In this post, we’ll cover 10 search engine optimization trends that are happening right now.
By the end of this post, you’ll know:
- What’s working in SEO
- Where SEO is heading
- How to stay ahead of your competitors in search results
Let’s start.
1. AI-Generated SEO Content Is Gaining Popularity
AI writing tools help create large volumes of content quickly, allowing websites to cover more topics and target more keywords.
And people are using AI tools now more than ever.
Our 2024 AI Content Marketing Report for SMBs shows that 50% of marketers use AI to help with content writing.
But content that’s generated solely with AI often lacks uniqueness and depth. And AI-written articles on similar topics from you and competitors may look the same.
This is a problem because Google values uniqueness and whether your content is adding something new to the conversation.
Without proper editing and a concerted effort to include one-of-a-kind insights, AI content may fall short. Which can affect your search rankings.
How to Leverage This Trend
Generate the first draft of your content using an AI tool.
Then, enhance the generated content with real examples, stories, data, and other unique details to ensure the final content reflects your brand’s expertise and value.
This two-step approach helps you create unique content efficiently, while still aligning with what Google prioritizes.
Try using ContentShake AI to create drafts that you can polish.
After configuring the tool, it will generate a list of content ideas relevant to your brand.
From the ideas page, click “Start writing” on any idea you like. Or click “My own idea” if you have a topic in mind.
Enter your target keywords, word count, tone of voice specifications, and readability level.
Check the box next to “Add an extra SEO boost” to automatically optimize your article with up-to-date search data. Then, cli k “Create article.”
Based on your input, the tool will generate a first draft of your article.
Click “Go to editor” to edit this draft. And consider adding:
- Real examples
- Original data from your research or projects
- Expert insights from your industry experience
- Recent case studies you’ve worked on
- Customer stories and testimonials
- Industry trends you’ve observed
Once you’re done editing, you can publish the article directly with the WordPress integration or send it to Google Docs to share it with your team.
2. Matching Search Intent Is Even More Important
Google values content that best matches what users are searching for (their search intent), and this trend is only getting stronger.
Semrush’s ranking factors study confirms text relevance as the most important Google ranking factor today. Text relevance means how well your content matches what users want to find when they search.
Meaning your pages need to provide the most helpful information for specific queries. And align with what the searcher needs.
How to Leverage This Trend
Create content that matches search intent and update old content to make sure it still satisfies what users want.
The first step is to find the intent behind your target keywords.
You can do this by analyzing Google search results.
For example, when you search for “iphone 16 vs pixel 9,” the top results are all detailed comparison articles that analyze features and prices.
This means users probably want a side-by-side comparison to make an informed decision.
But not all search results clearly show intent.
For instance, Google shows a mix of results for “best yoga clothes”: major retailer product pages and review articles.
These mixed results show users might be in different stages. Some are ready to buy directly from trusted brands, others are still researching options through reviews.
For a more definitive way to identify search intent, use Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool.
Open the tool, enter your keyword (or a list of keywords), and click “Search.”
Check the “Intent” widget for one or more keyword intent types:
- Informational: Users want to learn something
- Navigational: Users are looking for a specific website or page
- Commercial: Users are doing research before buying
- Transactional: Users are ready to take action
Next, create content that matches the identified intent.
Study the top-ranking pages to better understand what format works best.
And regularly review and update your existing content to ensure it continues to match current search intent.
3. Firsthand Experience and Expertise Holds More Weight
Google added “Experience” to expand its Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) framework in 2022, putting more emphasis on an author’s acquired knowledge and skills.
The new framework is called E-E-A-T and is used by Google’s Search Quality Raters, who evaluate the quality of search results.
This means your team’s own expertise can make your content more useful and trustworthy to readers—and that’s what Google aims to prioritize.
How to Leverage This Trend
Create content that displays your experience and expertise by sharing unique insights in your articles.
