Start Now to Stay Ahead
We’re more than halfway through 2025, and that means now is the time to take stock of your SEO performance and prepare for what’s next. At Digital Hothouse, we work closely with clients across New Zealand and the UK to build SEO strategies aligned to financial years, calendar years, or simply the reality of right now.
Search continues to evolve rapidly. With the global rollout of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and the growing dominance of AI-powered engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, search is no longer just about blue links on a search engine results page (SERP). It’s about being cited, summarised, and trusted by generative AI.
That’s why your 2025 SEO strategy should start now. Here’s how to prepare, what to prioritise, and how we’re helping clients embrace the future of search.
What Should Your Mid-Year SEO Audit Focus On?
If you haven’t already audited your SEO performance in 2025, now’s the time. In July, you should be reviewing:
- Traffic and keyword trends (vs. H1)
- Crawlability and Core Web Vitals
- Your appearance in AI-generated summaries and snippets
- Changes in competitor content strategies
This gives you the insights to shape your strategy for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.
What Are the Core SEO Priorities for 2025?
1. Should You Still Optimise for Mobile First?
Yes. With mobile accounting for over 60% of web traffic, mobile-first indexing continues to be a core ranking factor.
But it’s not just about ticking a box. In 2025, we’re focused on mobile usability – from tap targets to navigation depth. Many brands still struggle to optimise Core Web Vitals on mobile, especially LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift). This is where our development team partners closely with design and UX to lift performance without sacrificing brand feel.
2. How Do You Optimise for AI Search and SGE?
Welcome to the era of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), the evolution of SEO that ensures your content is:
- Discoverable and credible in AI-generated responses
- Structured in ways that match natural language prompts
- Rich in topical authority, entity coverage, and semantic context
If you want your brand to be cited in platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity, your content needs to:
- Answer questions clearly
- Use descriptive headings
- Link to credible sources (like Wikipedia)
- Provide unique, valuable insights
Pro tip: Use tools like AlsoAsked or Perplexity’s search UI to see how people phrase queries in AI platforms, and match that language in your content.
Explore our AI SEO Optimisation Services to learn how we’re helping clients build GEO-ready content.
3. How Are AI Tools Transforming SEO Strategy?
The use of generative artificial intelligence in SEO has gone from early adoption to everyday workflow. At Digital Hothouse, AI helps us:
- Analyse competitors faster
- Cluster and expand keywords based on intent
- Identify on-page gaps using tools like Surfer SEO, Geoptie, MarketMuse and Clearscope
- Automate performance reports and change tracking
We’ve documented our approach in our whitepaper on the future of AI in SEO.
4. What Does Great Content Look Like in 2025?
In the age of SGE and LLM-powered search, great content:
- Reflects topical depth, not just surface-level answers
- Includes visual elements like charts and infographics
- Answers multiple related questions in a structured way
- Avoids being “just another AI-generated post”
Our human-led content strategy always asks: “Is this content helpful, trustworthy, and different?”
Content formats to embrace now:
- Long-form articles with semantic structure
- Expert-led opinion pieces and interviews
- FAQ-rich landing pages
- AI-assisted visual content (e.g. AI prompt-generated charts)
5. Are Backlinks Still Worth Pursuing?
Absolutely. Despite the rise of AI, backlinks remain a fundamental trust signal. However, in 2025 the bar is higher:
- Links must come from relevant, high-authority sources
- AI can help you find opportunities, but human outreach still builds the relationship
At Digital Hothouse, we specialise in link acquisition that adds value, not just for SEO, but for brand awareness and referral traffic. No shady tactics, just white hat strategy and results.
6. Why Is UX Central to SEO Success in 2025?
Search engines now understand how people interact with your website, not just what’s on the page. Google’s Helpful Content System and SGE reward pages that:
- Load quickly
- Are easy to navigate
- Feature clear content hierarchies
Tools like GA4, Hotjar, and Search Console help us uncover friction points and fix them.
7. What Is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Why Does It Matter?
GEO is the practice of optimising content for generative AI platforms, not just traditional search engines.
That means:
- Structuring your answers like an LLM would generate them
- Using terms and entities that appear in large language models
- Formatting content to be easily cited (e.g. concise answers under H2s, bolded summaries, rich FAQs)
Want to know more? Read our post on GEO vs Traditional SEO
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I focus on for SEO in the second half of 2025?
Start preparing your 2026 content and keyword strategy, optimise for GEO, improve Core Web Vitals, and audit your presence in AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
Is SEO still relevant with AI search engines?
More than ever. But the goal has shifted from ranking in a list of 10 links to being cited by generative engines. SEO and GEO now go hand in hand.
Can AI write SEO content for me?
AI can assist in drafting, outlining, and optimising, but human expertise is still critical for producing content that builds authority, E-E-A-T, and trust.
How is SEO different in 2025 compared to 2024?
2025 is the year GEO became mainstream. With SGE rolled out globally, and AI platforms accounting for a significant share of discovery, your strategy now needs to address both traditional and generative engines.
Ready to Rethink Your SEO Strategy for the Rest of 2025?
From technical audits and AI content optimisation to backlink acquisition and UX improvements, Digital Hothouse delivers future-proof SEO solutions that grow organic visibility, on Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and beyond.
Want to talk strategy over coffee? Let’s chat. Or download our whitepaper on the future of search and AI to get up to speed.