SEO is always evolving. But, as we go into 2025, it’s arguably changing faster than ever. AI-powered search platforms and shifting user behavior (e.g. searching via ChatGPT or Instagram instead of Google) are transforming how people find information online.
We’re essentially entering a new era of search, and if you want your small business to thrive in this new era, you have to adjust (or implement) your SEO strategy accordingly.
This might sound intimidating. However, you can set yourself up for success in 2025 and beyond by implementing these nine simple—but highly effective—SEO strategies for small businesses.
1. Don’t copy & paste AI-generated content. Make it your own.
ChatGPT and other AI tools can certainly help streamline content development in 2025. However, it’s important to remember and understand that these programs are tools—not replacements for your expertise.
If you’re going to use AI-powered tools to develop your content (which I recommend because your time as a small business owner or leader is valuable), there are a few critical steps and edits you’ll need to make to ensure this content serves your audience well and supports—and doesn’t harm—your SEO.
1. Make sure the information is accurate.
AI tools like ChatGPT generate responses by pulling information from databases (which can be outdated) and content available online. As we all know, just because something is on the Internet doesn’t mean that it’s true.
Always fact-check AI-generated content to confirm accuracy. Ensure all data is correct and cite credible sources with links whenever possible. Skipping this step can harm both your credibility and your Google rankings.
2. Update content to fit your brand & tone so it doesn’t come across as spammy or robotic.
ChatGPT and similar tools are a great starting point for content creation, but they tend to produce content that feels generic or robotic. (For the record, these tools are improving and can learn if you provide examples!)
Google’s primary goal is to deliver the most helpful and relevant content to users. If your content feels spammy, unhelpful, or overly AI-produced, your SEO performance could suffer.
Your brand’s voice and tone are unique, and human-generated content outperforms AI-generated content 94.12% of the time. For these reasons, it’s crucial to revise AI-generated content so it reflects your brand, sounds human, and truly resonates with your audience.
Basically, by combining AI’s efficiency with your expertise and personal touch, you can create impactful content that supports your business goals and SEO efforts.
2. Publish high-quality content.
If you want to improve your SEO as a small business in 2025, one of these most impactful things you can do is to create high-quality content that serves your audience well.
While you can create videos, podcast episodes, and countless other forms of content, blogging tends to be the easiest, most affordable form of content creation for small businesses—while still delivering huge SEO results.
As you create content, remember that quality matters far more than quantity and that Google prioritizes content that solves problems, answers questions, or provides valuable information.
When you write, ask yourself:
- “Does this content help my audience solve their problem?”
- “Does this content answer my ideal client’s question?”
- “Does this blog post include the information my audience needs to accomplish their goal?”
3 Types of Content to Boost Your SEO
There are all kinds of things you can blog or produce content about. However, these three types of blog posts can be especially effective for improving your SEO and serving your audience well:
1. Educational Blog Posts
Teach your audience about topics they care about. By explaining and simplifying complex ideas, you position yourself as a knowledgeable source.
For example, if you’re a wedding photographer with an editorial photo style, you might write a post explaining what “editorial” means and the benefits of that style for wedding photos.
Or, if you’re a virtual assistant, you might write a blog about the importance of using a project management system and give recommendations for programs you recommend.
Regardless of what you offer, if your ideal clients frequently ask the same questions or need specific insights, you can create helpful, educational blog posts around those topics.
2. How-to Guides
You can also write how-to blog posts, which are simply guides that walk readers through a specific process step-by-step.
For example, if you’re a wedding planner, you could write a post titled “How to Create the Perfect Wedding Day Timeline.” In this post, you could break down the different components of a wedding day and everything that needs to be thought about to design a seamless timeline. You could also provide sample timelines to help couples plan their big day.
3. Your Work
Blogging your work is another great way to improve your SEO. This is going to look a little different from business to business, but you can use your blog to showcase how your products or services help your customers solve their problem and give prospects an idea of what it’s like to work with you.
This might mean using your blog to publish case studies, before and afters, or to showcase your work in a way that makes sense for your audience.
For example, when I was a wedding photographer, I blogged my weddings by writing about my couples and their wedding day and including some of their photos.
Make your content stand out.
While publishing helpful content is a highly effective—if not the most effective—way to improve your SEO, it’s important to remember that the Internet is full of more content than ever before.