It’s a good idea to develop author pages that highlight your team’s qualifications and specializations. Like this author page for one of Semrush’s writers:
While bylines don’t directly affect search rankings, they exhibit characteristics Google ranking systems associate with useful content As Google’s Public Liaison for Search Danny Sullivan said in this post:
You can also get experts to review your content for added credibility—especially on Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics. Like Healthline does here:
4. Alternative Search Engines and Platforms Are More Popular
SEO professionals are expanding their focus beyond Google to capture traffic from diverse search channels.
This shift is driven by evolving user behaviors and the need to mitigate risks from Google algorithm updates.
While Google still leads the search market, other platforms are gaining traction.
Bing’s search market share has increased in recent years.
TikTok is also becoming a go-to search platform—with 51% of Gen Z women preferring it over Google.
Even newer AI-powered search options like Perplexity and ChatGPT search are starting to attract users.
This diverse search market means you should think beyond Google when planning your SEO strategy.
How to Leverage This Trend
Here are a few tips:
- Focus on Bing SEO alongside Google. Read our Bing search guide for details.
- Stick to the SEO fundamentals of creating high-quality content and delivering a good user experience
- Develop an integrated marketing strategy across platforms
- Collaborate with your social media team to develop and optimize content for social search
- Monitor your site’s performance across multiple search engines to inform SEO decisions
- Stay informed about the latest SEO trends and consumer behaviors
SEO professionals are rapidly adopting AI tools to streamline their work.
Semrush’s survey reveals that 67% of businesses now use AI for SEO and content marketing tasks.
These tools excel at processing large datasets, identifying trends, and providing quick insights.
They can also assist with on-page and technical SEO analysis, speeding up traditionally time-consuming tasks.
That said, AI works best when combined with human expertise and strategic thinking.
How to Leverage This Trend
Test different AI SEO tools that align with your needs and determine how to incorporate them into your workflows.
Get started with Semrush Copilot, an AI SEO assistant that analyzes your site’s search performance.
It provides actionable recommendations by consolidating data from multiple Semrush tools and reports.
Use these insights to improve your search rankings and visibility.
Based on your needs, try other AI tools like:
- ChatGPT for content outlining and finding on-page optimizations
- LinkStorm for analyzing and improving your internal linking structure
- Market Brew for testing content performance across different search engines
6. Zero-Click Searches Are Changing Search Behavior
SparkToro research suggests nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click, meaning users no longer need to visit websites to get the information they’re looking for.
For example, this featured snippet succinctly answers the question on the results page:
This trend—driven by SERP features like featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI Overviews—presents opportunities as well.
For example:
- Your brand gains exposure even without clicks
- You can reach users early in their search journeys
- You can showcase expertise directly on the search results page
How to Leverage This Trend
You can appear in SERP features by focusing on core SEO best practices that are used by the ranking algorithm to rank any other search result.
Here are a few tips to consider:
- Create concise, informative content that directly answers common questions
- Structure content with clear headings and short paragraphs
- Use schema markup (markup that provides more information about your content) to help search engines understand your pages
- Improve your content’s readability for users and search engines
Then, use the Keyword Magic Tool to identify keywords where SERP features appear. And focus your efforts on optimizing for those opportunities.
Open the tool, enter a seed phrase (a broad term related to your niche), select a location, and enter “Search.”
You’ll see a list of keyword ideas. And the “SERP Features” column shows which SERP features the keywords trigger.
Visit the results pages for these terms to better understand what’s showing.
Then, optimize your content specifically for the SERP features you see (like creating a bulleted list for a featured snippet that lists steps). To increase your chances of appearing in SERP features.
Further reading: What Are Zero-Click Searches & How Do They Impact SEO?
7. User Experience Is Essential for Sustainable Organic Growth
Google emphasizes the importance of user experience—and we also know from the 2023 antitrust trial and leaked documents that user interaction signals impact rankings.
Much of this has to do with page experience, which includes factors like mobile-friendliness, security, and ease of navigation.
Google uses a set of metrics called the Core Web Vitals to assess how user-friendly your site is.
