Is SEO Still Relevant in 2025?

With a background in the digital marketing field for a while, one essential aspect that digital marketers should be familiar with is SEO.

For those who are new to SEO, S.E.O. is the acronym for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.

Knowledge in SEO is important as it can be helpful, however, the question arises, will SEO be relevant in 2024? Short answer, it's all bullshit if you don't know jack about it.

I've noticed that numerous search results fall short due to search engines favoring those with deep pockets. Companies that can afford to pay large sums can easily boost their site rankings, irrespective of the content quality. I like to add that if you run a personal blog or an small affiliiate site to make money, you'll be dead in the water.

When it comes to SEO, it is understood that the more links a website has pointing to it, the better its ranking will be. One strategy to achieve this is by placing your website links on well-known platforms such as news websites, magazines, and other popular sites. This practice can significantly enhance your website's visibility, particularly if the site is recently launched and not widely recognized. This technique is commonly referred to as backlinking.

The issue here is that while this method can measure a site's importance, it also opens the door for many webmasters to manipulate the system.

While considered unethical in the realm of digital marketing, engaging in such practices is not against the law. A term commonly used to describe this behavior is "black hat."

In any case, prominent search engines like Google have responded to these blackhat techniques by implementing crucial search engine updates over time. Nevertheless, it appears that these updates have not been very successful, as search engines have compromised the quality they once offered, with current search results often favoring the highest bidder.

For example, I was searching for a robot vacuum cleaner and ended up on a review website that bombarded my browser with ads. I wondered about the absence of major brands like IROBOT or RoboRock and other robot vacuum manufacturers.

This incident made me think that manipulating ranking sites for specific keywords might be simple for those with the resources and expertise. I suppose that's just how Capitalism works.

Furthermore, at a regional level, it appears that the top rankings for popular trending keywords in my area are occupied by sites of mediocre quality, failing to offer users a satisfactory answer or solution. Often, users may overlook my site and land on a review page cluttered with irrelevant information and advertisements.

This entire unjust situation has certainly changed the way numerous internet users navigate the web. Perhaps it is now the moment to welcome artificial intelligence or A.I.

The use of A.I. has changed the way individuals search by offering accurate responses in a clear and simple manner. Rather than relying on search engines filled with advertisements, A.I. now provides a valuable option to receive direct answers quickly without the need to visit additional websites.

Despite still being in its early stages, A.I. is demonstrating great potential. However, it poses a significant challenge to the traditional means through which users access information on the internet.

Platforms like ChatGPT are already transforming our internet search habits, reducing our dependence on traditional search methods.

Although A.I. is not flawless, it has demonstrated remarkable potential in its capabilities. Since late 2022, A.I. has shown that internet users can access information without being exposed to any advertisements. While some skeptics predict this will change, only time will tell.

Basically, I am conducting an experiment solely to evaluate the impact of creating a dofollow backlink to a website using certain keywords (茨城 ホームページ制作 and SEOとウェブマーケティング and WEBコンサルティング). What is the purpose of this experiment? It is because the search engine results pages at present (as of mid-2024) mainly exhibit altered content from websites that engage in paid backlink exchanges to sustain their ranking positions in the long term.

 After examining the metrics of other websites with tools like Ahrefs and SemRush, I can confirm that some sites are indeed paying others to boost their rankings. This manipulation of search results has negatively impacted numerous potential clients and businesses seeking trustworthy and high-quality services from reputable companies. These altered search results often divert potential clients away from established and skilled businesses. I am curious to test whether creating a few backlinks on blogger.com (a widely recognized High DA site) is still effective in the present day. lol!

I confirm that my hypothesis is no longer relevant, as anyone can manipulate search rankings by using black hat techniques if they are willing to pay for it.

While I wish to be mistaken, it seems that search engines have strayed from their ethical principles and are increasingly swayed by economic interests. Nevertheless, I am confident that search engines like Google will realize this and alter their approach. What has become of the once-famous motto: “Don’t be evil.” ? 

It appears that malevolence is prevailing in the competition. Maybe artificial intelligence could serve as an efficient means to eradicate some unethical tactics. Ironically, this blog is on the verge of being unethical, but at least it was originally written by a human.

Here's the other version and here.