Is SEO Dead in 2025?

Every time Google makes a big change, the rumors start swirling, and the same question gets asked over and over: is SEO dead? So here we are: AI overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity.AI, and other AI tools are growing in popularity, and the question is SEO dead in 2025 is the latest version of the question that's been asked over and over again my entire career. SEO has been "dying" so many times that those of us who have been in the field for years laugh when we hear the rumors. 

For the past 15 years, SEO has been rumored to be dying regularly.  Every time there's a major change with Google, the SEO is dead rumors start swirling. When Google Panda and Penguin were released to address low-quality content and spammy backlinks in 2011 and 2012, SEO was rumored to be dead. When the Helpful Content update was released in 2023, SEO was rumored to be dying. Now that AI is here, SEO is rumored to be dying again. 

So, what's really going on with AI and SEO? Is this the end of SEO? No, SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolving as it always has. The businesses that adapt will continue to thrive, while those clinging to outdated or lazy SEO tactics will struggle. 

SEO Isn’t Dead, But It’s Changing

SEO has changed many times, but the foundation remains the same. For over a decade, Google has consistently emphasized one thing: create high-quality, helpful content that serves your audience first and optimize it for Google second. That's it. That's all they've asked of us since 2011, when they released the Panda update. That was almost 15 years ago. SEO has gotten more complex because people took advantage of the situation. In the early days, it was things like cloaking (think Harry Potter and invisible ink), having white text on a white background so that you had content for Google to crawl, but your customer didn't see anything. Because, you know, words on a page were so awful. 🤣

The Early Days of Google, Where Cheater Tactics Worked & SEO Was Easy

When Panda was released in 2011, it was designed to help remove low-quality content from the search results. Back then, ranking a website for a keyword was super easy. All you had to do was build lots of links to the page you wanted to rank and then optimize that page for the keyword. You didn't have to have great content or anything. As long as you had more backlinks (from anywhere), you could rank in position #1. 

I remember one of my old bosses talking about his agency running competitions with the staff to see who could get a keyword to rank in position #1 first, and he'd generally win by building the most backlinks in the shortest time. While this worked to rank high, Google knew it didn't provide the best experience or even necessarily the best information for the searcher, and they needed to change how they ranked sites. So they started first by focusing on the quality of content in the 2011 Panda update, and then in 2012's Penguin update, they went after those low-quality or spammy backlinks. I remember paying off-shore VAs (before VA was even really a term anyone used) to do link-building for clients in my early days at the agency. Some of the sites they recommended were crazy, yet they worked great before Penguin. But in this post, Panda and Penguin world, which has now been 13 years - cheaters don't win. Google has focused on the same two things - creating great content for your audience and optimizing it for Google. They also want you to have backlinks, but today's focus is on earning them, not trying to manipulate the system. 

Both Panda and Penguin caused major upheavals for companies that were penalized by them. They lost rankings and traffic overnight. It was very similar to the experience many bloggers had with Helpful Content in 2023. Not all bloggers were hurt by the Helpful Content update, though those who were said SEO was dead because their traffic plummeted overnight. However, if you listen to what Google says about the update, they removed sites with a poor user experience due to the number of ads or popups on the site. They didn't go after sites that were full of great content and provided a great user experience. They went after sites with a poor user experience, even with great content. 

And it will be the same this time. SEO is not dead, but some outdated SEO tactics are. 

How SEO Is Evolving in 2025

Search is evolving, but it's not going away. People are using new AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.AI, which have introduced new ways to find information. Search is more conversational in the AI tools than on Google, but it's still search. We're also seeing a move towards more social media searches. Gen Z is more likely to search TikTok than Google. Search is evolving. People are searching everywhere, not just the traditional search engines. 

As of 2025, AI-powered search engines make up less than 1% of total searches, while Google still holds approximately 90% of the market share. Even though Google’s share has dipped slightly, it still receives 373 times more searches than ChatGPT  (according to Search Engine Land).

That said, business owners should be aware of how search behavior is changing. Google has introduced AI Overviews, which give summarized answers at the top of search results. These overviews pull from high-quality sources, meaning if your content is well-structured and optimized, you still have a chance to appear in these AI-driven results. These AI-driven results aren't all that different from Direct Answers, which Google added to the search results back in 2017. At the time, Google said the Direct Answers were designed to give the searcher quick answers where reading an entire blog post wasn't necessary. For example, how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon has a Direct Answer - 3 teaspoons are in a tablespoon. You don't need to read a blog post to learn that; Google's providing it at the top of the page is helpful to the searcher. I personally look at AI Overviews similarly to Direct Answers. 

