SEO Beyond Keywords: How Technological Advancements Are Changing Search Engine Rankings

The search engine optimization (SEO) landscape continues to evolve rapidly. 

We may have started with simple keyword optimization, but today, SEO is driven by complex strategies shaped by numerous technological advancements. 

From AI to reverse image search, let’s explore how these technological innovations influence SEO and how your website can keep up. 

5 Emerging Trends and Changes for SEO In 2025

SEO basics such as keyword research, internal linking, or prioritizing loading speed are still important. 

However, some new technologies and trends influence how search engines do their ranking, and subsequently, how brands optimize for it. These are: 

AI Overview

From ChatGPT to an AI logo generator to creating a talking “human” avatar based on a text prompt, AI has taken the world by storm. 

SEO is no exception. Ever notice those “AI Overviews” that appear when you do a Google search? 

AI Overview is Google’s generative AI summaries that appear on top of search results. Unlike Featured Snippets, which extract a sentence or paragraph from a single web page to show as an answer to a query, AI Overview synthesizes and summarizes information from multiple web pages. 

According to Google, they show an AI Overview when they determine that the user needs a more comprehensive response. This is why they tend to show up on “How to…” “What is…” and other informational-based searches. 

The rise of AI Overview means that there is now even more competition for the coveted “zero position.” Brands are not only competing for Featured Snippets but also fighting to avoid being buried under AI Overview.  

How can you get your website up to speed with these changes? 

The first is to determine if you want your content to become a source for the AI Overviews. Indeed, as the overviews pull information from multiple sites, they get linked to as references in the search results. This allows your content to be seen at the zero position, even if it may be inside the AI Overview result. 

If yes, then you’ll need to focus on creating more informational content and adding more credible data sources to make your content more favorable for Google AI. 

You can also go the opposite route. Focus on creating local, navigational, and transactional content as AI Overviews tend to appear less on these searches. This way, you’ll face less competition and won’t have to adapt your content to fit the AI’s standards. 

Speaking about AI, how about AI written content? Technically Google doesn’t penalize sites that do them. However their March 2024 Core Update did emphasize the importance of user experience and helpful content. 

So, while you can use AI writing tools to support your work, it’s still best to keep it at that, support. Make sure you still edit, rewrite, or fact-check your content so that you won’t be marked low-quality or spammy by Google. 

Voice Search

The popularity of smart speakers and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa has spiked in recent years. According to Statista, an estimated 8.4 billion units are used worldwide, which is even higher than the global population. 

This, in turn, influenced the rise of voice search. What used to be a novelty is now part of everyday life, with 90% of people finding voice search easier than typing out a search online. 

While people tend to use voice search to check the weather or traffic, it also plays a huge role in making your brand visible and relevant online. For example, 51% of voice search users use it to research products, 43% use it for online shopping, and 76% use it to find nearby businesses. 

How do you optimize your content for voice search? The key is to think conversational. Remember, your user is talking instead of typing. A voice search will be “Where is the best coffee place nearby?” instead of a typical search of “best coffee NYC.” 

Then adapt your content to fit this conversational style. Go for content that answers questions. Incorporate more long-tail keywords and phrases as they better reflect how people speak as opposed to short-tail ones. 

Many voice searches are also location-specific. Make sure you optimize for local SEO by keeping your Google My Business profile up to date, ensuring your Name/Address/Phone (NAP) is available on all platforms, and creating more local-based content. 

Visual Search

The rise of online shopping has given way to more websites adopting visual search. 

Recent studies have shown that e-commerce sites that have a “Shop the Look” image search feature have seen a 20% increase in average order size. Google Lens now sees an estimated 20 billion searches a month, which is 2x more than their launch. Barcode scanning and reverse image search are rising as customer’s favorite features according to surveys. Seventy-four percent of consumers have also found image-based searches more efficient compared to keyword-based ones.

Visual search is indeed the future. But how can you adapt your website to this trend?

The most important thing is your images. Make sure you upload high-quality and visually appealing images that can capture your audience’s attention. Upload multiple angles to give your customers a better idea of what the product looks like. According to Etsy, you should ideally have three image options: studio shot, lifestyle shot, and scale shot. 

And yes, a great image is still a must, even if you aren’t selling any products. Header images of your blog article, a photo of your team, or your storefront should still be high-quality. Avoid stock photos as much as you can because consumers find them either jarring or bland. 

Let’s now go to the technical SEO side. 

Your image file names will play a critical role in the discoverability of your images. Go for descriptive and keyword-rich names like “brown-heeled-ankle-boots” instead of “IMG256”. Make sure you also add descriptive alt-text and tags. Creating a visual sitemap will also ensure that all your images are indexed properly. 

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) 

More and more brands are incorporating immersive content like AR and VR into their sites or apps. 

An example is Sephora. They have a Virtual Artist feature where they harness the power of AR to allow users to virtually “try on” makeup. 

IKEA also has its IKEA Place AR app, which people can use to “place” a piece of furniture in a photo of their room to see what the furniture will look like in the space. They also have a VR feature called Virtual Showroom, where people will be transported to a showroom of their choosing and have the reign to explore the place. 

AR and VR are also all over social media. You can see this in Metaverse, Facebook’s 360 Views, Instagram’s AR Filters, or Snapchat’s 3D effects. 

All these AR and VR advancements have kickstarted Google to add them to search. You can search for an animal, place, or object and then click the “View in 3D” option if it’s available. You can also click “View in your space” if you want to interact with the AR result.

Immersive content like this can also positively improve other aspects of SEO. For example, a VR feature on your website will entice visitors to stay on your site to explore the VR, which can lead to higher page dwell or lower page bounce rates. Those two things are crucial for your search rankings, as they signal to Google that your content is engaging and relevant for your users. 

Social Media

Did you know that social media is becoming the younger generation’s search engine of choice? Indeed, 46% of Gen-Z prefer using social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to find information, watch tutorials, or research products. 

Optimizing your social media content for SEO is now a priority instead of a nice to have. Write keyword-rich and descriptive titles, video descriptions, and captions to help users find your content faster. Don’t forget to add relevant video tags and hashtags as well.  Like on your website, always write proper file names for your video, thumbnails, profile photos, or headers. 

Doing this can help you extend your reach and visibility online beyond traditional search engines. An engaged and active social media presence can also make you look more favorable in the eyes of search engines, as it makes your brand look credible and relevant. 

Traffic in your social media accounts can also be easily redirected to your website as you can add links to your bios, posts, or ads. Win-win, right? 

Conclusion

SEO is accelerating fast. 

While keywords still matter, they are no longer the sole factor in determining your search rankings. AI, AR, advancements in NLPS–all of these technological advancements show that SEO (and the rest of the world) is heading to a more tech-oriented future. 

Only brands that can keep up with these ever-changing strategies can stay relevant in the competitive digital landscape. Follow the tips above to ensure that your website remains on trend for the year ahead!