The web is shifting fast. Traditional SEO, content marketing, social media, and search behavior are being reshaped by AI, changing user expectations, and technical & privacy demands. In 2025, getting web traffic is tough, and staying on top of what’s new and what still works is key. Let’s take a look at a few strategies to get more web traffic in 2025.
9 Strategies to Get More Web Traffic in 2025
1. Optimize for Generative & Answer Engines (GEO / AEO)
Search is no longer just about search engines. AI-overviews, chat-based results, “answer engines” and generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.) are increasingly being used by people to get answers to their questions and concerns.
To get traffic from these sources (or maintain visibility), your content needs to be structured in a way that helps it get picked up by AI engines. This includes clean Q&A sections, concise definitions, FAQs, “how to” content, schema markup, and content that directly addresses likely user questions. This means embracing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) alongside traditional SEO.
2. Prioritize E-E-A-T and First-hand Experience
“E-A-T” (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has been a long-standing signal for Google, but in 2025 the extra “E” for Experience is being emphasized more than ever. Users (and AI tools) expect real, tangible experience: case studies, first-hand data, original research, authors with credentials or clear domain experience.
If your content or website can show not just what you say you know, but proof that you’ve done it (results, examples, stories), that builds trust, which helps both click-throughs and ranking in both classic and AI-driven search.
3. Technical Performance: Core Web Vitals, Mobile & Speed
User experience (UX) is more important than ever. Slow pages, janky mobile behavior, long load times, layout shifts, and other issues all these frustrate users and push them away. Search engines (especially Google) now include metrics like Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS) in assessing ranking.
There are several ways to make sure your page speed and technical elements are working properly. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly, images are optimized, you have good hosting/CDN, minimal render-blocking scripts, and that your pages are responsive. Regular audits for performance will pay off—not just for SEO rankings but also in user retention.
4. Content Clusters, Topic Authority, and Semantic Depth
Rather than publishing isolated posts around single keywords, build topic clusters. This includes topic pillar pages and subtopics that interlink and cover different facets of a topic deeply. This will lend your page authority and help to satisfy a range of related user intents. In 2025, search engines (and AI tools) appreciate semantic breadth and depth. That works especially well because content that covers a topic comprehensively tends to get rewarded.
It’s also helpful to identify content gaps in your niche. What questions aren’t being well answered? What angles are missing? Then produce content to fill those gaps. This helps build authority and gives more opportunities for you to show up in search results and AI summaries.
5. Use Multimedia & Video Content Strategically
Video continues to dominate many spaces. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and even short video embeds on your own site help reach users in different formats. But beyond publishing video, consider video transcription, and video optimization for search, such as including titles, descriptions, and captions, and embedding video content in blog posts to increase engagement.
Also, visual search like image optimization, alt texts, and structured data for images/video is gaining traction. For many businesses, adding or improving multimedia elements like video, infographics, image galleries, can boost time on page, social shares, and link-earning potential.
6. Leverage First-Party Data, Privacy-Friendly Tracking & Personalization
With privacy regulations and browser changes, relying strictly on third-party cookies and broad analytics is riskier. In 2025, websites that collect first-party data, such as newsletters, user accounts, and other opt-ins, have an edge. These can help you understand your audience better, personalize content, and build lasting traffic channels.
It’s also important to ensure your site respects the privacy and security of users. This means using HTTPS, clear cookie policies, clear user consent, and minimal tracking. Users increasingly care about privacy, and search engines are giving weight to safe, trustworthy sites.
7. Local & Hyperlocal SEO
If your site supports a physical business, or if you serve specific regions, local strategies are increasingly effective. Optimizing for “near me” searches, using local keywords, ensuring your Google My Business or Business Profile is complete and consistent, getting local reviews—all of these strategies and similar strategies help you reach your local audience. Also, creating content that resonates with local events, issues, or landmarks boosts relevance.
8. Ethical, Quality Link Building & Partnerships
Backlinks are still a major factor affecting SEO. But in 2025, quality beats quantity more clearly than before. Links from authoritative, relevant sources, guest posts that provide real value, research reports, or partnerships, such as co-authored content or community engagement, all help more than mass outreach with low relevance.
Collaborations with other content creators, influencers, even local businesses can also generate both links and direct traffic. Think of link building as relationship building and you’ll be able to build links over time.
9. Monitoring, Adaptability & Analytics
Search behavior, algorithm updates, and AI tools are evolving, and that means what works now may shift fast. An analytics strategy that monitors traffic sources and behavior metrics will help you stay current. This includes monitoring metrics such as bounce rate, dwell time, and scroll depth, as well as rankings in AI programs, answer engines, and generative search visibility is essential.
Testing is also an important part of an effective strategy. A/B test content formats, headings, metadata, schema markup, and other important features. You might also try new content types. If a tactic stops working, flexibility and agility will help you make changes and adapt.
Driving More Traffic in 2025
Driving more web traffic in 2025 means combining the solid foundations of SEO with emerging trends like AI‐answer engines, generative search, and user signals. It’s not enough to simply produce more content; you need content that serves real users, is structured to be discoverable by AI and alternative search tools, and offers both depth and authenticity.