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In this episode, we share a few of our SEO, branding, and marketing predictions for 2025. Following trends helps you understand what’s working right now and anticipate what’s coming so you can stay ahead of the competition.
Things are constantly changing (as we all know!) Looking back at what worked last year doesn’t mean it will work again this year. Consumers adapt quickly to new technology and platforms, and keeping up with trends helps you meet their changing needs. Let’s make sure they can still find you!
Staying current signals to your audience that you’re knowledgeable, innovative, and invested in providing value— it’s all about trust and authority. This podcast episode is a great example of that!
So, let’s chat about trends we noticed in 2024 and our marketing predictions for 2025.
What We Noticed in 2024 | Personal Insights
AI dominated the conversation around SEO. With Google launching AI Overviews, everyone wanted to know how AI would impact their SEO. It’s still a big question, but we think overall, the SEO strategies that worked this year will continue to work.
Authenticity and a focus on realness overpowered perfection in branding. Audiences want to interact with YOU as a person, including all your imperfections.
Short-form video continues to dominate on social media. It gets so much more engagement and helps your audience see the real you. Your personality can shine!
Quality content and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) are more important than ever. Google had a major update in 2024, removing 45% of low-quality content from the internet. Your content needs to be fresh and valuable (AKA, no AI-copied content!).
People have a strong craving for community and events. It seems we’ve emerged from the Covid bubble (finally!) Entrepreneurs are investing more in networking, community, conferences, summits, and events.
Our Branding Predictions
What do we think is coming in the branding world in 2025?
AI-Powered Branding
This is both a good and a scary thing. What we love about this is leveraging tools like ChatGPT and other AI writers for storytelling and creating content in your voice (as long as your voice and foundation are strong!). We don’t love that people could be using AI to create a brand instead of listening to what their customers need from them. AI isn’t meant to do all the work for you.
This workbook helps you create a strong brand strategy!
Branding That Leaves the Digital Screen
We think there will be a focus on having a foundation that allows you to live and breathe your brand. YOU are your brand. The biggest compliment we get is, “You are exactly like what I thought you’d be.” We show up authentically online, and when people meet us in person at community events or conferences, nothing is different. Get out and meet people IRL!
Retro-Futurism
We think there will be a blend of nostalgic retro elements (think 80s synth wave or Y2K aesthetics) with futuristic concepts that re-emerge in 2025. Trends and fads come and go, but certain elements stick around.
Motion and Interactivity
Animations, micro-interactions, and dynamic graphics will increasingly replace static visuals. These elements are more engaging and stop the scroll much more than traditional visuals. Plus, they are fun to design and add to your brand!
Authentic Photography and Illustration
We think there will be a move away from overly polished stock photos. Entrepreneurs will move towards more authentic, relatable imagery, including diverse representation. On this note, there will probably be a move away from AI-powered imagery. You can spot it from a mile away, but it doesn’t align with the authenticity you’re looking for.
Our SEO Predictions
What about SEO? There are a lot of questions in this space right now, so let’s discuss what we think will happen to SEO in 2025.
AI-Driven SEO
AI Overviews are becoming increasingly popular, and they need to be featured here. They appear at the top of search results, and while some people scroll past them, many get their questions answered right away. Being featured can earn you a ton of visibility and traffic. We also think more searches will result in zero-click results, making capturing featured snippets and other SERP features so important.
QUALITY Over Quantity
This will be an even bigger focus in 2025, especially when “new” content is being cranked out faster than ever with AI tools. As we said before, Google doesn’t want quantity. It wants to serve its users quality content that solves the problem they’re searching for an answer to.
Diversification of Search Engines
With the emergence of AI-powered search engines like Bing (SearchGPT) and You.com, businesses will need to optimize for multiple platforms. Luckily, a lot of the SEO strategies you’re using for Google will work on these other platforms, too.
Content that Satisfies Multiple Intents
Content that serves multiple search intents (informational, transactional, navigational) will perform better. You’re focusing on what the user seeks to learn from your content vs. producing content you feel like writing. Here are some examples:
The old way (keywords): You say, “pizza best Minneapolis.” Your friend might give you a list of pizza places, but they don’t really get what you want. Do you want delivery? A fancy sit-down place? Something cheap?
The new way (semantic search): You say, “I’m craving really good pizza tonight in Minneapolis, something kind of fancy with a nice atmosphere.” Your friend now understands:
- You want a sit-down restaurant, not delivery.
- You want higher-quality pizza, not the cheapest option.
- You care about the ambiance.
It focuses on what you REALLY mean, not just the words you use, but the intention behind them.
We think search engines will get even better at understanding the meaning and context behind search queries. Longer content that is organized well will answer multiple questions and likely earn more traffic. If you aren’t already, start writing cornerstone blogs!
Why this matters for your audience:
- As a searcher: They get better, more helpful results.
- As a business: You need to optimize your website and content to match what people are really looking for. It’s not just about stuffing keywords on your page anymore.
At the end of the day, focus on the quality of your content, the value you share, and your deep understanding of your audience.
Overall Marketing Predictions
Alright so overall, what are some of our marketing predictions? First, we think there will be a continued rise on short form video, but without the trends. People want to see fresh new content (similar to content on search engines!)
We think personalization will be even more important. Focus on your audience and reach them where they are. Think about utilizing automation like ManyChat to give them quick, personalized responses.
What about TikTok? With the pending ban, people who rely on the platform for income are getting nervous. Honestly, we think they will work something out. Over 170 million people use TikTok in the U.S., and at the end of the day, it’s a Constitutional freedom of speech right to use the platform.
These predictions are just that – predictions! Don’t run with them just yet. We’ll see how things play out in the new year. Keep these in the back of your mind as you work on growing your business.
If you liked today’s episode on The Duo On Air Marketing Podcast, don’t forget to leave us a review & subscribe!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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