Welcome to another edition of The SEOs Diner's Club! Each week, I bring you a digest of the latest SEO updates and AI-driven insights, all crafted to fit into just a few minutes of your time. With over a decade of experience in SEO, my goal is to break down the week’s most important developments into a quick, insightful read. This way, you stay ahead of the curve in less than seven minutes. Let's jump into what matters this week!

Is SEO Dead? SEO Predictions for 2025

Learn about the future of SEO and the impact of AI. Discover how you can succeed by keeping up with the evolution of SEO with 2025 predictions.

As the world of digital marketing rapidly transforms, artificial intelligence (AI) stands out as an essential driver of this transformation. AI radically changes the way search engines work and the way users access information, and it is also redefining SEO strategies. The critical question that comes to mind in this environment is: “Is SEO dead?”

In this article, I examined what awaits SEO in 2025 and beyond, the effects of artificial intelligence, how trust in traditional search engines changes, and how SEO experts can adapt to this new order.

Is SEO Dead? No, It's Evolving!

SEO is not dying; on the contrary, it is undergoing a radical evolution. We are now entering the era of “Search Experience Optimization” rather than ordinary “Search Engine Optimization”. Users are not content with traditional search engines like Google; they also access information through alternative channels such as ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, social media and large language models (LLMs).

I made the following post on LinkedIn this week, and it got a lot of attention:

Key Trends Shaping the Future of SEO

Here are the trends that will shape the future of SEO by 2025:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Search Algorithms

• AI-Powered Search Algorithms: AI is driving search engines to understand user intent more deeply and tailor search results to the user. This increases the need for user-centred content aligned with Natural Language Processing (NLP) principles rather than keyword-driven content.

• Content Production and Automation: AI-powered content production tools automate content creation and technical SEO tasks. However, maintaining quality and originality is essential to staying ahead. There is a widespread belief that Google will penalize AI-powered content creation; however, this is an urban legend! According to Google's official statement, content created with artificial intelligence is considered quality content if it is enriched with original thoughts and prepared to benefit the user.

• AI-Based Search Engines: AI-based search engines such as ChatGPT Search take the user experience to a different dimension. SEO experts must optimize their strategies for these platforms as well. Traffic to sites from these types of searches continues to increase. We can see this clearly from measurement tools like GA4 and report it to our clients.

2. Declining Trust in Traditional Search Engines

• Zero Click Searches: Search engines such as Google provide answers directly to users, reducing the flow of organic traffic to websites.

• AI Summaries and Ads: Increased AI summaries and ads lower organic search results, reducing visibility.

• Rise of Alternative Platforms: Users are now turning more to social media, LLMs and industry-focused platforms for information.

3. Growing Importance of Brand Authority

• Direct Traffic: As organic traffic declines, having a solid brand identity is one of the most effective ways to drive direct traffic.

• Brand Searches: Users conduct specific searches to reach familiar and trusted brands directly.

• Backlink and Brand Relationship: Besides backlinks, brand searches and user signals are essential in SEO performance.

2025 SEO Predictions and Ways to Adapt

Below are my predictions for 2025 based on what I have experienced and learned so far.

Decline in Organic Traffic

• Prediction: Zero-click searches, increased ads and AI summaries will continue to reduce organic traffic.

• Expert Advice: Increase brand awareness, focus on direct traffic and follow a multi-pronged strategy using alternative platforms.

The Rise of AI-Based Search

• Prediction: AI-based search engines such as ChatGPT Search and SearchGPT will become widespread.

• Recommendation for Experts: Understand NLP, produce conversational content and optimize for these new search engines.

Google's Declining Dominance

• Prediction: Alternative search engines and platforms will take Google's market share.

• Recommendation for Experts: Diversify your SEO strategies and optimize for different platforms.

Increasing Brand Authority

• Insight: Building a solid brand will be critical for direct traffic and success.

• Advice for Experts: Invest in brand identity and conduct practical PR activities.

Expanding Scope of SEO

• Prediction: The impact of SEO will go beyond traditional search engines.

• Advice for Experts: Better understand AI-powered platforms, social media search and industry-focused content channels.

The Significance of Customer Empathy

• Insight: Understanding users' emotions and real needs will be the key to developing successful SEO strategies.

• Advice for Experts: Understand your audience's expectations and create content that matches them.

SEO Is Transforming, Not Dying

SEO is adapting to the new order instead of dying. The key to success in 2025 and beyond is adapting to change and reshaping strategies. The rise of AI, declining reliance on traditional search engines, and the growing importance of brand awareness require SEO professionals to transform their skills.

Successful SEOs will be adept with AI-powered tools, deeply understand natural language processing (NLP), develop robust brand strategies, continuously improve the user experience, and are open to learning. SEO isn't dead; it's just evolving, and it will continue to offer opportunities in the future for experts who keep up with the change.

Google Takes Tougher Policies Against Site Reputation Abuse

Google has made policy updates to prevent third-party content from abusing site ranking signals.

