SEO

Evolving SEO: Mastering AI Overviews & User Intent in 2025

Ivan Mathews February 3, 2025

Discover how SEO is changing in the age of AI. Learn to optimize for AI Overviews, focus on user intent, and become a holistic marketer for success in 2025.

SEO is not dead, but it is definitely evolving. By shifting the focus from just clicks to providing value, understanding user intent, and embracing a holistic approach to marketing, SEO professionals can continue to succeed in the age of AI. The key is to think like a real marketer, providing the information users want in a way that they want it. As SEO continues to evolve, those who can adapt will thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Introduction

The SEO landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with the rise of AI and its integration into search experiences. Google’s John Mueller, in a recent interview, discussed how SEO professionals need to adapt to these changes. The traditional focus on clicks and traffic is no longer sufficient; SEOs need to think like real marketers, focusing on user intent and providing genuine value. This article explores how SEO is evolving and what strategies you should adopt to stay ahead in 2025 and beyond.

The Shifting Focus of SEO

For years, SEOs have been focused on tactics to gain clicks, links, and rankings. While these are still important, they are not the sole drivers of success. According to Mueller, the SEO community needs to shift from simply chasing clicks to understanding what value they want to get out of the internet. Many people online wish SEO was dead, however, they don’t realize that SEO is what makes the internet work well. This shift requires a change in mindset, emphasizing a more holistic approach that incorporates marketing and user intent.

Technical SEO Remains Crucial

Despite the changes, technical SEO remains a crucial aspect of search optimization. Mueller emphasizes that technical SEO provides the foundation needed for large language models and AI systems to access internet content. Therefore, ensuring your website is technically sound will continue to be a necessity.

The Impact of AI Overviews

AI Overviews, much like featured snippets before them, are changing how users interact with search results. Instead of clicking on multiple results, users often get the answer directly in the AI overview. This means that SEOs need to think strategically about how to get their content surfaced in these overviews. It also means SEOs need to accept that users may not click through to their websites as much as they have previously.

Becoming a Real Marketer

To succeed in the evolving landscape, SEOs need to embrace a broader view of marketing. This means thinking beyond just the last click attribution and understanding the user’s full journey. Ryan Jones suggests that SEOs should focus on what users want, emphasizing that users often just want a quick answer and don’t want to wade through a lot of fluff on a website. This new approach requires SEOs to evolve into real marketers who focus on user intent and the overall value provided.