These metrics include the following:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How quickly the main content loads
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How fast the page responds to user input
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How stable the page layout is while loading
How to Leverage This Trend
Create a user-friendly website by optimizing key elements that impact user experience, such as page speed and navigation.
Start by implementing these best practices:
- Optimize your page speed by compressing images, removing unused plugins, and minimizing JavaScript and CSS files
- Choose mobile-responsive themes from your platform’s library (WordPress, Shopify, or similar)
- Keep your main menu logical and organized
- Avoid pop-ups. If needed, use only one subtle and easily dismissable pop-up per page for essential messages.
- Set your body text to common web fonts in large enough sizes for easy reading
- Contact your hosting provider to set up SSL certification and enable HTTPS for secure browsing
Next, check if your changes are working.
Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool for this..
Open the tool, enter your domain, and click “Start Audit.”
Complete the configuration steps and run your audit.
Then, l at the “Core Web Vitals” section under “Thematic Reports.” And click “View details.”
Review your pages’ statuses and historical performance.
Check the “Top Improvements” tips for and work to implement them (you may need to ask a developer for help).
8. Hyper-Focused Keyword Research Is Key for Niche Markets
Keyword research that’s more focused on long-tail search phrases with clearer search intents are even more crucial for brands with smaller or newer websites.
In fact, 10- to-15-word keywords get 1.76x more clicks than single-word terms.
These phrases also tend to be easier to rank for. Because fewer websites target them.
And since they’re more specific (like “best budget gaming laptop under 800” vs. just “laptop”), they attract users who generally know what they want.
By targeting highly specific search terms, you can achieve higher rankings and reach users who are more likely to convert.
How to Leverage This Trend
Optimize your content with more specific keywords that match exactly what your target audience is searching for.
Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find these keywords.
When running your search, add your domain to the “AI-powered feature” field to see your Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score. Which shows how difficult it will be for your exact domain to rank well for that keyword.
Then, click on the “Personal KD %” filter, enter “29” in the “To” field, and click “Apply” to see keywords that are easy for your site to rank highly for.
Many of these will be long-tail keywords.
Review the list and select keywords that are especially relevant to your niche.
Create a content calendar around them. And develop in-depth content that addresses user intent for each term.
9. Local SEO Isn’t Just Google Business Profile Optimization
Local search results are becoming richer and more diverse thanks to features like local packs, knowledge panels, and image carousels—and appearing in those varied places is crucial for success.
This means your local SEO strategy must go beyond creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP).
You need to build a comprehensive online presence that establishes your business as a trusted, authoritative entity.
Factors like reviews, online mentions, and structured data can significantly influence your local search visibility.
How to Leverage This Trend
Focus on building your business’s reputation and visibility across your local community to improve local search rankings.
First, use Semrush’s Listing Management tool to ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) information is consistent across directories.
After you sign up for a plan, go to the “Listings” tab to see your NAP information across directories. The tool will highlight inconsistent information that you should fix.
Then, focus on customer feedback. Ask customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, and other platforms where local prospects look for businesses like yours.
And respond to all feedback promptly to show you value customer input.
Use Semrush’s Review Management to manage reviews across multiple platforms.
Open the tool and enter your business name. Select the right business from the drop-down menu that appears and click the search icon.
Once the tool is set up, look at your reviews.
You can even use AI to generate responses to Google reviews. And set up automatic replies.
Next, make your website a local resource hub with content specifically for your local audience.
You can do this by:
- Adding location-specific pages to your website with unique local insights
- Sharing success stories featuring local customers
- Providing information about your neighborhood and community
Check out Semrush’s free local SEO course that teaches best practices for attracting local customers.
Adapt to the Latest SEO Trends
SEO trends will continue to evolve—and some of the ones we mentioned in this article will become more prominent.
But the fundamentals will remain the same:
- Publish helpful content relevant to your audience
- Deliver an excellent user experience
Semrush offers SEO tools to help you do both.
Start your free trial today.