To help your content stand out, be sure to include more details, examples, visuals, or unique insights than your competitors. Offering a fresh perspective and going the extra mile can set your content apart, making it more likely to rank well.
By consistently publishing helpful, credible content, you can improve your SEO rankings and establish trust with both Google and your audience.
3. Use long-tail keywords & focus on search intent.
If you want to improve your SEO in 2025, focusing on long-tail keywords is nonnegotiable. Long-tail keywords are search terms with three or more words that are more specific than general “head keywords.” Long-tail keywords better mirror how people actually use the Internet—whether through Google, voice search, or AI tools.
For example, think about how you search for something. Do you type in a single word like “pizza”? Probably not. Instead, you likely enter a phrase like “best pizza near me” or “gluten-free pizza in downtown Chicago.”
These longer, detailed queries are what your audience is using too. In fact, long-tail keywords make up more than 70% of all Google searches.
Why are long-tail keywords essential in 2025?
Long-tail keywords have been an important aspect of SEO for several years now. However, as we go into 2025, they’re more important than ever for a few reasons.
1. They reflect how people search across all devices.
With the rise of voice search like Siri and Alexa and AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT, people are using conversational, question-based phrases to find what they need. (e.g. “What are the most effective ways to improve your SEO as a small business?”)
As a result, long-tail keywords better mirror both how people use traditional search engines (e.g. Google) AND how they utilize these new tools. So, when you use long-tail keywords, your business and content are more likely to rank well and gain credibility across all devices.
2. Long-tail keywords have less competition.
Long-tail keywords are more specific, which means fewer websites are competing for those exact phrases. As a small business, this makes it easier for your content to rank higher in search results and reach the right audience.
Remember, you don’t need to reach everyone. You only need to reach your ideal clients, and using long-tail keywords is one of the best ways to do this in 2025.
3. Long-tail keywords align with search intent.
Long-tail keywords naturally target users who know what they’re looking for. These searchers are often closer to making a decision—whether that’s booking a service, purchasing a product, or seeking specific information.
As a result, using long-tail keywords can help you attract more qualified leads and increase conversions.
Ready to unlock the power of long-tail keywords?
While long-tail keywords are not a new concept in 2025, they are more important than ever.
4. Think beyond Google. SEO now stands for “search everywhere optimization.”
As we move into 2025, optimizing for Google alone is no longer enough. Between the Google antitrust trial ruling and the fact that users now also conduct searches on platforms like Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and ChatGPT Search and with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, SEO has evolved into what many marketers are now referring to as “search everywhere optimization.”
This might sound scary, but ensuring that your small business is optimized across all platforms is likely easier than you think. You simply need to follow a couple core principles:
1. Follow platform best practices.
Every platform has its own guidelines for how content is ranked and discovered, but if you follow each platform’s best practices, your content will naturally perform better.
For instance, optimizing your product titles on Amazon, adding relevant hashtags to Instagram posts, or including strong descriptions on YouTube videos can go a long way in helping your audience find you.
By working with each platform’s existing rules, you increase the chances of your content being prioritized and seen by the right people. (For the record, you don’t need to be on every platform. You simply need to focus and be present on the platforms that your ideal clients utilize.)
2. Use long-tail keywords & focus on search intent.
No matter the platform, people search with specific, conversational phrases—just like they do on Google. That’s why using long-tail keywords and focusing on search intent is key.
For example, if you own a landscaping company, a potential customer might search for “affordable landscaping for small backyards” on Pinterest or ask ChatGPT, “What’s the best way to maintain a low-maintenance lawn?”
By incorporating these detailed phrases (long-tail keywords) naturally into your content (e.g. social media posts), you make it easier to connect with customers who are ready to take action.
Search everywhere optimization isn’t about creating entirely new strategies for each platform; it’s about applying simple, effective SEO fundamentals where your audience is already searching. By following platform best practices and utilizing long-tail keywords, you can set your business up for success across all platforms.
5. Prioritize mobile optimization & user experience.
People might be searching on platforms other than Google; however, that doesn’t mean Google is any less important. In fact, Google still sets the gold standard for most search algorithms.
With this in mind, it’s crucial to remember that Google heavily prioritizes mobile usability. Google has been practicing mobile-first indexing since 2016, so this isn’t new news, but as we move into 2025, it’s important to note that mobile optimization is critical for both SEO and user experience.
