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In this post, we'll screen 10 hunt motor optimization trends that are happening close now.
By the extremity of this post, you'll know:
- What's moving successful SEO
- Where SEO is heading
- How to enactment up of your competitors successful hunt results
Let's start.
1. AI-Generated SEO Content Is Gaining Popularity
AI penning tools assistance make ample volumes of contented quickly, allowing websites to screen much topics and people much keywords.
And radical are utilizing AI tools present much than ever.
Our 2024 AI Content Marketing Report for SMBs shows that 50% of marketers usage AI to assistance with contented writing.

But contented that’s generated solely with AI often lacks uniqueness and depth. And AI-written articles connected akin topics from you and competitors whitethorn look the same.
This is simply a occupation due to the fact that Google values uniqueness and whether your contented is adding thing caller to the conversation.
Without due editing and a concerted effort to see one-of-a-kind insights, AI contented whitethorn autumn short. Which tin impact your search rankings.
How to Leverage This Trend
Generate the archetypal draught of your contented utilizing an AI tool.
Then, heighten the generated contented with existent examples, stories, data, and different unsocial details to guarantee the last contented reflects your brand's expertise and value.
This two-step attack helps you make unsocial contented efficiently, portion inactive aligning with what Google prioritizes.
Try utilizing ContentShake AI to make drafts that you tin polish.
After configuring the tool, it volition make a database of contented ideas applicable to your brand.
From the ideas page, click "Start writing" connected immoderate thought you like. Or click "My ain idea" if you person a taxable successful mind.

Enter your people keywords, connection count, tone of voice specifications, and readability level.
Check the container adjacent to "Add an other SEO boost" to automatically optimize your nonfiction with up-to-date hunt data. Then, cli k "Create article."

Based connected your input, the instrumentality volition make a archetypal draught of your article.
Click "Go to editor" to edit this draft. And see adding:
- Real examples
- Original information from your probe oregon projects
- Expert insights from your manufacture experience
- Recent lawsuit studies you've worked on
- Customer stories and testimonials
- Industry trends you've observed

Once you’re done editing, you tin people the nonfiction straight with the WordPress integration oregon nonstop it to Google Docs to stock it with your team.
2. Matching Search Intent Is Even More Important
Google values contented that champion matches what users are searching for (their hunt intent), and this inclination is lone getting stronger.
Semrush’s ranking factors study confirms substance relevance arsenic the astir important Google ranking origin today. Text relevance means however good your contented matches what users privation to find erstwhile they search.

Meaning your pages request to supply the astir adjuvant accusation for circumstantial queries. And align with what the searcher needs.
How to Leverage This Trend
Create contented that matches hunt intent and update aged contented to marque definite it inactive satisfies what users want.
The archetypal measurement is to find the intent down your people keywords.
You tin bash this by analyzing Google hunt results.
For example, erstwhile you hunt for "iphone 16 vs pixel 9," the apical results are each elaborate examination articles that analyse features and prices.
This means users astir apt privation a side-by-side examination to marque an informed decision.

But not each hunt results intelligibly amusement intent.
For instance, Google shows a premix of results for “best yoga clothes”: large retailer merchandise pages and reappraisal articles.

These mixed results amusement users mightiness beryllium successful antithetic stages. Some are acceptable to bargain straight from trusted brands, others are inactive researching options done reviews.
For a much definitive mode to place hunt intent, usage Semrush's Keyword Overview tool.
Open the tool, participate your keyword (or a database of keywords), and click "Search."

Check the "Intent" widget for 1 oregon much keyword intent types:
- Informational: Users privation to larn something
- Navigational: Users are looking for a circumstantial website oregon page
- Commercial: Users are doing probe earlier buying
- Transactional: Users are acceptable to instrumentality action

Next, make contented that matches the identified intent.
Study the top-ranking pages to amended recognize what format works best.
And regularly reappraisal and update your existing contented to guarantee it continues to lucifer existent hunt intent.
3. Firsthand Experience and Expertise Holds More Weight
Google added "Experience" to grow its Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) model successful 2022, putting much accent connected an author's acquired cognition and skills.
The caller model is called E-E-A-T and is utilized by Google’s Search Quality Raters, who measure the prime of hunt results.
This means your team’s ain expertise tin marque your contented much utile and trustworthy to readers—and that’s what Google aims to prioritize.
How to Leverage This Trend
Create content that displays your acquisition and expertise by sharing unsocial insights successful your articles.
It’s a bully thought to make writer pages that item your team’s qualifications and specializations. Like this writer leafage for 1 of Semrush’s writers:

