5 SEO TRENDS Every Small Biz Needs to know for 2025

Hey, all you business owners!



As 2024 comes to a close, let’s talk about what’s happenin’ in the wild and ever evolving world of SEO for 2025!



The game is ALWAYS changing (kind fast!), but no worries, I got you—this guide will help you navigate what’s next in the simplest way I can for all you non-techies. 😁

I expect some search engine vs AI tools drama, so there’s a lot to discuss.



So grab your fave drink (I’m really enjoying lattes lately!) or a scrumptious snack, get comfy, and let’s chat about the trends that could affect your business next year.



1. Will Queen Google’s Monopoly Be Over?



The word on the street is Google’s antitrust trial could break up their monopoly of general search services and digital advertising! WHOA.



If Google is forced to share its data with competitors, it might create a whole new world of search engines.



That could mean more diversity in platforms, some healthy competition, and more opportunities to get your business seen.

For SEO that could mean not putting all your eggs in Google’s basket. Right now I usually optimize for Google and only Google because they have 90% of the market share (out of 10 people searching on-line for info, 9 of them will use Google)



It’s time to think about strategies that work across multiple platforms.



Shocking? Yes.



Overwhelming? Maybe.



A good thing? I dunno.



If Google is forced to share it’s data - it’s definitely going to be interesting how it all plays out.



2. AI - Your New Bestie or Annoying Boring Assistant?



Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about AI and you’re probably using AI tools at this point.



As more businesses start using these tools, you start to see and intuitively KNOW which content is AI generated with no human edits.



When I see the words like “Unlocked” or “Unleash” or “In the realm of” I immediately assume it’s AI generated content.



You don’t want to copy and paste articles or content - YOU NEED to humanize the data. AI should not be writing articles or content for a human audience.



I cannot explain it with words, but you just KNOW and Google will know you have used no creativity in your content and I think stuff like this will be penalized. Plus, AI generated content is just BORING.



I think it’s important to train your AI with your very own data. Like customer reviews, website/social media analytics and most importantly, your AUDIENCE feedback.



Your authentic lived experience is more relatable than some regurgitated crap from AI and I think the human species will start really tuning their intuition as we start experiencing AI more and more.



This leads us to the 3rd trend I am pretty sure will set people apart in the digital world -



3. Authenticity Is LIFE: People Are Gonna Eat Up E-E-A-T




E-E-A-T is a relatively new term, it means (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). To be a boss at this, you’re going to NEED to create content that is uniquely YOU.



Let people into your world a little bit (or ALOT), share customer reviews, data and of course STORIES that speak to the hearts of your target audience, I also think being a bit vulnerable is extremely helpful here too.



The ol’ saying goes, “People Don’t Buy From Brands, They Buy From People” - and I think this will be even more clear and abundant as we head into 2025 (this is already happenin’)



So as cheesy as it sounds, you should totally JUST BE YOU and let your true self out when it comes to your business.



4. Keywords/Hashtags < Pain Points/Solutions



Keywords really mean “key phrases, key questions and key solutions”.




Think about when you Google stuff now, if you’re looking to buy some new clothes, you don’t go to Google and type in “clothes” - the exchange you have with search now is conversational.




The days of chasing high volume and “relevant” keywords might be coming to an end, the replacement will be solutions to REAL needs.




Asking “What keeps my audience up at night?” is a great question is ask. Then go ahead and create content based on that.




Micro focusing on your niche is going to be a winning strategy in 2025. That’s why you have your business anyways right? To solve a problem and serve your audience.



5. Simple Tech Stuff That Actually Matters



I love the saying “keep it simple”, and that’s gonna be the phrase of the year in 2025 (should be the phrase of life)



Most people find the SEO technical stuff BORING so I won’t go into it super indepth but I think these things NEED to be a major focus for any website

Needs to be mobile friendly, 50% of search is now on mobile yet only about 71% of websites are good for phones.



Say no to slow-loading times. If it takes longer than 3 seconds to load - someone is going to bounce. This is bad - because obviously you want your audience to hang out on your website.


There is a great book on Web Usability by Steve Krug that will become even more relevant - it’s called “Don’t Make Me Think”
the moment a website become mentally overwhelming, the user will leave. Simple as that. Whether it’s because of slow load. times, no clear Call-To-Action or confusing layout.

Well, I think that’s it for now - let’s see what happens in the SEO space next year!