3 SEO priorities to win organic traffic in 2025
3 SEO priorities to win organic traffic in 2025 With AI interfaces consuming search real estate, see where organic clicks are still occurring and how to capture them before the window closes. AI didn’t kill search – it just made winning organic traffic more complicated. As AI interfaces and changing search behavior shape the environment, SEO now takes more than basic tactics. Information demands are as great as ever, yet with zero-click searches, AI-powered suggestions, and booming platforms, gaining visibility in 2025 requires a more strategic, data-based approach. The state of search today: Top trends driving strategy As the head of leading SEO strategy at an agency, I’m consistently asked, “With AI all around, how do we adjust our methodology to organic?” Rather than speculate, I’ve consolidated the recent data I’m sharing with clients and what’s actually working. Here are a few headline trends and stats to consider. Google Search volume is still exploding despite AI Google now handles over 5 trillion searches per year, or roughly 13.7 billion searches per day. This growth shows that demand for information remains strong even as AI interfaces proliferate. ChatGPT’s user base has surged As of February, ChatGPT has 400 million weekly active users, up 33% in three months. Of those, around 37.5 million interact with search-like queries on a daily basis, which accrues to a total market share of 0.25%. Early brand indicators indicate referral traffic from AI chat platforms is extremely qualified. Users have faith in AI suggestions and submit very targeted questions, for example, “What is the optimal solution to problem X? Zero-click searches are the new normal Almost 60% of U.S. Google searches now conclude without a click, according to SparkToro. This trend opens up new possibilities for on-SERP visibility and raises the bar for competing with Google’s AI Overviews and direct answers from ChatGPT. What does this imply for your organic strategy? And, more importantly, how can you make sure your SEO work pays off today – and in the AI-driven future? Before we panic, note that success in this new environment is still built on a solid SEO foundation. The fundamental strategies that cut it from 2015 to 2023 are still essential but now require an AI-smart wrapper. This post addresses the fundamentals of contemporary SEO and how I’m modifying them based on research, observation, and experience. Each section is ranked according to what my agency prioritizes first. 1. Funnel‑driven content distribution The most significant choice is where you play in the funnel. AI is affecting the top of the funnel more than any other phase. Zero‑click rates for information queries are around 60-70%, and MOFU and BOFU queries still generate actual clicks. From a SparkToro clickstream study: Funnel stage Query type % of all searches Zero‑click rate (Estimates) Top‑of‑Funnel (TOFU) Informational (e.g., “What is X?”, “How to Y?”) 52.65% (SparkToro) High (→ overall US zero‑click is 58.5%, and informational queries skew above that) Middle‑of‑Funnel (MOFU) Commercial research (e.g., “Best X 2024”, “X vs. Y”) 14.51% (SparkToro) Moderate (likely around overall average, ~50–60% zero‑click) Bottom‑of‑Funnel (BOFU) Transactional + Navigational (e.g., “Buy X online”, “Brand site”) 32.15% nav + 0.69% trans ≈ 32.84% (SparkToro) Low (< 20% zero‑click; most users click an ad or result) When should you prioritize TOFU? TOFU still plays a role in establishing topical authority, but it has trade‑offs. Informational content can increase internal linking and authority, but infrequently generate clicks or direct ROI. Advantages Brand visibility when your name is seen on general searches, even without a click. Creates a base for topic authority by answering essential questions in your domain. Aids indirect ranking benefit through enhanced internal linking and site organization. Disadvantages Top effort with low short-term return. Too much informational content will reduce overall site engagement metrics. That being said, if you opt to go after TOFU, accept that the actual play is winning the AI Overviews. In order to do that, the classic featured snippet tactics are effective and ought to be included within your TOFU content. Tip: Optimize for on‑SERP value, if you opt to go after TOFU. Begin with a 1–2 sentence definition. Continue with concise lists or tables under H2 headings. Add FAQ schema so AI Overviews continue to attribute your brand. Prioritizing TOFU concerns We prioritize TOFU if the client must create topical authority by further discussing topics that they have not previously touched upon. However, we do it when the MOFU and BOFU content has been drained for the keyword environment. Our primary focus remains on the rankings of MOFU and BOFU. MOFU is our sweet spot Each SEO initiative has time and resource limitations, so we need to strategically target our efforts. The real question is where to target – on a few select pages or a huge list? The response varies according to the objective, but generally, the target is to enhance revenue in a speedy manner. Considering these limitations, optimization at the MOFU and BOFU stages tends to produce better results than TOFU for most websites. Commercial intent questions such as “best CRM software for SMBs” continue to generate clicks and conversions. Despite accounting for just 14.5% of searches, they have a significantly lower zero-click rate. Appearing in top three positions on these terms has had the most significant bottom‑line effect on our clients. Winning at MOFU Produce “best X” and “X vs Y” content, often pulled into ChatGPT and Google AI answers. Use these pages as hubs, with concentrated internal linking to indicate their significance. Link acquisition should be prioritized around these comparison/consideration articles. BOFU is still key for making the sale Transactional and navigational searches like “YourBrand login,” “product price,” or “coupon codes” experience lowest zero‑click rates. These terms tend to suggest users are willing to buy or interact. While search volume is lesser, conversion potential is gigantic. Important BOFU strategies Track rankings tightly and optimize on-page factors for user experience and readability. Include concise calls to action and schema for price, product, and offer information. Use remarketing to re‑engage