Mobile-first indexing means that when Google analyzes and ranks websites, it looks at the mobile versions of sites—not the desktop version. As a result, your site’s mobile performance directly affects its ranking.
Why does Google use mobile-first indexing?
Most online activity happens on mobile devices. In fact, in 2024, 50.48% of web traffic worldwide and 63% of Internet use in the United States came from mobile. Moreover, 96% of the “global digital population” accessed the Internet via mobile—a number expected to grow in 2025.
How can you make your website mobile friendly?
To ensure your website is mobile friendly:
1. Focus on speed & functionality.
Both search engines and users prefer fast-loading, easy-to-navigate sites. Ensure your pages load quickly and are user-friendly on small screens to avoid high bounces rates.
2. Monitor your Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console.
Core Web Vitals measure your site’s performance, including how it functions on mobile. Regularly check these metrics and address errors to ensure your site is optimized for mobile users.
For additional tips, refer to Google’s “Mobile site and mobile-first indexing best practices” article.
Again, the importance of mobile performance isn’t new. However, it is essential for SEO success in 2025. By focusing on speed and functionality, you’ll provide a better experience for your audience and improve your rankings.
6. See snippets as opportunities to build brand authority.
Featured snippets, often called “position zero,” are highlighted answers displayed at the very top of Google search results. These short summaries—whether lists, images, videos, tables, or text excerpts—are pulled from webpages that Google deems authoritative.
Google started using featured snippets in 2014, so this—like mobile indexing—isn’t a new SEO concept. However, as we move into 2025, snippets are becoming even more important. In fact, a SparkToro 2024 study revealed that 58.8% of searches “resulted in zero clicks.”
This is largely due to featured snippets. As a result, it’s important to understand how snippets can help your business grow and why they need to be part of your SEO strategy in 2025 and beyond.
Why do snippets matter for small businesses in 2025?
I want to encourage you to optimize your website and content for featured snippets for three reasons:
1. They boost credibility.
When your content is used for a snippet, it signals to both users and search engines that your brand is reliable, trustworthy, and an expert on a given topic.
This makes prospective customers more likely to trust and buy from you and search engines more likely to rank your site higher for other searches.
2. They increase visibility & brand awareness.
Even if users don’t click and visit your website, snippets prominently display your business name, making it more likely for potential customers to remember your business when they’re ready to make a purchase.
3. They can help you show up in AI search results.
Featured snippets often serve as a key source for AI platforms like ChatGPT to generate answers. While these platforms don’t directly pull from Google snippets, structured and snippet-like content increases your chances of being referenced in AI-generated responses.
This is important because AI-driven searches are expected to shape how users find information in 2025 and beyond, making it essential to optimize your content for both traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms.
How can you optimize for snippets in 2025?
To optimize for snippets in the new year, you’ll want to:
1. Focus on clear, concise answers.
Snippets are pulled from content that directly answers specific questions or queries. Using headings like “What is ___?” or “How does ___ work?” and, then, directly answering these questions can make your content more snippet-friendly.
2. Use long-tail keywords.
Like we discussed before, as voice and AI-driven searches grow, people are asking search engines longer, more conversational questions. As a result, using long-tail keywords can also increase your chance of earning snippets.
While snippets may mean fewer clicks and less traffic to your website, they give you a unique opportunity to establish your brand as a trusted source. Chances are, few small businesses will prioritize or take the time to understand this search feature. However, by optimizing your website and content for featured snippets, you can position your business as a go-to authority.
7. Use internal links to guide visitors & keep them engaged.
Internal linking is a powerful—but often overlooked—SEO strategy. By linking to other pages or blog posts on your website, you create a web of connections that guide visitors to more valuable content. This not only helps search engines understand the structure of your site and see that you’re an expert on a topic, but it also keeps users engaged longer, reduces bounce rates, and increases the chances of conversion.
Like we discussed before, in 2025, user experience (UX) is a top priority for SEO, and internal links can play a key role in this. Basically, when you provide clear pathways to help your site visitors find more valuable content, visitors are more likely to explore your site further and stay on your site longer. This signals to Google (and other search engines) that your website includes value that Internet users want to see.
