We get a lot of questions from clients about the value of sustained investment in SEO. Their concerns are understandable. Users are feeling more dissatisfied with the quality of search results. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) have changed dramatically to favor featured results that content creators have limited control over. It’s only natural to wonder if higher search engine rankings are even worth the effort, anymore.
Here at Northwoods, we’re nothing if not honest. If the potential of a channel or tactic we’re leveraging dries up, we’re the first to call it out with our clients and change strategies. And my honest answer is still this: investing in good SEO is more important than ever.
All these recent changes to how search engines function have created a challenging environment for site owners and content creators – but the benefits of strong SEO still dramatically outweigh the costs.
Why is SEO More Important Now?
1. Greater Competition for Less Space
SERP page changes may have pushed the number one ranking below the fold (if there are paid search ads, at least) but that doesn’t mean the top spot isn’t valuable. Typically, somewhere around 33% of all SERP traffic goes straight to the first result, with the rest of the results and content features fighting it out over the rest. That’s a sizable chunk of organic traffic for any given search.
Search Features like AI overviews and “People Also Asked” results can drive traffic, too, but not quite at the same rate as a top 5 search ranking. It’s worth tracking those search feature placements too, though! As users adapt to the new reality of Google search, they’re learning to engage with these features more frequently.
2. Organic Traffic is the Most Likely to Engage
There’s a very good reason why businesses fight for users from search engines. Organic search traffic converts at the highest rate because users are actively hunting for an answer, service, or product. They’ve already decided that they’re shopping for something, whether they have something specific in mind or not.
That’s what makes search engine traffic so uniquely valuable. It’s a base of users that want to engage with your product or service. As long as that’s still the case, SEO will remain an essential part of any digital strategy. Understanding what those audiences are looking for and creating content to serve that need is the fundamental challenge of SEO. But sites that do it well always stand to gain traffic.
3. Search Is Still How People Find Things Online
With the growing use of voice assistants, AI-driven search features, social media sites, and localized queries, users experience search in a wide variety of ways. Search engines remain the primary gateway to information on the web. Being visible in strategically relevant searches can be transformative for any business.
Search engines have also fundamentally altered how web users navigate websites. Users aren’t interacting with navigation menus as frequently, instead turning to Google for a direct path to the content that’s most relevant to them. Because of this, SEO isn’t just about visibility and marketing anymore – it’s an essential part of the user experience. Site owners should be thinking of search engines as an extended facet of their own site navigation interface.
4. SEO is Cost Effective
Any comprehensive digital marketing strategy will balance organic search results and content creation with paid ad placements on search engines and other channels. But between SEO and digital ads, there’s no doubt which one is cheaper.
Since paid ads use your budget to drive immediate traffic, they can seem like the best path to more immediate value. But getting high-quality, relevant traffic that moves the conversion needle can take time. Earning higher rankings in search can take time and effort, too. But as long as you’re targeting relevant keywords, you’re very likely to reach an actively engaged audience when those rankings go up.
This is why paid ads and SEO work so well together. Paid ads are more costly but drive immediate traffic within the parameters you set. SEO costs are only measured in time spent working on SEO – but the potential to drive entirely new, engaged traffic is substantial.
And with modern research and auditing tools, the processes of addressing technical SEO needs and creating new content are both much, much faster.
5. It Works (When Done Right)
High-quality, frequent content updates. Lean pages that keep load times down. Strategically focused keyword targets. Spotless technical SEO audits. Authoritative internal and external backlinks. These have been the key elements of effective SEO for years.
Even with all this upheaval, the fundamentals of SEO remain the same. Why? Because creating a website that responds to what your users are searching for drives traffic, increases engagement, and drives search rankings up.
It may take time to see results but (in my experience) with strategic keyword targeting and focused effort, rankings tend to shift over time towards the site that steadily produces useful, optimized content.
Top SEO Tactics to Prioritize in 2025
We’ve covered a few of these tactics in-depth in a previous article about the impact of AI on SEO and in our recent Roadmap to Digital Marketing Success webinar. But here’s a broad, quick breakdown of what to dive into this year.
1. Focus on User Intent
Understanding and addressing user intent is more important as Google’s algorithm becomes more sophisticated. Provide clear, actionable, and valuable information that anticipates and meets user needs.
2. Embrace AI and Automation
Don’t shy away from using AI. Use LLMs like ChatGPT and AI functionality in existing marketing tools to simplify idea generation, keyword research, and content optimization.
3. Optimize for Voice and Visual Search
With the growth of voice and visual search, optimizing for these mediums is crucial. Keep an eye out for conversational keywords in keyword research and optimize accordingly.
4. Implement Structured Data and Schema Markup
Structured data enhances how your content appears in search results. Make sure your schema markup is set up to take advantage of new search features.
5. Core Web Vitals Optimization
Improve Core Web Vitals (page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability) to improve user experience and rankings.
6. Leverage Local SEO for “Near Me” Searches
Local SEO is critical for businesses targeting nearby customers. Use localized keywords, encourage user reviews, and optimize Google Business Profiles with accurate information.
7. Refresh Content Regularly
Don’t have the time to produce tons of new content? Updating existing content ensures it remains relevant and keeps driving traffic. Or let us help out with our SEO content services!
8. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks from authoritative sites remain a key ranking factor – the key phrase being “authoritative.” Focus on earning links from high-quality sites with your own great content, disavow low-quality backlinks, and never buy backlinks.
If you need assistance with SEO strategy and execution, our expert SEO and content strategy team is here to help! Learn more and reach out to get started.