Google has released a significant update to its site reputation abuse policy, which it launched earlier this year. This update is specifically designed to combat what’s known as “parasitic SEO,” where third-party content attempts to manipulate powerful domains to influence search rankings.

“Users have made it clear that site reputation abuse is degrading the search experience, and today’s update ensures that we are cracking down on this type of behaviour,” said Chris Nelson of the Google Search Quality Team.

Details of the Policy

The update clearly states that exploiting a site's ranking signals using third-party content is against Google's guidelines, regardless of the first party's level of control over the content.

Violation Examples:

• Third-party credit ratings on educational sites

• Casino reviews on medical sites

• Social media services content on movie review sites

• Coupon content that is not adequately organised on news sites

Situations Not Deemed to Be a Violation:

• Properly specified advertising content

• User-generated content on forum sites

• Closely monitored editorial content

The policy, which was launched in May, particularly impacts the news and publishing industry. Some major media outlets have received manual penalties for third-party coupon content. For example, sites like CNN and USA Today have slowly begun to recover by fixing these violations.

We also learn that Google is planning updates that will algorithmically detect these breaches, but no timeline has been shared yet.

This policy update is considered a big step towards raising ethical standards in the SEO world. A quick solution for penalised sites is to remove problematic content or disable it with noindex tags.

Sites that use their authority to generate revenue by publishing promotional articles for third-party companies, especially Forbes, appear to have suffered severe sanctions. You can find details of these in the LinkedIn post below:

As far as I have learned, the situation has reached such a point that many SEO experts working on such sites have been laid off. Since they cannot provide the traffic they used to get through organic means, they have turned to Google Ads.

Ads Start Appearing in Google AI Overviews

Google is testing AI Overview ads on mobile searches in the US. Right now, the ads appear only on queries that can trigger ads.

Google has begun integrating ads into its AI-powered search summary feature, AI Overviews, with the first examples appearing on mobile searches in the US.

📌 What do we know?
For now, these ads appear on queries that Google normally shows ads for. That is, it’s not like the organic results are completely filled with ads. However, it’s still important to watch how this development will affect organic traffic.

📌 Should we be worried?
AI Overviews was already causing organic traffic to decline because it connected users to answers without them having to click through to the website. This new ad format could make websites less visible, especially on mobile devices. But it’s still in testing, so it’s too early to tell if it’ll have lasting effects.

📌 User Experience
Ads don’t seem too distracting for now, but the concentration of this area over time could make user experience difficult. If Google can’t maintain the balance between ads and user experience, it could risk users’ trust in the long run.

📌 What to do?
If you advertise, it may be interesting to test this new format. However, if you focus on organic traffic, it is useful to follow these developments closely. You can reshape your strategies by analyzing click-through rates and the impact of ads.

This development brings both opportunities and risks. We need to be patient to see what path Google will take.

Google Chrome Sale: DOJ's Proposal and the Debate Over the Digital Future

The US Department of Justice’s attempt to force Google to sell Chrome is aimed at increasing competition. So, how will this decision affect innovation in the tech world? Here are the analyses and possible outcomes.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is taking a radical step to force Google to sell its Chrome browser in a bid to break its dominant role in the digital ecosystem. The proposal has sparked a broad debate among industry professionals and marketers alike. The issue could fundamentally impact not only Google’s future but also the world of web browsers and digital advertising.

So, what exactly is the DOJ proposing?

• Chrome is separating from Google.

• We are ending the default search engine partnership with Apple.

• Obligation to share data with competitors.

• Ban on investments in new browsers or search engines for 5–10 years.

Google's Response
Google describes this suggestion as "overly intrusive" and points out the following:

• User privacy may be compromised.

• Product quality may decline.

• AI innovations may suffer.

Industry Reactions
Opinion among marketers and technologists is divided. Some say the move could increase the risk of censorship and manipulation of information access, while others are sceptical about whether Chrome could build a sustainable business model as a standalone product.

Google Algorithm and Chrome Relationship The Google algorithm leaks that emerged in March of this year revealed signs that Google was using user data from Chrome to determine search rankings. This once again shows the strategic importance of Chrome in the Google ecosystem. The sale of Chrome could profoundly affect not only Google's role in the browser market but also organic search results and the entire ecosystem.

Why It Matters:
Chrome controls 66% of the global browser market, which means its decisions will profoundly impact the industry. The DOJ’s proposal could reshape the competitive landscape of big tech companies, and risks like slowing innovation and further market fragmentation shouldn’t be ignored.

How will the DOJ's plans be balanced with Google's response? I will continue to closely monitor the impact of this process on digital advertising and the technology industry.

Microsoft's GraphRAG Update: A New Era in AI Search Technology

Microsoft's GraphRAG update revolutionizes AI-powered search technologies, delivering more accurate, comprehensive, and reliable results.

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) is a method that develops artificial intelligence language models (LLM) and integrates external data sources. Thanks to RAG, you can:

• Higher Accuracy: Reduced risk of producing false or fabricated answers.

