What are the SEO trends for 2025

What are the SEO trends for 2025?

What is SEO?

SEO is based on four pillars: technique, content, popularity and response to AIs.

Technique

To ensure optimum visibility of your site on search engines, the structure of the website plays a key role.

To rank well in search results, your site must be free of bugs and inaccessible pages, while using advanced features such as HREFlang for multilingual management.

A good structure makes it easier for search engines to crawl your site and automatically analyse its content. Once your site is correctly structured, it must then meet Google's requirements in terms of tree structure, loading speed and design. By complying with these criteria, your site will have a better chance of being indexed and therefore of appearing in the top results of the search engines.

Content

60% of traffic is captured by the first three sites on the first page of Google.

The aim is therefore to write content that meets users' expectations, while satisfying the search engines. Content creation must follow the EEAT logic (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Reliability), adding value and being strategically optimised with relevant keywords.

Popularity

Popularity is based on the quality of backlinks, the hypertext links that direct users from a page to your site, as well as the management of reviews and mentions of your brand. Collaborating on link exchanges, developing partnerships and creating content with high added value are effective strategies for increasing a site's visibility and authority. Reviews left on Google, TrustPilot and other platforms also play a role in brand perception.

Response to AI

Long before the emergence of tools like ChatGPT, Google led the way in developing innovative algorithms such as Hummingbird, BERT and RankBrain. These advances were based on sophisticated artificial intelligence models, designed to refine the understanding of queries and deliver increasingly relevant results to users.

Today, with solutions such as ChatGPT, Gemini and other next-generation AI systems, SEO is entering an era of transformation. It's no longer just about optimising for traditional search engines, but about meeting the standards imposed by these technologies. This includes the creation of precise information content, adapted to voice searches boosted by AI, editorial structures designed to improve algorithmic readability, and simplified site architectures for optimal indexing.

These developments do not replace the fundamentals of SEO, but reinvent them. They are essential levers for responding to new user behaviour and the demands of algorithms. They are redefining all the pillars of SEO.

TOP 9 key SEO trends for 2024

Now that we've defined the basics of SEO, discover the 9 main SEO trends in 2024 and our recommendations for incorporating them into your strategy!

1. IA et SEO: task automation and advanced tools

Artificial intelligence has a highly beneficial impact on SEO work by automating repetitive tasks and providing in-depth strategic analysis. Advanced tools are available to automate the creation of titles, meta-descriptions and the structuring of briefs, all essential elements of an SEO strategy.

Integrating AI into content optimisation and SEO analysis, such as keyword suggestion and structure optimisation, improves the relevance and diversity of the results obtained, while opening up the opportunity for continuous improvement.

To date, AI has not yet reached the point of replacing copywriters and SEO experts. Many sites that rely solely on AI have been judged to be of inferior quality by Google's algorithms, resulting in a drop in their rankings. However, AI remains a powerful tool, transforming and considerably speeding up content framing processes.

2. Integrate SEO into an overall traffic acquisition strategy

Having a perfectly optimised site with impeccable SEO is no longer enough to achieve high rankings. It is now essential to position SEO within a broader framework of traffic acquisition. Here are a few avenues to consider:

• Informational SEO content can be turned into videos or shorts on social networks. Similarly, videos can be turned into SEO articles. AI makes it much easier to produce this multi-purpose content.
• A site can be eligible for publication on Google Discover, which requires a specific content strategy. The effort is often worthwhile, as Discover generally generates a high click-through rate, particularly for hot news stories.
• Developing brand awareness via traditional advertising, social networks, affiliation, etc. has become essential. From an SEO point of view, this makes it possible to increase the number of 'brand' type searches (company name, services, products), which is crucial for Google referencing.

3. Priority to conversion

The ultimate objective of an effective SEO strategy is to achieve a good return on investment (ROI): traffic must be qualified and capable of generating conversions to be truly beneficial. Google attaches great importance to conversion, in particular by measuring the time spent on the site and user interactions. So a well-structured page that does not convert is not relevant to Google, and will not benefit from good referencing.

Conversion can be measured by various indicators, such as clicks on new pages, white paper downloads, or interactions with call-to-action (CTA) buttons. This is where the role of the CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) comes into play: by analysing user behaviour and conducting research to understand their needs, they ensure that the offer perfectly matches the demand.

From this point of view, the user experience (UX) has a major impact, because a well-designed site facilitates conversions by offering fluid and pleasant navigation.