While bylines don’t straight impact hunt rankings, they grounds characteristics Google ranking systems subordinate with utile contented As Google’s Public Liaison for Search Danny Sullivan said successful this post:

You tin besides get experts to reappraisal your contented for added credibility—especially connected Your Money oregon Your Life (YMYL) topics. Like Healthline does here:

4. Alternative Search Engines and Platforms Are More Popular
SEO professionals are expanding their absorption beyond Google to seizure postulation from divers hunt channels.
This displacement is driven by evolving idiosyncratic behaviors and the request to mitigate risks from Google algorithm updates.
While Google inactive leads the hunt market, different platforms are gaining traction.
Bing's hunt market stock has increased successful caller years.
TikTok is besides becoming a go-to hunt platform—with 51% of Gen Z women preferring it implicit Google.
Even newer AI-powered hunt options similar Perplexity and ChatGPT hunt are starting to pull users.
This divers hunt marketplace means you should deliberation beyond Google erstwhile readying your SEO strategy.
How to Leverage This Trend
Here are a fewer tips:
- Focus connected Bing SEO alongside Google. Read our Bing hunt guide for details.
- Stick to the SEO fundamentals of creating high-quality contented and delivering a bully idiosyncratic experience
- Develop an integrated marketing strategy crossed platforms
- Collaborate with your societal media squad to make and optimize contented for societal search
- Monitor your site's show crossed aggregate hunt engines to pass SEO decisions
- Stay informed astir the latest SEO trends and user behaviors
SEO professionals are rapidly adopting AI tools to streamline their work.
Semrush’s survey reveals that 67% of businesses present usage AI for SEO and contented marketing tasks.

These tools excel astatine processing ample datasets, identifying trends, and providing speedy insights.
They tin besides assistance with on-page and technical SEO analysis, speeding up traditionally time-consuming tasks.
That said, AI works champion erstwhile combined with quality expertise and strategical thinking.
How to Leverage This Trend
Test antithetic AI SEO tools that align with your needs and find however to incorporated them into your workflows.
Get started with Semrush Copilot, an AI SEO adjunct that analyzes your site's hunt performance.
It provides actionable recommendations by consolidating information from aggregate Semrush tools and reports.

Use these insights to amended your hunt rankings and visibility.
Based connected your needs, effort different AI tools like:
- ChatGPT for contented outlining and uncovering on-page optimizations
- LinkStorm for analyzing and improving your interior linking structure
- Market Brew for investigating contented show crossed antithetic hunt engines
6. Zero-Click Searches Are Changing Search Behavior
SparkToro probe suggests astir 60% of Google searches present extremity without a click, meaning users nary longer request to sojourn websites to get the accusation they’re looking for.
For example, this featured snippet succinctly answers the question connected the results page:

This trend—driven by SERP features similar featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI Overviews—presents opportunities arsenic well.
For example:
- Your marque gains vulnerability adjacent without clicks
- You tin scope users aboriginal successful their hunt journeys
- You tin showcase expertise straight connected the hunt results page
How to Leverage This Trend
You tin look successful SERP features by focusing connected halfway SEO champion practices that are utilized by the ranking algorithm to fertile immoderate different hunt result.
Here are a fewer tips to consider:
- Create concise, informative contented that straight answers communal questions
- Structure contented with wide headings and abbreviated paragraphs
- Use schema markup (markup that provides much accusation astir your content) to assistance hunt engines recognize your pages
- Improve your content's readability for users and hunt engines
Then, usage the Keyword Magic Tool to place keywords wherever SERP features appear. And absorption your efforts connected optimizing for those opportunities.
Open the tool, participate a effect operation (a wide word related to your niche), prime a location, and participate “Search.”

You’ll spot a database of keyword ideas. And the “SERP Features” file shows which SERP features the keywords trigger.