• Current Information is obtained from constantly updated sources instead of a fixed training set.

Since RAG is generally based on semantic matches, it may fall short of providing a deep understanding of complex topics.

What Makes GraphRAG Special?

GraphRAG adds knowledge graphs to the RAG method, providing a more organized and efficient knowledge processing method.

Featured Features :

Information Structuring :

• Data are organized into thematic clusters and linked by relationships.

• Each cluster is supported by a “Community Report” for further analysis.

Query Answer :

• Matches user queries with the most relevant thematic clusters.

• It provides concise and user-focused summaries by filtering out unnecessary details.

Advantages of GraphRAG

GraphRAG outperforms the traditional RAG method in several key ways:

• Detailed and Rich Answers: Focuses on topics in more depth.

• Reliable Source Use: Supports answers with reliable and verifiable sources.

• Cost and Speed ​​Advantage: Thanks to dynamic community selection, unnecessary information is filtered, and faster results are produced at lower costs.

These features take the user experience to the next level by increasing the accuracy and speed of search engines.

Dynamic Community Selection: Innovation That Reduces Costs

The latest update to GraphRAG ensures that only relevant clusters are used for queries with dynamic community selection. Here are some of the advantages:

• 77% Lower Cost: Eliminates unnecessary operations.

• Focused Results: Irrelevant information is filtered, and user-specific solutions are provided.

• Opportunity for SEO Strategies: Faster and more accurate search results increase visibility and interaction rates.

These innovations from GraphRAG create brand-new opportunities for content strategies and AI search applications. By integrating this technology into your projects, you can achieve faster and more efficient results and improve the user experience.

Stay tuned to learn how you can integrate GraphRAG into your work!

Google Removes Page Experience Report from Search Console

Google encourages site owners to consider the page experience more holistically.

Google simplifies the reporting interface by removing the Page Experience Report in the Search Console. Users can still access performance data through the Core Web Vitals (CWV) and HTTPS reports. Google announced that it is discontinuing this report, which combined CWV and HTTPS data, to make navigating the Search Console easier. This update requires SEO professionals to focus more on user experience.

Recently, Google representatives have suggested that Core Web Vitals metrics are overrated and do not fully capture the user experience. However, as long as these metrics remain visible in the Search Console, users will continue to value them. Additionally, there is a growing trend of misleading users, believing that improving these metrics will boost their SEO performance. I suspect that Google engineers regret emphasizing these metrics' importance and are now attempting to downplay them.

Perplexity AI Brings a New Breath to Competition in Shopping Search

Perplexity AI challenges Google and Amazon in e-commerce with visual product cards and one-click purchasing. It offers unbiased recommendations without ad sponsorship.

Perplexity AI is entering the world of e-commerce with its new shopping search feature. This feature includes many innovations, from visual product cards to a one-click payment option. It aims to establish a strong connection between sellers and users with high purchase intent, mainly thanks to the Shopify integration.

What Does It Offer?

• Visual cards for product searches: Ability to see price, seller information, product advantages and disadvantages at a glance.

• One-click payment: Fast shopping with pre-saved payment and shipping information.

• Unbiased recommendations: No sponsored content, completely user-focused.

• Subscription: Free shipping advantage for Pro subscribers.

This move directly competes with existing solutions for shopping searches, particularly from giants like Google and Amazon. Perplexity’s “unbiased” recommendation system and low-barrier integrations promise a new e-commerce experience.

What does it mean for advertisers?

This feature of Perplexity can be especially advantageous for brands that discover the platform early on. Adapting to this system through integrated platforms like Shopify can be a strategic step before ads come into play.

While Google and Amazon watch these developments, Perplexity’s innovative shopping system could seriously change e-commerce search habits. Its emphasis on neutrality will be a powerful trump card to attract users.

You should start preparing now to meet users with new platforms!

This Week in the World of AI: Tools, Services, and Tips

I've put together this week's agenda focused on AI for you. It highlights key topics exploring the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, discussions on ethical considerations, and innovative applications across various industries. Get ready for an engaging week of learning and collaboration!

• https://llmstxt.firecrawl.dev/ can convert your entire website into a text file and train an LLM.

• Google has added AI-powered features to Google Lens to enhance the in-store shopping experience. This update allows consumers to access product information instantly, customer reviews, price comparisons, and availability by taking product photos, making them more informed shopping decisions.

• OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT’s Enhanced Voice Mode is now available online. This update allows users to interact with the AI ​​directly from their browser, facilitating real-time, natural conversations using GPT-4o’s voice capabilities.

• The GPT-4o model has received an update. OpenAI states that it has improved its writing capabilities and data analysis.

• Microsoft will enable real-time audio translation in nine languages ​​in virtual meetings with the Interpreter tool it developed for Teams, which will be released in early 2025. This technology aims to provide a more personal experience by preserving users' natural speaking voices.

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Best,

Mert Erkal