Why SEO Feels Tougher Than Ever Before
Organic SEO has evolved with various changes, but in the last six months, every business has found it hard to navigate on Google Web Search organically, and the changes that every business can’t ignore. With Google’s frequent updates, AI-driven search results, and based on user behaviour, many businesses are finding it is becoming harder to rank organically.
Is there a way to solve this issue? Of course, by understanding these challenges and adapting quickly, you can rank organically. In this article, you can learn the 7 primary reasons why SEO has been harder to rank organically and how to overcome that with practical tips.
1. Frequent Google Algorithm Updates
Google update their algorithm frequently and, of course, it is unpredictable; its main target is to provide high quality user experience and improve search performance. Even well-performing websites often experience sudden fluctuations in their website traffic and a decline in their Google rankings.
Tip:
- Monitor your website with Google search console and Google Analytics tools to check the overall status of your website and SEO efforts.
- Regularly monitor algorithm updates by using tools like SEMRush Sensor or MozCast.
- Run performance audits monthly.
Case Study:
2. Rise of AI-Driven Search
The new launch of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), AI-generated answers now often appear above the search results. So the users directly get the answer, even without visiting your website, which often reduces click-through rates (CTR) for your web pages. which can hugely impact organic traffic.
Tip:
- To stay visible, optimize for conversational queries, focusing on questions users naturally ask
- Use FAQ sections to directly address common queries
- Create step-by-step guides or how-to content for clear instructions.
Case Study:
Another e-commerce client specializing in pet products, we noticed a sudden decrease in overall organic traffic after AI-generated answers started appearing for popular search queries, even though many of their products were ranking in the top position in Google. To adapt to that, we have optimized the product pages by including “People Also Ask” style FAQs, clear answers, and structured data markup.
Initially, the traffic got reduced, and gradually the content started appearing in AI-generated summaries. This helped to bring back highly qualified visitors who were ready to engage and purchase the pet products.
3. Content Saturation and Competition
With the development of AI, the internet content has been overloaded with AI-generated content or poor-quality content. Due to AI content, it is increasingly difficult for high-quality, original content to stand out in search results. When every topic seems covered by a lot and lots of similar ideas, ranking for competitive keywords becomes harder, and attracting clicks from users gets more challenging these days.
Tip:
- Publish your original ideas, add some research case studies, and first-hand experiences.
- Add first-hand experiences, lessons you have learned
Case Study:
Our client is a doctor. Firstly, he has created an article titled “Back Pain Tips”, the topic was very common, and it was competing with thousands of similar articles with the same idea already on Google. Our client was trapped in content saturation and tough competition. This content was also added to that list, and it was struggling to rank or get the attention of users.
To avoid this and get the results, we’ve prepared the strategy for them by doing the keyword research for the relevant topic and given them another article topic with the long-tail targeted keyword “10 Tips to Ease Your Back Pain Without Surgery”. They have written this blog with their expertise, and we published it on their website. Now, this blog has brought a unique idea and original insights to stand out from other content. The overall website traffic increased by 30% due to this single blog.
4. Increased Focus on E-E-A-T
The new update of Google’s algorithm mainly focuses on E-E-A-T, which means Google rewards the websites that provide Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This means that the website’s article should give real data, not fabricated ones or falsehoods, and credibility is more likely to rank higher. Simply publishing content that focuses on keywords is no longer enough to rank high on Google.
Tip:
- Add your customer positive reviews, testimonials, or certifications to prove your data is real
- Try to publish your first-hand experiences or case studies.
Case Study:
One of our clients is from Finance Industry. He is the financial advisor with more than 12 years of experience. Initially, he was doing digital marketing, but at his personal level, without a proper digital marketing strategy, so he was unable to get the results from these efforts. Then he approached us for this and partnered with us. We guided and worked with him to write and publish blogs on his website with his expertise. We’ve planned the video content strategy regarding financial awareness to post on YouTube and other social media platforms. Gradually, he started getting a good response from these channels. He is now getting good high-ticket clients from these channels.
Also, we’ve displayed his Financial certifications on the website to build credibility. Additionally, we asked him to get positive reviews from the satisfied clients on websites like Google Business Profile, Bing Places, etc this impacted a lot on getting more new clients, with 50-55% client growth.
5. Technical SEO Complexity
Technical SEO has become more critical than ever before, with Core Web Vitals, webpage speed, and mobile usability playing a critical role in rankings. Even the most informative content can underperform if the site takes more time to load the webpage, is very difficult to navigate, or is not optimized for various devices such as mobile, laptop. Google now expects that a good website to deliver a smooth, fast, and user-friendly experience.
Tip:
- Always use Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights to identify your website’s loading speed
- Improving mobile responsiveness and navigation is not optional now, as approximately 55-60% of conversions happens on mobile phones, so being mobile-friendly is very important.
Case Study:
One of our clients is an e-commerce jewelry brand. They did a professional product photoshoot and videography for their brand by spending a handsome amount on it. But still, they were not able to get customers or orders from their ecommerce website even after displaying those images and videos on the website. Then they came to us for a solution, we helped them to optimize their website, we optimized the images by converting them to WebP format and fixed the technical issues from Google search console, removed unnecessary plugins, optimized the website design and speed for mobile devices by removing unnecessary css and JavaScript, and so on.
After fixing all the things, the website now loads within 3-4 seconds and they saw its bounce rate dropped significantly. Their product pages started ranking higher in Google within a 1-2 month timespan, and now they are getting good orders from their e-commerce website.
6. User Behaviour and Search Intent Evolution
Search habits are changing rapidly. Users no longer just type short keywords; they receive immediate, conversational, and personalized responses. With the growth of voice search, AI tools, and smart devices, people now ask questions in natural language, often in the form of long-tail queries.
Tip:
- Use natural, conversational language that matches how people ask questions.
- Target long-tail queries like “How is artificial intelligence being used in the manufacturing industry to optimize workflows?” instead of broad terms like “AI in manufacturing industry”
Case Study:
Another client is from the IT Industry, providing their services to manufacturing and other B2B segments. Initially, they were writing blogs with short-tail keywords like “AI in Manufacturing.” Due to the very generic terms, they were not getting website traffic or leads from those blogs. Then we started work on their project to improve their SEO, and we targeted the long-tail keywords for their blogs, like “How is artificial intelligence being used in the manufacturing industry to optimize workflows?”
Then, they started attracting highly targeted clients across the world who are actively looking for a solution. This not only increased traffic quality but also improved conversions.
Conclusion
SEO has become tougher with frequent updates, AI-driven results, and changing user behaviour. But with the right strategy focusing on E-E-A-T, technical SEO, and intent-driven content, you can still achieve strong organic growth.
At NG Web Technologies, we help businesses adapt to these changes with proven SEO strategies that drive real results. Contact us today to book your consultation now.
