SEO is changing fast. To stay ahead and get better search rankings in 2025, you need to avoid common mistakes. Here are some key things to focus on to improve your SEO strategy.

1. Stop Overcomplicating SEO

It's easy to get lost in too much SEO information. The best way to improve is to focus on a few key areas instead of trying to do everything.

Our agency focuses on these things:

• Schema implementation

• Bottom-of-funnel blog content

• Collection page creation and updates

• Internal linking and link insertions

• Tiered links

We don't spend a lot of time on technical SEO or other types of link building. By focusing on these five things, we get better results for our clients.

2. Don't Try to Optimize for Every Search Engine and LLM

Many people want to optimize for every search engine and LLM (Large Language Model). LLMs use different knowledge bases to train their models. For example, Perplexity uses Yelp, while others use Google.

It's better to focus on Google. Studies show that ranking high on Google also increases your visibility on LLMs. The basics that work on Google also work for LLMs:

• Good content

• Site structure

• Schema

• Backlinks

You can't optimize for Google, chat, and other platforms at the same time. If you try, your content and links will be all over the place, and you won't get good results on any platform.

3. Stop Wasting Time Planning Your SEO, Just EXECUTE

The best thing you can do in SEO is to watch what works, test it, and do more of what works. If something doesn't work, stop doing it and find something else to try.

Don't wait for things to be perfect before you act. You can't wait for:

• Perfect content

• Perfect backlinks

In today's fast-changing SEO environment, you need to take action. If you wait too long to plan your SEO strategy, it will likely be outdated by the time you start using it.

If you run a small to mid-size business, you can act faster than bigger companies. Speed is your biggest advantage in SEO. You can test things and get results faster than your competitors.

4. Start Building Backlinks

Many SEOs build backlinks by:

Paying for them or doing PR

Some people think that if you write great content, links will come naturally. This works if you already have a high-authority site. But if you're starting from scratch, you need to build links.

Everyone can create content and set up schema. Building links is how you stand out from your competitors. In the age of AI, links show that you are an authority.

5. Don't Publish Unedited AI Content

Unedited AI content usually won't rank high in search results. Google doesn't penalize AI content directly. It's just that it looks like many other AI articles on the same topic. It's not new or unique.

You should still use AI for content creation. It makes the process faster. But after AI creates the content, have a human:

1. Edit it

2. Add more information

3. Fact-check it

4. Improve the structure

5. Add better internal links

This process will still be faster than writing from scratch.

We've also tested using only human writers for some articles. So far, these articles have performed better than our AI-assisted content. It's more expensive, but it might be worth testing.

6. Start Using AI to Accelerate Your SEO Workflows

You should use AI to make your content and workflows faster. Use it to come up with new ideas and improve your strategy.

AI can help you with keyword research, data analysis, link outreach, and so much more.

If you're not using AI, you're missing out on a powerful tool. One of our employees focuses only on finding ways to use AI to improve our work.

Don't be left behind. Start testing AI tools daily to see how they can help you.

To succeed in SEO in 2025, avoid overcomplicating things, focus on Google, act fast, build backlinks, edit AI content, and use AI to your advantage. By focusing on these key areas, you'll be well on your way to achieving higher search rankings and driving more traffic to your site.

Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Check out New Seas for expert guidance and strategies!