I don't see AI Overviews going away because they are helpful. Google started rolling them out to beta testers in May 2023 as Google's Search Generative Experience. They changed the name to AI Overviews when rolling out to users in 2024. I was part of the beta testing phase in 2023, and over the past two years, I've seen them evolve, grow, and improve. In the beginning, I seldom even read through them but today, I do look at them quite a bit and also check the sites that are cited in the AI overview. Many informational queries don't really require you to read a blog post to get a little bit of information. I'm happy to let AI summarize it into a paragraph if all I need is a date or something. I've used AI Overviews many times in this article because I don't remember the exact dates for things like Panda, Penguin, and Helpful Content. But, I don't see a need to read a blog post on the update because I know what each one was about - I just needed a refresher on the date. I think this is where SEO is going in 2025 and beyond. We will see less traffic to our sites for searches like when Google Penguin was created because there's really no need to visit a website for that information. 

Will AI Overviews Kill SEO? 

I bet you can guess my answer here: no AI Overviews aren't going to kill SEO. In fact, they represent an opportunity for those of us who want to stay ahead of the curve and beat the competition. I have a blog post here about AI and SEO and how to use it to help your business; you can read it here. 

AI optimization, or AIO, is the next evolution of SEO, helping businesses create content that is not only optimized for Google but also for AI-generated search tools.

How do you do AIO? 

• Choosing AI-friendly keyword phrases that match natural language search queries. Search behavior differs in AI chat tools from that in Google, and our content needs to reflect that difference. 
• Structuring content in a way that increases the likelihood of being referenced in AI search results. I teach exactly how to do this in Simple SEO Content. 
• Ensuring content is valuable, unique, and well-organized to hopefully be included in AI summaries and Google search results. 

The good news is much of what we've done for Google works for our AI chat programs and search engines. I have blog posts ranking high on Google, showing up in the AI Overviews and ChatGPT search. The same post can work in all three places if you know how to do SEO and AIO. I have a bonus training lesson on this in Simple SEO Content and teach my students what to do to help their chances of being included in all three areas. 

What’s Working in SEO in 2025?

Even with AI-driven search evolving, traditional SEO strategies still matter—but with some adjustments.

Search Everywhere Optimization (SEO Beyond Google)

Businesses can no longer afford to focus only on Google. People search where they spend their time -  Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, Google (or other search engines), and new AI tools.  Optimizing for multiple search engines and discovery platforms is important to stay visible today.

A survey found that while 71.5% of people have tried AI search tools, nearly 80% still prefer Google or Bing for general searches. This shows that while AI-powered search is growing, it’s far from replacing traditional search engines (Search Engine Land). 

If you’re on Pinterest, you need to understand Pinterest SEO. If you have a podcast, Podcast SEO matters. YouTube SEO is essential for video-based content. Business owners should optimize their content for the platforms where their audience spends their time and searches for information. 

For those new to Podcast SEO, my Beginner’s Guide to Podcast SEO is a great place to start. Simple Podcast SEO walks you through optimizing your podcast for visibility and discovery. Take the class if you're ready to do SEO on your podcast. 

Keyword Strategy Still Matters, But It Must Be Smarter

Finding the right keywords remains one of the most important aspects of SEO. However, choosing the wrong keywords can make even the best content invisible.

Many business owners believe SEO isn’t working for them when, in reality, they are targeting the wrong search terms. If a website lacks the authority to rank for highly competitive keywords, it won’t, and then it won't get traffic. And, if you choose a keyword your audience isn't searching for, you can do everything right and rank at the top of the page but still get no traffic because no one is searching for that keyword. The right keyword differs for every business. The best one is the one with the most search volume your site has the best chance of ranking on page 1 for. It's going to be specific to your niche and competition. If you want to learn more about selecting keywords for your business and creating a keyword list, this blog post is a great place to start. 

Request a copy of my Beginner's Guide to SEO to see how to optimize your content for Google. 

SEO in 2025: It’s Not Dead, But Lazy SEO Is

SEO isn’t dead, but low-effort SEO is. The businesses that continue to create high-quality, helpful content while optimizing for AI-driven search tools will continue to see results. Google will work to eliminate those who don't adapt, and they'll continue to tell you that SEO is dead. When ChatGPT came on the scene in November 2023, people found they could create large amounts of content at scale, and they did. They used AI content to drive rankings and traffic, but it only worked briefly. As with all other cheating tactics over the years, Google saw what was happening and quickly created an algorithm update to take care of what they deemed AI Spam. It was rolled out initially in March 2024, and they've had several updates and it will likely continue. 

The bottom line is that Google is a business, and it will continue to grow and evolve to maintain its market share so it has customers to see ads, and advertisers will continue to purchase ads. As long as people search, SEO will be strategy to use to help grow your business. You don't want to rely on just one channel. It's important to be diversified. I personally use SEO and content with this blog, podcast & SEO, a bit of social media, email marketing, and some ads. I believe in having a presence in multiple places to help my business grow, and I suggest you do, too. SEO is not dying, but it is evolving. If you're ready to learn how to play by the updated rules, join me in Simple SEO Content. I will teach you how to win with Google and the AI search engines. If you have a podcast, be sure to take Simple Podcast SEO, and I'll show you how to get more downloads for your show.