However, it is important to stress that conversion, like user experience, is likely to evolve with the advent of new browsing practices, such as AI and the evolution of search intentions. In this context, it becomes imperative to remain agile and adapt to these changes in order to maximise results.

4. Putting the user and UX first

An effective SEO strategy must start with content writing that thinks first of the user, then of Google. The quality of navigation is often the first source of frustration, which makes it a key element to optimise.

The Core Web Vitals are effective indicators for measuring this experience, particularly through three main criteria: the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which evaluates the loading time of the largest elements; the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which measures the visual stability of the page; and the First Input Delay (FID), which quantifies the interactivity of the site. The weight of images and code, such as JavaScript and CSS, has a direct influence on these criteria.

So working on the user experience is becoming an essential part of the process, by optimising the tree structure, the purchase path and the calls to action (CTAs).

As part of the alignment with search intentions, the UX needs to evolve to offer an optimised page template that responds precisely to user expectations. For example, an informational search should not lead to a page primarily dedicated to selling products, but to a page of articles designed to respond directly to this intention.

Google is now able to understand the content of pages in depth, and adjusts its results to ensure maximum relevance. Hence the importance of clearly identifying the search intent and proposing the right type of page to respond effectively to users' expectations.

5. Focus on E-E-A-T and Search Intent when Writing Content

Content must be optimised according to the users' search intent. For example, the query "shop + shoes + Paris" conveys a different intention from "how to clean a pair of leather shoes". The first aims to find a retail location, while the second is looking for a practical guide. As such, your page should be structured accordingly: an informational intent requires queries that showcase your expertise, whereas a conversion-focused intent calls for action-oriented queries.

Moreover, your content should demonstrate your expertise and lived experience, in line with the principles of E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). These criteria are used by Google to assess content quality. Expertise refers to the depth of your knowledge; experience relates to your personal involvement and the relevance of your advice; authoritativeness reflects recognition by other experts or institutions; and trustworthinessconcerns the credibility of the author and the sources cited.

The "Google helpful content update" reinforces this approach by rewarding content that genuinely meets users' needs through proven expertise and solid, real-world experience.

6. The Use of JavaScript and the Emergence of Headless Websites

A headless technology setup requires a clearly defined SEO process from the very early stages of the project. This approach complicates technical optimisation, making close coordination between technical teams, SEO specialists, and the Product Owner (PO) essential.

Many companies are adopting a headless architecture, separating the front end from the back end, which provides significant flexibility in terms of design and functionality. However, this separation introduces complexities for SEO, particularly because the content is often fully rendered in JavaScript. Unlike HTML, JavaScript-generated content can be more difficult for search engines to read, which may negatively affect indexing and rankings.

For instance, Google might not be able to see all the key information on a fully JavaScript-based site. Additionally, certain front-end features-such as links-might not display correctly in the back end. In this context, it is essential to ensure that the content is properly rendered in the code. Understanding the complexity of these new environments and working in synergy with developers and SEO experts is crucial to addressing these challenges and implementing the necessary adjustments to maintain strong visibility and ranking.

7. The Importance of Internal and External Linking

Internal linking and backlink strategies (also known as netlinking) are key practices in SEO. Internal linking involves creating connections between different pages on your website, which not only improves user navigation but also helps search engines effectively index your content.

Netlinking, on the other hand, refers to the acquisition of backlinks-links coming from other websites. High-quality, contextual backlinks from relevant and reputable sites contribute to your website's authority and credibility. In other words, the more other sites link to yours, the better it is for your SEO, as it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable.

It's also important to note that Google now places increasing emphasis on link quality. Mass link acquisition techniques, which were once common, are no longer effective in improving SEO performance today.

8. Interactivity and Visuals in the SERPs

The use of Rich Snippets and interactive elements such as videos and images is becoming increasingly important for standing out in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Rich Snippets rely on structured data-a standardised coding language that formats information consistently-making it easier for Google to extract and display it directly within the search results.

These enhancements are particularly well-suited to content such as recipes, locations, and frequently asked questions. They provide Google with structured, detailed information that can be directly integrated into the search results, thereby improving both the visibility and appeal of your content.

To take advantage of these features, you'll need to implement structured data within your content. For example, in the case of a recipe, this includes details such as preparation time and images. This information must then be integrated by developers in the form of structured data in order for it to appear as Rich Snippets.

Here is an example of JSON code for structured data on a recipe:

Party coffee cake recipe

by Mary Stone, 2018-03-10

This coffee cake is awesome and perfect for parties.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

By incorporating these elements into your pages, you increase your chances of appearing in a prominent position and attracting more clicks through improved visibility.