As you create or update webpages and blog posts in 2025, be sure to include helpful internal links. Again, the more you guide your visitors to helpful and relevant content, the more likely they are to stay, explore, and take action, and the more likely your Google rankings are to improve.
8. Demonstrate experience & build trust with E-E-A-T.
As we discussed earlier, search engines exist to provide users with the most helpful, accurate, and trustworthy information. Their goal is to provide users with content that answers their queries and solves their problems. To rank well, your small business needs to prove to search engines that you’re a credible, reliable source.
This is where “E-E-A-T” comes in, which stands for “experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.” Essentially, your website and content need to show Google and other search engines that you’re an expert in your field who can be trusted to deliver valuable information that deserves to rank well.
Why is E-A-A-T critical in 2025?
Even though SEO is constantly evolving—especially with the rise of AI and advancements in search engine algorithms—E-E-A-T is essential to SEO success in 2025 and beyond because credible search engines will always prioritize the expertise and trustworthiness of the sources and sites that they rank. As a result, when you focus on improving your E-E-A-T, you can set yourself up for long-term SEO success.
Think of it this way. While AI may change how users search, the need for authoritative, trustworthy content will never go away. In fact, Google and other leading search engines’ algorithms are now more focused than ever on rewarding businesses that demonstrate high levels of E-E-A-T.
Want step-by-step guidance for improving your E-E-A-T? Tune in to “Episode 170: The Key to Better Google Rankings as a Small Business: Improve E-E-A-T” of The Priority Pursuit Podcast!
9. Track your SEO performance to refine your strategy.
If you’re going to make SEO a true priority in 2025, you have to track your performance. SEO is a long-term strategy, and tracking your SEO efforts and results allows you to see what’s working, where you’re getting traction, and what areas need improvement or aren’t delivering results.
By analyzing your performance regularly, you can make data-driven decisions that will help you stay ahead of your competitors and adapt to SEO changes.
What SEO data should you track in 2025?
There are several key metrics that can help you gauge the effectiveness of your SEO strategy in 2025:
- Organic Traffic: Monitor how much traffic your site gets from organic search results. If your traffic is growing, that’s a good sign that your SEO is driving more visitors to your website. (You can find this data with Google Analytics.)
- Keyword Rankings: Track where your targeted keywords rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). If you see improvements, it means your optimization efforts are paying off. (You can manually check rankings from an incognito window or use tools like Ubbersuggest.)
- Bounce Rate: How often are visitors leaving your site without interacting? A high bounce rate might suggest that your content isn’t engaging or that users aren’t finding what they need. (You can find this data with Google Analytics.)
- Conversions: The ultimate goal of SEO is to convert visitors into customers. Whether it’s filling out an inquiry form or making a purchase, tracking conversions helps measure the success of your SEO strategy.
In 2025, SEO will continue to evolve with AI-driven search engines. By tracking and analyzing performance, you can identify trends, adjust tactics, and refine your strategy to stay ahead, make informed decisions, and keep your business competitive.
As long as you follow best SEO practices, your small business will thrive online—regardless of how technology changes.
I know this is a lot of information, but here’s the key takeaway: Technology and search habits will change. However, search platforms and people will always value helpful, credible content, products, services, expertise, and businesses.
You may have to tweak your SEO strategy from time to time and while I highly recommend implementing all nine of these SEO strategies for small businesses in 2025, if you—at the minimum—focus on these core principles, you can achieve long-term SEO success across all platforms:
- Publish high-quality content. Search engines, social media platforms, etc. exist to share content. By creating valuable, helpful content, you help these platforms serve their users AND increase the chances of your content being ranked and shared.
- Use long-tail keywords & focus on search intent. As searches become more specific and conversational, optimizing for long-tail keywords ensures your content aligns with searchers needs.
- Prioritize user experience. A website that’s enjoyable to use is more likely to rank well and keep prospects engaged.
- Demonstrate experience & build trust with E-E-A-T. Websites and content that showcase expertise, authority, and trustworthiness will always rank higher. Focus on creating credible content that proves your value to both users and search engines by improving your E-E-A-T.
Yes, technology and user habits will keep evolving, but the fundamentals of SEO remain constant. By implementing these strategies, you can boost your rankings in 2025 and ensure your ideal customers can find you online for years—or even decades—to come.
