SEO blogging strategy in 2025: Staying visible in an AI-driven world

Updated September 2025

Search has been changing fast. Since 2024, we’ve seen Google roll out AI Overviews, social search rise (TikTok and Instagram), and conversational AI tools like ChatGPT become part of every day life.

That means a blogging strategy isn’t just about keywords any more. It’s about visibility in an AI-driven world, and making sure your content is accurate, useful, and engaging for both people and AI-systems.

Even with zero-click results on the rise, updating your blog is still essential. AI can only summarise and cite what’s already published - if you’re not creating new and up to date content, you’re less likely to appear. Updated posts also reassure customers that your business is still active and trustworthy, which builds confidence when people do click through.

👉 Want the full picture? I’ve put together a free SEO and Visibility Guide with ten (plus a bonus) practical areas to focus on. [Download it here]

Key takeaways

• AI search is changing visibility. AI overviews, generative answers, and zero-click results mean content needs to go beyond traditional SEO. Success metrics also need to move from pure web clicks to counting impressions, brand mentions, and visibility.

• EEAT is still crucial. Writing human-first content that shows experience, expertise, authority, and trust is essential for both AI systems and human readers, giving better visibility in search results .

• Write conversational, structured content. Natural language, clear headings, and easy to skim formatting make your posts more useful and likely to be cited in AI search.

• Answer real questions with search intent in mind. Create content that reflects how people actually search (eg. voice search, conversational text questions), and match it to intent (learn, compare, buy).

• Diversify where you’re seen. Combine blog content with social media, email, and online communities like Reddit and Quora to stay visible across platforms.

What’s changed - moving from traditional search to generative search

Generative search (AI-powered) feels more like a conversation than a list of blue links. You ask a question in your own words - called natural-language - and the AI gives a concise answer, often with cited sources. If your website is one of those cited, you’ll get high-quality clicks because the result is so specific to the question. If not, you’ll miss out.

Here’s an example of how it works 👇

Ask ChatGPT for “good restaurants to take your partner to in xyz town”. You’ll get a useful list, but you can then refine it with follow up questions. Maybe your partner is gluten free, so you ask it to “refine the list and show only those with a gluten free menu”. You’ll get a more specific list - but can then refine even further by asking “only show those serving Italian food”.

In traditional search, you’d have to click on each of the listed blue links from Google to work out yourself whether the restaurant serves gluten free Italian food.

Popular AI search systems include:

• Google Gemini

• Microsoft Copilot

• ChatGPT Search

• Perplexity
  

The challenge of zero-click results for businesses

Zero-click results mean people get answers without visiting your site to read a full article. That said, if they do want more in-depth information, you may still get a click.

But we do need to adapt. SEO is still relevant, but we need to measure success differently. Instead of relying solely on website clicks, other metrics become just as important: impressions, AI visibility, social engagement, and brand mentions.

Eight top tips for writing SEO content

Ok, first of all, I want to emphasise that these tips help both people and search systems.

Writing better quality content, and structuring it in a conversational and logical way, benefits human readers - with the bonus that AI and search engines can process it more effectively.

For me, the main goal has always been to create interesting and useful content for people. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Show E-E-A-T in every post

Search engines and AI systems still value Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

• Experience: Sharing first-hand or life experience

• Expertise: Showing your knowledge, skill, or credentials

• Authoritativeness: Being a trusted and reliable source in your niche

• Trustworthiness: Using reliable sources and a secure website

Share your real-world experience, bring in expert authors, and give relevant insights. The more trustworthy your blog, the more likely AI is to pull from it.

I like to write blog posts from a human perspective first, then I structure them for search engines and AI systems.

2. Create genuinely useful content

Answer the real questions people have. Go to places like “People also ask”, Reddit, or Quora to see what people are struggling with, then write posts that answer those problems in detail.

• Cover topics in depth and from different angles

• Share your personal insights and experience

• Include expert opinions and cite credible sources

• Add the latest statistics and data

I tend to find that blog posts of around 2,000 words give the kind of breadth and depth I’m looking for - but make sure you’re not just fluffing a shorter post out. Quality is more important than quantity!

3. Keep it conversational

Personally, I love this part of how search has evolved! I naturally write in a conversational tone, and that’s what works for modern, natural language search too.

• Write like you’re chatting with a friend

• Make sure a 12 year old could follow along

• Avoid using unnecessary jargon

• Add stories, examples, and real-life scenarios
  

4. Structure content for people and machines

Adding structure to your blog posts is really important. It makes your posts easy for people to skim - and easy for AI to summarise.

• Use clear headings, sub headings, bullets, and lists

• Summarise your content with key takeaways

• Add internal links for easy navigation

• Keep paragraphs concise with clear, simple language
  

5. Make your site user-friendly

Ok, this part is a little more technical but it’s important! Search engines and AI systems look at the usability of your website - and people find this helpful too.

• Use a responsive design so your website automatically resizes to devices

• Check your site loading speed (look at PageSpeed Insights) and improve it by stopping auto-playing videos and reducing image sizes

• Fix any crawling or indexing errors, including broken links (look at Ahrefs broken link checker)

• Make sure the navigation is simple and intuitive

• Check for security (HTTPS - SSL certificate) and website accessiblity
  

6. Think search intent, not just keywords

Keywords are still useful but they’ve become more conversational. AI systems will pull entire answers from content that reflects how people are asking the question. It’s also important to match people’s intent to the content you publish.

• Long-tail keywords tend to reflect the real questions people ask

  • Short-tail keyword: Running shoes

  • Long-tail keyword: Best running shoes for winter?

• Blog posts are great for informational intent

• Product pages help with transactional content

• Comparison information is good for commercial intent
  

7. Develop topical authority

One-off posts are ok, but clusters of blog posts are better. They communicate that you’re a trusted expert, which helps reassure people and with AI search.

• Write a post such as How to overcome writer’s block

• Link to related articles like The pros and cons of using AI to write your content and How to outsource your content writing without losing quality

• Use internal links to help both readers and search engines find content
  

8. Diversify where you show up

AI systems value brand mentions as much as backlinks - but both help show you’re trustworthy. They’re third party endorsements which people find reassuring, so don’t just rely on Google.

• Share blog content via social media and your email list

• Build a presence on Wikepedia, Reddit, and Quora

• Write guest blog posts on other relevant high-quality websites

• Collaborate with industry leaders and build press relationships

• Encourage people to add online reviews and comment on social media

Top tip: Your email list doesn’t rely on algorithms 😉

Next steps

Generative search and AI overviews aren’t replacing blogging - they’re changing how we do it. The principles haven’t changed. Write high-quality, human-first content that genuinely helps your readers. Then, structure it for visibility across platforms.

Authenticity is one of the cornerstones for me. People want to connect with other people - and they want answers from real people who are happy to share their expertise and experience. That’s why communities like Reddit and Quora are so popular now.

If you’d like to see all of this in action, remember to grab a download of my free SEO and Online Visibility Guide. It breaks down all the key areas to focus on into practical steps you can apply straight away.

👉 [Download the free guide here]

And, if you’d like to talk through how to apply these ideas specifically to your business, let’s have a chat. I love helping people make their content more visible.