The Complete Guide to SEO – Part I

AI Technologies and SEO: From ChatGPT to SGE

The development of artificial intelligence has had a significant impact on SEO practices in recent years. In 2024–2025, marketers considerably increased their use of AI tools to save time on various optimisation tasks. Today, AI helps generate content ideas, write text, analyse keywords, process competitor data, and perform many other tasks. For example, tools such as SurferSEO, Frase, and ChatGPT-based plugins can provide recommendations on article structure, suggest relevant keywords, or quickly generate initial drafts. However, it is important to remember that AI is a double-edged sword for SEO: it can be useful, but it also creates new challenges.

One of the main concerns is the widespread growth of AI-generated content. It is now possible to create automatically generated articles within minutes, which means the internet could become flooded with generic content assembled from fragments of information found on other websites. If everyone begins using AI to write blog posts automatically, the rapid growth of repetitive and uniform information online is highly likely. As a result, competition for content that provides unique value will become even stronger. Even leading AI content platforms acknowledge that human creativity cannot be replaced. For example, Jasper, previously known as Jarvis, continued hiring professional copywriters to create content for its own blog even after receiving investment.

Google is also actively responding to the growth of AI-generated content. The search engine is attempting to identify and filter AI-written material so that users receive only valuable results. One controversy demonstrated why this is necessary: Sports Illustrated was found to have published AI-generated articles under the names of fictional “authors”, which was quickly exposed. Incidents of this kind encourage Google to strengthen its algorithms further, identify artificial content, and prioritise trustworthy material created by real authors.

The influence of AI is evident not only in content production but also in the operation of search engines themselves. In 2023, Google tested the Search Generative Experience, or SGE, which displayed short AI-generated summaries for certain queries directly in search results. For example, if a user asks a complex question such as, “Which is better for a holiday with young children and a dog—Bryce Canyon or Arches National Park?”, SGE may provide a short answer and summarise the advantages of each destination. This is certainly an interesting development, but it has also raised concerns about declining organic traffic: if Google provides the answers itself, will users still click on website links?

The answer remains unclear. Some studies have shown that AI Overview, or SGE, features have reduced the number of clicks on traditional search results for certain types of queries, particularly informational and Your Money or Your Life topics. On the other hand, Google states that SGE consistently references its sources and encourages users to explore the information on the original websites in greater detail. Long-term forecasts also suggest that the fundamental principles of SEO will remain unchanged: websites that create the best and most valuable content for their audiences and earn authoritative backlinks will continue to achieve leading positions, while that same high-ranking content will also be included in SGE-generated answers. A comparison can be made with the growth of voice search several years ago. Many believed that Voice Search would transform SEO completely, but in practice, the same websites and content appeared in voice-search results; only the format of the query changed.

SEO professionals should therefore view AI as an additional tool within their existing toolkit, rather than as the sole basis of their work. This is also connected to user behaviour analysis. User signals are becoming increasingly important for success in modern SEO. Google’s evaluation of website rankings depends significantly on determining how satisfied users are with the result they receive. For example, if a user visits your page and leaves immediately, resulting in a high bounce rate, this may be interpreted as a negative sign. Conversely, if the user spends time on the page, clicks on something, or reads the content, this may be recorded as a positive signal. Google’s recent documentation has also indicated that the search engine uses sophisticated methods to measure user satisfaction.

Key recommendation: Focus on ensuring that your website genuinely satisfies the user’s needs. If your page fully addresses the user’s search intent and provides a strong experience, Google is more likely to recognise and reward its value.

For example, the number-one Google result for the keyword phrase “QR code scanner” is a page that contains almost no written text and simply provides a QR scanner function. Formally, it is a page “without content”, but because it fully satisfies the user’s intent—the user opens the page, uses the scanner, and completes the intended task—Google still ranks it first. This example demonstrates that functionality and successful task completion can sometimes be more valuable than written content. Therefore, understand the real needs of your audience and satisfy them as quickly and conveniently as possible.

Global SEO Trends in 2024–2025 and the Role of E-E-A-T

Recent years have been particularly significant for SEO because of Google’s core algorithm updates and changes to its search quality guidelines. At the end of 2022, Google expanded the E-E-A-T concept in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines by adding Experience alongside Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. As a result, content based on first-hand experience became one of the most important factors influencing a page’s perceived trustworthiness and search rankings. In practical terms, website content should reflect genuine experience, demonstrate expert knowledge, and provide something unique. This type of content is valued more highly than generic information that is already widely available.

In addition to content quality, Google’s recent algorithm updates have revealed another important trend: the identification and authority of content authors. Improved search algorithms are now better able to recognise authors and evaluate their importance. For example, when an article or blog post is written by a recognised expert in the relevant field, the content gains an additional layer of trust and may achieve stronger rankings in search results. Companies should therefore publish articles written by genuine experts and include clear author biographies, creating a positive impression for both Google and users.

From the perspective of global algorithm changes, Google introduced several major Core Updates in 2023–2024. For example, the August 2024 Core Update aimed to promote high-quality content and reduce the visibility of low-value content created primarily for SEO purposes. This indicates that Google is increasingly targeting thin or low-value content and rewarding websites that provide genuine value to users. The reported leak of Google’s internal documentation also appeared to confirm what SEO professionals had already suspected: search rankings are influenced by a wide range of factors:

• Backlinks: High-quality external links continue to play a major role in rankings. It is important to earn backlinks from authoritative websites and avoid low-quality or spammy links.
• Website authority: The overall reputation and authority of a website are critical factors connected to both content quality and backlink quality.
• Navboost and user engagement: Google observes how users interact with websites. If users actively engage with the content, spend considerable time on the site, or visit several pages, this may represent a positive ranking signal. In practice, this may involve reducing bounce rate, increasing time spent on the page, and encouraging other meaningful interactions.
• Chrome data: It is possible that data collected through the Google Chrome browser is used, at least partially, to evaluate website experience, including page loading speed, stability, and security.
• Content quality: Relevant and informative content that answers the user’s question accurately remains one of the most important elements of SEO. E-E-A-T principles are specifically intended to strengthen content quality.
• User experience: Website usability and user comfort—including structure, navigation, and mobile-friendliness—are directly connected to SEO success. Google’s algorithms increasingly consider overall page experience.

Google officially advises against drawing premature conclusions from leaked information and recommends continuing to follow established best practices. In simple terms, businesses should remain focused on standard SEO recommendations, including creating high-quality content, improving technical performance, earning backlinks naturally, and following E-E-A-T principles.

Rand Fishkin, the founder of SparkToro, also notes that regardless of what happens within Google’s algorithms, long-term success requires building brand awareness beyond Google. When users recognise and trust your brand across multiple channels, that recognition can eventually contribute to stronger organic rankings and increased search traffic.