SEO in 2025: What Still Works vs. What's Dead 📈

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SEO has been "dead" every year since 2010. Yet here we are, still optimizing for search.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY CHANGED:

DEAD: ❌ Keyword stuffing ❌ Backlink **** ❌ Content farms and thin content ❌ Exact-match domain names ❌ Over-optimization tricks

ALIVE: ✅ Solving real user problems ✅ High-quality, comprehensive content ✅ Technical excellence (speed, mobile, Core Web Vitals) ✅ Genuine backlinks from relevant sites ✅ E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)

THE NEW SEO REALITY:

1. Google Answers Questions Directly

• Featured snippets stealing clicks
• AI Overviews summarizing content
• People never click through

Solution:

• Optimize for snippets (brand awareness)
• Create content too valuable to summarize
• Focus on commercial intent keywords (people still click)

2. AI Content Flooding Results

• Everyone using ChatGPT to ****
• Google detecting it better
• Quality human content MORE valuable

Solution:

• Add unique insights AI can't generate
• Include personal experience
• Update regularly (AI can't do this)

3. Topical Authority Matters

• Don't write about everything
• Own a specific niche deeply
• Become THE source

Solution:

• Focus content narrowly
• Create topic clusters (pillar + supporting)
• Internal linking strategy
• Consistent publishing in niche

4. User Experience = SEO

• Page speed affects rankings
• Mobile-friendliness mandatory
• Core Web Vitals ranking factor
• Engagement matters

Solution:

• Fast site (under 3 seconds)
• Mobile-first design
• Engaging content (keep people reading)
• Good navigation

METRICS THAT MATTER:

Ignore:

• Total traffic alone
• Keyword rankings (fluctuate)
• Domain authority (made-up metric)

Track:

• Organic traffic to commercial pages
• Conversion rate from organic
• Engagement (time on site, pages/session)
• Revenue from organic
• Featured snippet ownership

THE SEO WORKFLOW:

STEP 1: Keyword Research

Process:

1. Start with seed keywords
2. Use Google Search Console (what you rank for)
3. Check "People Also Ask" boxes
4. AnswerThePublic for questions
5. Balance volume with commercial intent

Tools:

• Google Search Console (free)
• Ubersuggest ($29/mo) - Budget
• Ahrefs ($129/mo) - Comprehensive
• Semrush ($130/mo) - Alternative

STEP 2: Content Creation

What works:

• Answer thoroughly (better than top 10)
• Add unique value (your experience)
• Format well (headers, bullets, short paragraphs)
• Images, videos, diagrams
• Update regularly

Target: Best content for your keyword, not just "good enough"

STEP 3: Technical SEO Basics

Must-haves: ✅ Fast loading (under 3 seconds) ✅ Mobile-responsive ✅ Clean URL structure ✅ XML sitemap ✅ HTTPS security ✅ Core Web Vitals optimized ✅ Fix broken links

Tools:

• Google PageSpeed Insights (free)
• Screaming Frog (free/£149/yr)
• GTmetrix (free)

STEP 4: Link Building

White-hat strategies:

• Guest posting on relevant sites
• Create link-worthy assets (research, guides, tools)
• Broken link building
• Outreach to people you mention
• HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

Avoid: ❌ Buying links ❌ Link farms ❌ Comment **** ❌ Irrelevant directories

STEP 5: Monitor & Iterate

Track with:

• Google Search Console (impressions, clicks, position)
• Google Analytics (traffic, behavior, conversions)
• Rank tracking tools

Actions:

• Double down on winners (push page 1 to top 3)
• Update underperformers
• **** weak pages
• Find quick wins (high impressions, low CTR)

ESSENTIAL TOOLS:

FREE:

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• Google Keyword Planner
• Screaming Frog (500 URLs)

PAID (If Serious):

• Ahrefs ($129/mo) - Best all-in-one
• Semrush ($130/mo) - Alternative
• Surfer SEO ($89/mo) - On-page optimization

MY CONTROVERSIAL TAKES:

1. Most businesses don't need SEO

• If you can reach customers directly, do that
• SEO takes 6-12 months to pay off
• Only invest if key channel

2. Many "experts" are full of it

• Industry has snake oil
• Algorithm is black box
• Test yourself, trust data

3. Technical SEO overrated

• Fix basics, don't obsess details
• Good content beats perfect technical

COMMON MISTAKES:

❌ Targeting wrong keywords (volume, no intent) ❌ Thin content (300 words won't rank) ❌ Ignoring search intent ❌ Neglecting internal linking ❌ Not updating old content ❌ Slow site

SEO BY BUSINESS TYPE:

Local:

• Google Business Profile
• "Near me" keywords
• Local citations
• Reviews

E-commerce:

• Product page optimization
• Category strategy
• User-generated content
• Fast site

B2B/SaaS:

• Bottom-funnel keywords
• Comparison pages
• Use cases
• Thought leadership

LEARNING RESOURCES:

Blogs:

• Ahrefs Blog
• Backlinko
• Search Engine Journal

YouTube:

• Ahrefs channel
• Income School
• Julian Goldie SEO

Courses (Free):

• Ahrefs Academy
• HubSpot SEO
• Semrush Academy

Communities:

• r/SEO
• r/bigseo

QUESTIONS:

• Are you doing SEO? Is it working?
• What's your biggest SEO frustration?
• Have you been penalized?
• What SEO advice do you think is BS?

Share your SEO experiences! 👇