Visit the results pages for these presumption to amended recognize what’s showing.
Then, optimize your contented specifically for the SERP features you spot (like creating a bulleted database for a featured snippet that lists steps). To summation your chances of appearing successful 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 value of idiosyncratic experience—and we besides cognize from the 2023 antitrust proceedings and leaked documents that idiosyncratic enactment signals interaction rankings.
Much of this has to bash with page experience, which includes factors similar mobile-friendliness, security, and easiness of navigation.
Google uses a acceptable of metrics called the Core Web Vitals to measure however user-friendly your tract is.
These metrics see the following:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How rapidly the main contented loads
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How accelerated the leafage responds to idiosyncratic input
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How unchangeable the leafage layout is portion loading
How to Leverage This Trend
Create a user-friendly website by optimizing cardinal elements that interaction idiosyncratic experience, specified arsenic leafage velocity and navigation.
Start by implementing these champion 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 room (WordPress, Shopify, oregon similar)
- Keep your main paper logical and organized
- Avoid pop-ups. If needed, usage lone 1 subtle and easy dismissable pop-up per leafage for indispensable messages.
- Set your assemblage substance to communal web fonts successful ample capable sizes for casual reading
- Contact your hosting supplier to acceptable up SSL certification and alteration HTTPS for unafraid browsing
Next, cheque if your changes are working.
Use Semrush's Site Audit instrumentality for this..
Open the tool, participate your domain, and click "Start Audit."

Complete the configuration steps and tally your audit.
Then, l astatine the "Core Web Vitals" conception nether "Thematic Reports." And click "View details."

Review your pages' statuses and humanities performance.
Check the "Top Improvements" tips for and enactment to instrumentality them (you whitethorn request to inquire a developer for help).

8. Hyper-Focused Keyword Research Is Key for Niche Markets
Keyword research that’s much focused connected long-tail hunt phrases with clearer hunt intents are adjacent much important for brands with smaller oregon newer websites.
In fact, 10- to-15-word keywords get 1.76x much clicks than single-word terms.
These phrases besides thin to beryllium easier to fertile for. Because less websites people them.
And since they're much circumstantial (like "best fund gaming laptop nether 800" vs. conscionable "laptop"), they pull users who mostly cognize what they want.
By targeting highly circumstantial hunt terms, you tin execute higher rankings and scope users who are much apt to convert.
How to Leverage This Trend
Optimize your contented with much circumstantial keywords that lucifer precisely what your people assemblage is searching for.
Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find these keywords.
When moving your search, adhd your domain to the "AI-powered feature" tract to spot your Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score. Which shows however hard it volition beryllium for your nonstop domain to fertile good for that keyword.

Then, click connected the “Personal KD %” filter, participate “29” successful the “To” field, and click “Apply” to spot keywords that are casual for your tract to fertile highly for.
Many of these volition beryllium long-tail keywords.

Review the database and prime keywords that are particularly applicable to your niche.
Create a content calendar astir them. And make in-depth contented that addresses idiosyncratic intent for each term.
9. Local SEO Isn’t Just Google Business Profile Optimization
Local hunt results are becoming richer and much divers acknowledgment to features similar section packs, cognition panels, and representation carousels—and appearing successful those varied places is important for success.
This means your local SEO strategy indispensable spell beyond creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP).
You request to physique a broad online beingness that establishes your concern arsenic a trusted, authoritative entity.
Factors similar reviews, online mentions, and structured information tin importantly power your section hunt visibility.
How to Leverage This Trend
Focus connected gathering your business's estimation and visibility crossed your section assemblage to amended section hunt rankings.
First, usage Semrush's Listing Management instrumentality to guarantee your name, address, and telephone fig (NAP) accusation is accordant crossed directories.
After you motion up for a plan, spell to the "Listings" tab to spot your NAP accusation crossed directories. The instrumentality volition item inconsistent accusation that you should fix.

Then, absorption connected lawsuit feedback. Ask customers to permission reviews connected Google, Yelp, and different platforms wherever section prospects look for businesses similar yours.
And respond to each feedback promptly to amusement you worth lawsuit input.
Use Semrush's Review Management to negociate reviews crossed aggregate platforms.
Open the instrumentality and participate your concern name. Select the close concern from the drop-down paper that appears and click the hunt icon.

Once the instrumentality is acceptable up, look astatine your reviews.
You tin adjacent usage AI to make responses to Google reviews. And acceptable up automatic replies.

Next, marque your website a section assets hub with contented specifically for your section audience.
You tin bash this by:
- Adding location-specific pages to your website with unsocial section insights
- Sharing occurrence stories featuring section customers
- Providing accusation astir your vicinity and community
Check retired Semrush’s free section SEO course that teaches champion practices for attracting section customers.
Adapt to the Latest SEO Trends
SEO trends volition proceed to evolve—and immoderate of the ones we mentioned successful this nonfiction volition go much prominent.
But the fundamentals volition stay the same:
- Publish adjuvant contented applicable to your audience
- Deliver an fantabulous idiosyncratic experience
Semrush offers SEO tools to assistance you bash both.
Start your free trial today.