Changing SEO Strategies for 2025: How AI is Shaping the Future of Search

By Leslie Richards

As 2025 approaches, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and leaders are witnessing a significant evolution in SEO strategies due to the transformative power of AI. This shift means adapting SEO to account for AI-driven search engines, changing content formats, and novel search methods.

Here’s an in-depth look at what’s changing and how CMOs can leverage these developments for continued success. We’ve also provided a checklist that you can reference throughout the year. 

The Rise of AI-Driven Search and Zero-Click Results

AI-powered search capabilities are reshaping the way users find information. These changes, in turn, are affecting website visibility, engagement, and conversion rates. For example, both ChatGPT and Google’s AI-driven summaries now provide immediate answers to queries directly on search results pages. Users are no longer required to click through to your website to find the answer. Experts anticipate up to a 30% drop in site traffic due to these zero-click results.

For CMOs, this means rethinking traditional SEO metrics. Rather than focusing solely on traffic volume, indicators of engagement— such as time on page, comments, and/or social shares— are becoming increasingly important. Tracking these metrics can help gauge how content resonates with audiences even if click-through rates decline.

Engagement is the New Key Metric

For service providers with long-term relationships and high-value offerings, engagement metrics now outweigh raw visitor volume as an indicator of success. Engagement can reflect client interest, intention, and even brand loyalty, signaling a more mature approach to lead generation.

Tools such as Anyword.ai can evaluate content before it is published and predict the level of engagement a piece of content will generate. Tools like this eliminate the need for extensive A/B testing and ensure that content teams are producing work that will resonate with their intended audiences and generate the desired engagement.

AI Expands Search Beyond Text

AI has broadened search interactions beyond typing keywords. Now, people can search by snapping a photo, speaking, or drawing on their screens. This shift is critical because it indicates that keyword-only SEO strategies are no longer sufficient. CMOs need to ensure their content aligns with AI’s new, multifaceted approach to relevance.

For instance, search engines now prioritize content that directly matches user intent, emphasizing relevance over traditional factors such as backlinks and exact keywords. Tools like Market Brew’s AIOverviewsVisualizer can help gauge content relevance against AI summaries, ensuring a high match and increasing the chances of appearing in AI-driven overviews.

Building Content for AI Overviews

Three types of AI summaries are currently in use:

1. Informational Summaries – Often presented as paragraphs or bulleted lists, these directly address user queries.
2. Shopping Summaries – Focused on local and proximity-based searches, these are useful for businesses with a physical presence.
3. Product Reviews – These provide users with quick, relevant product insights.

Studies, such as one conducted by Princeton University, show that content featuring statistics, authoritative quotes, and a formal tone is more likely to be included in AI summaries. This is good news for the legal industry, which is used to developing content that follows these guidelines.

There is a potential downside to focusing on visibility within AI summaries. It is possible this content may reduce rankings in traditional organic results. Further, there is volatility in this space as AI is evolving quickly and criteria may change. Last, every query produces a unique result. Showing up once does not guarantee  future placement.

CMOs will need to balance AI-specific content with broader SEO tactics. One tenet, however, remains true: content that is authoritative, well-written, and helpful has weathered the changes to search criteria over the decades.

Video Content: Driving Engagement and Search Value

With Google and other search engines increasingly favoring video content, law firms and other service-based businesses have an opportunity to stand out. Video humanizes your brand and enhances user engagement, helping potential clients understand complex services.

For law firms, for instance, videos can clarify intricate legal concepts, making services more accessible and relatable. YouTube and other video platforms offer an additional avenue for visibility. You Tube is the second largest search engine after Google, with more than 2.5 billion viewers per month. A well-optimized channel provides a backup if search traffic drops.

Thought Leadership: Prioritizing Depth and Specificity

In a competitive landscape, generalized content is losing traction. With AI-dominated search, deep expertise is key to standing out. Law firms and professional services, in particular, benefit from content that highlights specialized insights, complex guides, case studies, and even interactive content, such as webinars.

CMOs should focus on producing content that reflects in-depth knowledge, using formats like charts, infographics, and multimedia elements that AI is less likely to absorb into summaries. By offering value-added, authoritative content, firms can enhance brand reputation and increase the likelihood of click-throughs to their sites.

An AI-driven search rewards content that goes beyond general information. To remain relevant, CMOs should consider building a knowledge base of commonly asked client questions. For example, law firms can create content that answers nuanced legal inquiries or breaks down complex case studies.

Diversifying Beyond SEO: Building Resilient Channels

With SEO becoming increasingly volatile, diversifying beyond search is essential. Email marketing, for instance, remains an area over which firms retain full control, unaffected by algorithm shifts. Building an engaged email list allows firms to share insights directly with their audience, creating a loyal client base that values the content regardless of where it ranks in search engines.

Growing evidence indicates that print media is experiencing a resurgence, largely attributed to “digital fatigue” where people are increasingly overwhelmed by constant digital exposure. In light of this shift, continuing to invest in the growth of both your email and physical mailing lists is a good tactic.

The landscape of SEO in 2025 is undoubtedly complex, with AI as a central force driving change. CMOs must balance traditional SEO with emerging AI-driven strategies, focusing on relevance, engagement, and diversified content formats. As AI transforms the way users interact with search, CMOs who embrace these changes will be more likely to ensure visibility for their brands and help support a strong pipeline for their sales teams.