Search is evolving fast. AI-generated summaries, conversational responses and zero-click answers are reshaping how people find information online. It’s easy to think that traditional search engine optimization (SEO) is fading into the background, but that can’t be further from the truth.
The importance of SEO hasn’t gone away. In fact, it’s never been greater. The sites that continue to perform well all have one thing in common: a strong foundation built on SEO basics.
“AI tools, like Google’s RankBrain, use fundamentals to determine what your content means and its relevance when crawling, indexing and ranking pages. Solid on-page optimization, technical SEO and user experience signals still play a big role in helping AI understand and value your site,” said Ronnel Villoria, a Demand Generation SEO Strategist at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency.
If you’re wondering why SEO matters in a world dominated by AI and automation, the answer is simple. Without a crawlable site, clear structure and content that matches user intent, no tool or tactic will drive long-term traffic.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
• Importance of SEO in Digital Marketing
• SEO Is Changing, But Fundamentals Still Matter
• The Fundamentals of SEO You Still Need in 2025
• Building a Winning SEO Strategy
• Balancing Innovation With SEO Discipline
Keep reading to future-proof your SEO strategy.
Importance of SEO in Digital Marketing
Visibility is everything in the digital space. No matter how valuable your product or content may be, if people can’t find it, it doesn’t exist to them. That’s where the importance of SEO in digital marketing becomes clear: It bridges the gap between your offering and your audience.
Compared to paid ads, SEO delivers long-term value. While paid channels require constant budget allocation, organic search continues to generate traffic long after a page is published, provided it’s built on a strong foundation. That’s why SEO matters in every comprehensive digital marketing strategy. It fuels content visibility, supports brand authority, and increases ROI over time.
SEO Is Changing, But Fundamentals Still Matter
AI-powered features like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Bing’s AI chat are changing how people interact with results. Instead of clicking on websites, users often get direct answers, which are summarized by AI right at the top of the page.
In a study of 10,000 informational searches, organic click-through rates fell from 1.41% to 0.64% when AI-generated answers appeared in the results. Similarly, another study reported a 70% decline in organic CTR when AI Overviews appeared in search results.
However, these numbers don’t mean that SEO is obsolete.
AI can’t guess. It still needs to scan top-performing content to come up with generated responses.
The Fundamentals of SEO You Still Need in 2025
As AI-generated summaries and SERP features reduce organic clicks, only well-optimized, technically sound sites are making it into these high-visibility zones. That’s why SEO matters now more than ever.
To stay competitive, you need to go beyond the basics.
“Once you’ve got a solid SEO foundation, it’s time to level up,” Villoria said.
“Go beyond the basics and tackle things like Core Web Vitals and structured data to boost performance at scale.”
Here’s a summary of the most crucial search elements according to the SEO fundamentals Google guide:
• Crawlability and Indexability: Search engines and AI tools can’t rank or summarize what they can’t access. A clear robots.txt file, clean URLs and proper use of meta tags ensure your content is indexed correctly.
• Site Architecture and Internal Linking: A well-structured site helps users navigate and search engines understand content relationships. Strong internal linking supports topical authority, guides crawl paths and distributes page authority efficiently.
• Technical SEO: Page speed, mobile responsiveness, HTTPS and structured data are foundational. Search engines reward fast, accessible and well-coded sites.
• Intent-Driven Content and On-Page Optimization: You still need content that answers questions clearly, matches intent and uses relevant keywords. Modern on-page SEO also includes logical headings, scannable layouts and helpful visuals because user experience matters in rankings.
“Don’t be afraid to test out AI tools to speed up your workflow as long as you’re still sticking to SEO best practices,” Villoria said.
When you skip the basics of SEO, the obvious outcome is that your content won’t surface. This is because strong SEO fundamentals earn placement in AI overviews, featured snippets and trusted positions in search.
Building a Winning SEO Strategy
The SEO fundamentals Google guide continues to emphasize essential building blocks: crawlability, indexability, technical performance, and user-aligned content. These elements form the bedrock of search success. Skipping them to chase trends or over-relying on automation often leads to short-lived gains or worse, no traction at all.
However, once those SEO basics are firmly in place, layering in newer strategies helps push your site further.
Let’s break this layered approach down based on the SEO fundamentals Google guide:
1. Begin With A Site Audit to Identify Gaps
The first step should be a thorough technical audit.
“If a weak SEO foundation is suspected, the initial actions should involve a comprehensive technical SEO audit analyzing crawlability, indexability, site structure, speed, mobile-friendliness, and security, utilizing tools like Google Search Console and site audit software,” Villoria said.
This audit gives you a clear picture of what’s working and holding your site back. Fixing foundational issues can instantly improve visibility and user experience.
2. Implement The Basics of SEO to Make Your Site Discoverable
Every winning strategy starts with a firm grasp of the fundamentals of SEO. So:
• Make sure your website is crawlable and indexable. There must be no dead ends, blocked pages or confusing structures.
• Use descriptive URLs, responsive design and fast load times.
• Focus on your on-page SEO. Elements of which are clear headings, meta tags and keywords that reflect user intent.
• Build a solid internal linking structure to help search engines understand the relationship between pages.
These SEO basics make your site eligible to rank in the first place, and they remain critical even as SERPs evolve.
