we like it or not so it’s important to adapt. Perhaps instead of only valuing clicks from search results, it makes sense to aim to appear in AI Overviews too. That way, your website will continue to be seen in results when your audience is searching.
The big difference with generative search is that it understands context. It builds on past queries to give better answers, meaning the way we write needs to change too. SEO content has evolved to be more than keyword analysis, you’ll need to write content that’s:
Easy to read
Backed by credible sources
Structured for both humans and AI
In December 2024, Google held 89.7% of the worldwide search engine market share. This figure has been gradually declining, so their dominance may well change over the coming years. But it still shows the importance of looking towards Google for recommendations on best practice SEO in 2025.
The good news is that it’s a sensible and logical approach, putting the user (your readers and visitors) at the forefront of your content.
1. EEAT is crucial
Google has consistently reinforced the importance of something called EEAT:
Experience: Sharing first-hand or life experience on the topic
Expertise: Showing your knowledge, skill, or credentials to talk about the topic
Authoritativeness: Being a trusted and reliable source on the topic
Trustworthiness: Backing everything up with reliable sources and a secure website
When you have expert authors writing accurate and original content from trusted sources, and provide value to the reader, the content will perform better.
In practical terms, this can mean writing blog posts using a human perspective instead of traditional educational posts.
2. Create high-quality blog posts
A good blog post showing EEAT will help drive SEO traffic. Even better is making sure you structure posts to answer the questions that people are asking. It will help create an easy AI Overview, but also gives people useful information that they want to know, in an easy to digest format.
Here are a few tips to help you write high-quality blog posts:
Find original ideas that give value to the reader
Share new insights or lived experience
Include expert opinions
Cover topics in depth and from different angles
Add the latest statistics and data
Cite credible sources
Write content that connects with the reader
Longer word counts (1,500 words) are more likely to be covering a topic in depth, but make sure you’re not just filling it with fluff. Less is sometimes more!
And remember that whilst SEO is more focused on keywords, generative SEO (or GEO) is more about writing structured articles with cited sources.
3. Write conversational content
Search is moving to a more conversational format, so it helps if your articles are conversational too.
Avoid using industry jargon for the sake of it, and keep the writing level to something a 12 year old could understand. A good tip is to write your blog posts like you’re talking to a friend. Use anecdotes, personal statements, and real life problem solving.
I love that conversational content is so important now, because it’s how I’ve been writing online content for years!
4. Follow SEO best practices
Websites following SEO best practices will continue to be seen as trustworthy, helping them rank on search results. Look at things like:
Fast loading speed
Mobile optimisation
Improved navigation
User experience and engagement
Security - use HTTPS (SSL certificate)
Website accessibility
Removing or redirecting broken links
Stopping auto-playing videos
Fixing crawling and indexing errors
Removing pages nobody visits (make sure to redirect)
It also means writing good quality EEAT content, with a good layout that’s easy to read.
5. Structure your content clearly
Whether you’re writing for humans, Google search, or generative search, it’s important to structure your content clearly and logically:
Include headings, sub headings, bullets, and lists
Summarise content
Use internal links
Use clear, simple language
Make it skimmable
Keep paragraphs concise
6. Think about long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are between 3-8 words. They’re used in both traditional SEO and in generative search. But they’re even more important as search queries become more conversational.
Here’s an example of the two:
Short-tail keyword: Running shoes
Long-tail keyword: Best running shoes for winter
The long-tail keyword focuses more on user intent, the questions people ask. To help you find them, look at the ‘people also ask’ section of search results. You can then add them into your blog posts easily as natural conversational text.
If local search is relevant to your business, also look at local place-related keywords.
7. Build brand authority
Building brand authority is becoming increasingly important, especially as some generative search is linked to Bing.
Bing search has some similarities to Google when ranking websites but there are key differences. It values things like relevant keywords, high-quality content, and user engagement. But it also prioritises a website’s authority, it’s longevity, and social media shares to determine credibility.
Here are some things you can do to help build brand authority:
Build a presence on Wikepedia which is thought of as trustworthy and authoritative
Generate high quality backlinks (other websites linking to your website) but remember good quality backlinks are better than having a high number of poor ones
Join realtime conversations on Reddit and Quora, which rank highly in search
Look into guest posting to generate high-quality backlinks to your site
Work on getting featured in snippets
Encourage user-generated content such as reviews and comments on social media
Build press relationships
Collaborate with industry leaders
8. Keep an eye on your content
Google punishes low-quality pages, so regularly review your content. Remove or update low performing pages and posts that don’t provide real value to readers.
Focus on answering questions that people are asking by addressing the how, what, and why in your writing. Understanding your audience and the market you’re in will help you create content that really connects, giving useful information and insights.
Evergreen blog posts are those that remain relevant and useful over time. Here’s an example of an evergreen blog post on my outdoor website: Bikepacking the Hebridean Way - getting started.
They’re a great way to bring regular and consistent traffic to your website well after their publication date. But evergreen content needs regular updates to stay accurate and useful. Check your older posts every so often to update the information and ensure they continue delivering high-quality value.
Summary
Search is constantly evolving, and it’s moving fast. Make sure you keep an eye on new trends like generative search to understand how it might affect you.
To stay ahead, focus on creating content that’s valuable, relatable, and trustworthy. Authenticity is important too - people want answers from real people sharing their experience and expertise.
But it’s also important to diversify where you’re publishing content. Search GPT relies on Bing which looks for authoritative brands with longevity, meaning that social media and community engagement should be an important part of your strategy.
From everything I’ve researched about generative search to date, it’s essentially good SEO. But SEO in 2025 is about more than keywords and the technical gubbins behind a website. You need to know a little about digital marketing too.
