AI is Reshaping SEO: What You Need to Know for 2025
The SEO landscape is undergoing its most significant evolution yet, driven not by a change in algorithms, but by the rise of AI. As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini become central to how people find information, businesses are faced with a critical question: is traditional SEO dead?
The short answer is no. As the SEO experts at Trailblazer Marketing recently discussed, SEO isn't dead—it's evolving. A strong, future-proof strategy for 2025 and beyond requires a dual approach: mastering traditional SEO fundamentals while simultaneously optimizing for the new era of AI search.
Here are the key insights and actionable takeaways from the latest thinking on AI SEO.
1. The Search Landscape is Expanding, Not Shrinking
While Google remains the dominant force in web traffic, AI search is growing at a breakneck pace. ChatGPT's traffic to unique domains grew from 10,000 to 30,000 in just four months in late 2024. This isn't a zero-sum game; it's a diversification of search. The smart strategy is to see AI and traditional search as complementary, not competitive.
The reason? AI chatbots get their answers from existing search engines. Over 89% of ChatGPT's source domains come from Google, Bing, and YouTube. This means that a strong organic presence on these platforms is the foundational step to ranking in AI search.
2. The Focus is Shifting from Keywords to Context
Traditional SEO has always centered on short-tail keywords like "cashback app" or "CRM software." While these are still important for Google, AI search is all about long-tail, conversational queries. The average AI search prompt is 23 words long and is often a complex, task-based question.
Key Takeaway: Your content strategy must evolve to answer these complex questions directly. Instead of just a page titled "Our Features," create a page titled "Which CRM has X, Y, and Z Features and integrates with FreshBooks?" This type of pain-point-driven content is what AI models crave and what will get your brand recommended.
3. Content Crawlability and Site Structure are More Critical Than Ever
LLMs are more "picky" than traditional search engine crawlers. Their infrastructure is not built to navigate a chaotic website. To ensure your content is seen and cited, focus on these technical fundamentals:
Internal Linking: Implement the "three-click rule," ensuring every important page is no more than three clicks away from your homepage. Every page should have at least one internal link pointing to it to avoid being an "orphan page."
Clean XML Sitemap: Create and submit a clean sitemap to Google and Bing, organizing pages by type (e.g., landing pages vs. blog posts).
Robots.txt & LLM.txt: Ensure your
robots.txtfile doesn't accidentally block LLMs. Consider creating a dedicatedLLM.txtfile to explicitly guide crawlers to your most valuable pages.
4. Your Brand is Your Best SEO Asset
Both AI and traditional search engines favor brands with a strong online presence. The more your brand is searched for on Google, the more likely you are to be mentioned by an AI. The good news is that AI search is more willing to recommend smaller, authoritative brands compared to Google's tendency to favor established players like Healthline.
Actionable Steps to Build an AI-Visible Brand:
Create Ubiquity: Your brand name should appear wherever your target audience is. Get listed on niche-specific publications, industry roundups (like G2 or Capterra), and independent platforms like Substack and Medium.
Leverage PR: AI models "gobble up" PR releases. Use services like "Help a Reporter Out" to get your executives and brand mentioned in news articles.
Dominate Listicles: Email the authors of "best of" lists in your industry and ask to be included. If a user searches for "best cashback app," the AI will see your brand on these trusted lists, increasing its chances of recommending you.
5. Don't Neglect Bing
It's tempting to focus solely on Google, but ignoring Bing is a critical mistake. Bing acts as an "invisible middleman" for AI search. Data shows that the higher you rank organically on Bing, the more likely you are to be cited by ChatGPT. Submitting your sitemap and using Bing Webmaster Tools is a simple yet high-impact step.
6. Track Your Success
Since there isn't an "AI Search Console," you need to get creative with tracking. Use your web analytics tools (like Google Analytics 4) to monitor referral traffic from AI sources. This will help you measure ROI and prove the value of your AI SEO efforts.
By adopting these principles, you'll be well-positioned to succeed in a world where search is more dynamic and conversational than ever before. The future of SEO is not about choosing one platform over another, but about creating a unified strategy that leverages the strengths of both traditional search and AI.