3. Add Strategic Layers That Enhance Visibility and Authority
Once the foundation is in place, you can begin layering on more advanced strategies to elevate your performance. This includes:
• Schema markup and structured data: These help your content show up in rich results like FAQs, reviews and product cards.
• E-E-A-T signals: Highlight author expertise, cite credible sources, and build trust through reviews and site security.
• Topic clusters and content depth: Organize content around pillar pages and supporting articles instead of isolated posts.
These layers help your content stand out, even in a crowded or AI-influenced SERP.
4. Use AI Tools as Support, Not Substitutes for SEO Fundamentals
AI can be a helpful assistant but it’s not a replacement for strategy. Use it to:
• Discover keyword gaps and new content opportunities
• Generate outlines, FAQs and summaries to scale content creation
• Speed up competitive research
But without a strong foundation, even the best AI-generated content won’t rank. The importance of SEO in digital marketing is rooted in quality, structure and consistency, not shortcuts.
5. Build for the Long Game With Consistent SEO Practices
Sustainable SEO allows you to adapt. To achieve this, set a consistent review cycle by doing the following:
• Run regular site audits
• Refresh outdated content
• Monitor performance using tools like Google Search Console and GA4
This steady approach creates momentum and long-term results, proving again why SEO matters in any digital strategy.
Balancing Innovation With SEO Discipline
New tools and tactics pop up almost daily, making it tough for marketers to stay ahead without losing sight of what actually works. The key is not choosing between fundamentals and innovation but knowing how to layer them effectively.
“To effectively balance innovation and foundational SEO, marketers must first master core principles like keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, link building, and user experience.
Innovation, such as leveraging AI tools, should then be strategically integrated to enhance these fundamentals. This includes improving content quality, user experience, technical efficiency or audience reach.
New AI tools and innovative strategies should be treated as experiments, with their impact on key SEO metrics carefully monitored and adjustments made as needed,” Villoria said.
AI can be a force multiplier but only if it’s built on a strong, well-structured foundation. And like any good experiment, results should be tested, measured, and refined.
Let’s Strengthen Your SEO Strategy — Together
Search is getting smarter, and so should your strategy.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency specializes in building scalable SEO strategies rooted in strong fundamentals. If you’re unsure whether your website is even set up to rank, its comprehensive SEO audit can uncover exactly what’s holding you back. Once your technical foundation is secure, its technical SEO team works behind the scenes to keep your site running fast, which is exactly the way search engines like it.
But strategy doesn’t stop with code. Thrive’s content writing and content marketing services ensure your brand message not only gets found, but actually resonates with the people searching for it. And as search evolves, the team stays ahead of the curve with AI SEO services, helping your content stand out even in AI-powered search environments.
In short, Thrive future-proofs your entire digital presence.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
AI SEO Frequently Asked Questions
WHY DO SEO FUNDAMENTALS STILL MATTER IN 2025, AND HOW CAN THRIVE HELP?
SEO basics like crawlability, indexability and intent-driven content are the foundation for visibility, even in AI-driven search. Thrive builds strategies rooted in these fundamentals, ensuring your site is positioned for both traditional rankings and AI overviews.
HOW DOES AI CHANGE THE ROLE OF SEO, AND WHAT DOES THRIVE DO DIFFERENTLY?
AI features such as Google’s SGE and Bing AI depend on optimized websites to generate summaries. Thrive’s SEO team ensures your content structure, metadata and technical setup make it easier for AI tools to surface your brand in these answers.
WHAT CORE SEO FUNDAMENTALS DOES THRIVE FOCUS ON FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS?
Thrive emphasizes crawlability, site architecture, internal linking and technical SEO while aligning content with user intent. This comprehensive approach helps clients consistently earn visibility in evolving search environments.
CAN I SKIP SEO BASICS IF I USE THRIVE’S AI SEO SERVICES?
No; AI tools only work if your foundation is solid. Thrive combines technical SEO audits, on-page optimization and site performance improvements with AI SEO strategies, so innovation enhances fundamentals instead of replacing them.
HOW DOES THRIVE’S SEO SERVICE DELIVER BETTER ROI COMPARED TO PAID ADS?
Thrive builds SEO strategies that generate lasting traffic and brand visibility long after content is published, unlike ads that disappear when budgets stop. This gives businesses a stronger, compounding return on investment.
WHAT ROLE DOES TECHNICAL SEO PLAY TODAY, AND HOW DOES THRIVE SUPPORT IT?
Technical SEO is essential for speed, mobile-friendliness and structured data. Thrive’s technical SEO experts monitor Core Web Vitals, implement structured markup and ensure sites remain fast and secure to maximize rankings.
HOW DOES THRIVE HELP BUSINESSES BALANCE SEO FUNDAMENTALS WITH INNOVATION?
Thrive first establishes a strong SEO foundation, then layers on advanced tactics such as schema markup, E-E-A-T signals and topic clusters. AI tools are integrated strategically to boost efficiency while keeping SEO discipline intact.
WHAT’S THE FIRST STEP IF I WANT THRIVE TO STRENGTHEN MY SEO STRATEGY?
The first step is a comprehensive SEO audit. Thrive identifies crawlability, indexability, speed and structure issues, then develops a tailored strategy that combines fundamentals with innovative tactics to future-proof your online presence.
