Is it still worth doing SEO in 2025?
There are AI answers now. Users are turning to ChatGPT and Perplexity for answers.
How do you capitalize on everything that's going on?
SEO doesn't come with a guarantee label.
Yet, what is guaranteed in life?
- Even new BMWs (we can argue on their quality) break down.
- We get diagnosed with a medical condition (even if we have lived healthily)
- Which financial investment is guaranteed?
At best, we take a calculated risk.
Investing in SEO is taking a (really good) calculated risk. At worst, you spend 6 months doing it and fail. You'll lose some money and time. But it won't wipe your business out.
Seriously, stop doing 95% of things
That "SEO gurus" tell you to do.
Stuff like...
- Get a 100% score on Google Page Speed
- Take 3 days to gather a big-ass keyword list.
- Spend 4 hours debating the perfect meta-description.
- Getting updated with new algorithm updates daily.
Because there's only one thing that matters in SEO:
Publish content for users, not SEO.
I say this with 100% confidence.
I've been in the trenches – testing it out and have the data to prove it. This is not advice from a textbook or a $9.90 Udemy course.
Here's an example of one of my blog post that have been ranking for years:
Here's a surprising fact: When I wrote the post, 5 years ago, I didn't write it for SEO. I didn't do any keyword research. The post wasn't optimized. I simply just wrote. I "documented" what I knew, like I was explaining it to a music student.
And that little blog post with less than 500 words has gone to rank top for years – pulling in thousands of clicks.
LLM answers also tend to reference and link to the post.
All without me doing any "SEO optimization".
What if we started optimizing it?
If I ran a business selling pop filters and microphone accessories, this would be a perfect time to milk the potential.
With what I know now – I could optimize the context, make a video, and improve the structure. Do everything under SEO (off-page and on-page) to make sure my listing on the top of Google is solidified, forever.
But the point is...
The optimization comes AFTER.
And that's how you should approach SEO or Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO).
The problem is most people go the opposite way. They forget their users and focus on the technical stuff first.
Start with users
Forget SEO for a minute.
Think about your dream customer. No, not a group of people. Zoom down into just one person.
Let's call him Jim.
- How old is Jim?
- Where are his behavior and habits?
- What is Jim's pain, fear, hopes, and dreams?
- What is Jim trying to solve by searching?
- Provide that solution to Jim.
One thing people start to think at this point is: "If I only focus on little Jim, then I'll miss out on the other potential customers!"
Oh hoho.
The only way to produce content that connects with someone on a deep, emotional level is to produce it like you're talking to them.
When you talk without zooming down to one person, you'll end up creating a so-so content that kinda makes everyone happy, but excites no one.
And one of the secrets to SEO, is to share a new idea.
New, human-led ideas? That's something generative AI can't do.
Acquire customers with SEO in 2025
One of my favorite sites to buy marketing software – and learn about marketing is AppSumo.
AppSumo does $8.3M/mo in revenue. And a significant part of it lies in its organic ranking on Google. (see below)
Few years ago, I found out that the head of content of AppSumo was based in Malaysia. And a week ago, I managed to convince him to run a 1-day SEO workshop in KL for 30 business owners. Whoo!
The workshop will be next week – 18th December, Thursday at Common Ground, KL Eco City.
If you want to open up a floodgate of "free" customers through Google, this workshop is a must-join. Now open on pre-sale till the end of tomorrow.
