Staying Ahead in SEO: 2025 Trends, Search Behavior Shifts & E‑E‑A‑T Insights

About This Episode

Full Transcript

00:00:00:02 – 00:00:23:22
Aaron Basil:
Hi. Welcome back to another episode of SEO OnAir. I’m your host, Aaron Basil. And today I chat with Aaron Mackel, a seasoned SEO expert with deep experience across diverse industries. We talk about key topics like SEO trends, user intent, AI and content creation, and the role of creative. Aaron also shares his insights on reviews, search behavior changes, and how to measure SEO performance.

00:00:24:00 – 00:00:39:03
Aaron Basil:
This is a quick, insightful look into where SEO is headed and how to stay ahead. I hope you enjoy this episode. It is 2025, so I think one of the most asked questions of this year would probably be: What are some of the emerging trends in SEO and content that will dominate?

00:00:39:05 – 00:01:10:22
Aaron Mackel:
Yeah, for me, looking ahead, one thing that’s been sticking out is we have to be flexible. But I also don’t think we should panic or jump ship. If you think about SEO holistically — based on user intent and creating something really useful — a lot of that still applies.

00:01:10:22 – 00:01:51:04
Aaron Mackel:
I’ve been thinking a lot about this as everyone searches for answers. If you’re doing things in a quality way, you can stay the course while figuring out the nuances of what’s next. Beyond that, I think there’s a focus on committing to a core set of values and topics. Ranking across lots of verticals is getting harder. Google and other channels will prefer brands that are true topical experts on a small group of topics that align with what they offer.

00:01:51:04 – 00:02:21:00
Aaron Mackel:
So, we’re focusing more on not chasing too much and just being really, really good at something going forward.

00:02:21:02 – 00:02:35:21
Aaron Basil:
Yeah, a lot of people panic with every new algorithm update. But as you said, if you provide high-quality, helpful content, it matters less — you’ll keep ranking for your topics.

00:02:35:23 – 00:02:53:07
Aaron Mackel:
Exactly. Even with platforms like ChatGPT, they’ll still identify the best solution for their users. If you’re committed to providing that, you stand a good chance of being chosen — just like with Google over the past several years.

00:02:53:09 – 00:03:22:21
Aaron Basil:
It kind of feeds one into the other and makes a strong connection. Let’s take a real estate example. If I came to you as a new real estate agent and said, “Search behaviors are changing in 2025. What content strategies should I use to stay ahead?” — what would you say?

00:03:22:23 – 00:04:07:04
Aaron Mackel:
For a new business like that, I’d start with a solid website foundation. But for local businesses, I think reviews and a strong review strategy are huge. Get user-generated content from customers on an ongoing basis that mentions what matters to potential clients. Use prompts when requesting reviews so they cover important points.

00:04:07:06 – 00:05:08:21
Aaron Mackel:
When I experiment with AI search results, reviews are almost always the top factor influencing choices. I’ve seen businesses excel by making it easy for happy customers to leave reviews — for example, handing them a card with a QR code after service. This builds hundreds of reviews on Google Business Profiles, improving local search rankings and making you more visible in AI-generated results.

00:05:09:01 – 00:05:32:01
Aaron Basil & Aaron Mackel:
Aaron Basil asks if it’s okay to have employees leave reviews. Aaron Mackel advises against fake reviews — instead, empower employees to collect real ones and consider incentives or contests for who can get the most legitimate customer reviews.

00:05:32:01 – 00:06:16:23
Aaron Mackel:
Search behavior is shifting. Google still dominates transactional searches, but informational searches are increasingly going to platforms like YouTube and TikTok. People now prefer quick, visual content for how-to queries. Blogs that used to capture this traffic may see a decline, so brands need to adapt their strategy.

00:06:16:23 – 00:08:12:08
Aaron Mackel:
For E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), it’s now table stakes to have author bios and demonstrate expertise. But moving forward, it’s less about quantity and more about focus — owning a niche and producing authoritative content in that area. Chasing too many topics weakens perceived authority.

00:08:12:10 – 00:10:36:21
Aaron Mackel:
Google and users will value brands as experts in a narrowly defined area. Even if you hire multiple niche experts to write across many industries, it’s still costly and can dilute focus. Examples like Forbes show that even large, diverse-content sites can lose rankings when spread too thin.

00:10:36:23 – 00:15:08:08
Aaron Mackel:
Measuring SEO success is getting harder. Standard metrics like clicks, impressions, and visitors still matter, but attribution is murkier with multiple channels involved. In the future, visibility — especially in AI Overviews — may become a more important KPI than raw traffic.

00:15:08:10 – 00:17:35:17
Aaron Mackel:
I think as we go forward, attribution will change, and SEO won’t exist in a silo. We’ll need to look at how all marketing channels together drive visibility. Tools are evolving to measure AI Overview rankings, and I think visibility will matter more than traffic.

00:17:43:05 – 00:20:59:01
Aaron Mackel:
Shameless promotion segment: I’ve been at Heardat for over 12 years. We started as a marketing agency and grew into a full-service digital marketing firm — SEO, paid ads, email, social, web design, and development. We also run Nebraska’s largest sports network, covering pro and college teams. We use AI to repurpose our media content, turning hours of radio into clips and articles. AI helps us create more from what we already produce.

00:21:02:08 – 00:21:38:23
Aaron Mackel:
Visit heardat.com to explore our services. I’m most active on LinkedIn if you want to connect.

00:21:48:07 – 00:22:15:16
Aaron Basil:
Wrap-up: Thanks to Aaron Mackel for making complex SEO concepts digestible. Subscribe so you never miss an episode, leave a five-star rating, and visit stanventures.com for expert-driven SEO services.