Every few months, someone declares that SEO is dead. It happened when Google introduced featured snippets. It happened when AI overviews started appearing. And it’s happening again now in 2025. But here’s the truth. SEO isn’t dead, it’s just different from what it was five years ago.
What’s Actually Changed
Search results are more complex than they used to be. Google doesn’t just show ten blue links anymore. You’ve got AI overviews giving direct answers, featured snippets pulling information from websites, local packs showing businesses on maps, and knowledge panels displaying information without needing to click through.
This means fewer people are clicking through to websites for simple factual queries. If someone searches “what time do banks close” they get their answer directly in search results. They don’t need to visit a website. For certain types of searches, this has absolutely reduced the traffic websites receive.
But here’s what matters for most small businesses. Your customers aren’t searching for simple facts. They’re searching for services, for local businesses, for solutions to problems. And those searches still drive website visits and phone calls. When someone searches “emergency plumber near me” or “garage door repair Manchester,” they’re not getting a complete answer in the search results. They need to contact a business.
What Hasn’t Changed
The fundamental purpose of SEO remains exactly the same. Getting your business visible when potential customers search for what you offer, hasn’t changed, and it’s not going to change. People still use search engines when they need something, and businesses still need to appear in those results.
Google still wants to show helpful, relevant content from trustworthy sources. Having a well-functioning website, useful content, good reviews, and clear information about your services still matters and the core principles haven’t been thrown out.
What search engines display has changed, but the need to rank well hasn’t. If anything, it’s become more important because there’s less space on the first page for traditional results. Being on page two has always been bad for traffic. Now being in position five or six on page one doesn’t get you as much traffic as it used to either.
Why Businesses Shouldn’t Panic
For local service businesses, SEO is arguably more important now than it’s ever been. Google’s local search features have actually improved visibility for small businesses. When someone searches for your type of service in your area, Google shows local results prominently with maps, reviews, and business information.
The “SEO is dead” panic tends to come from people in industries where AI can provide complete answers. Informational websites and publishers are genuinely struggling. But if you’re a plumber, electrician, garage door company, or any local service business, your customers need to contact you. No AI answer is going to fix their broken boiler.
The Real Challenge
The challenge isn’t that SEO is dead. It’s that SEO is more competitive and requires better quality than it used to. You can’t just stuff keywords into thin content anymore. Google has got much better at identifying genuinely helpful content versus content created purely to rank.
This means more effort is required to rank well. You need proper content that actually helps customers. You need a website that works properly and loads quickly. You need reviews and local signals. But none of this is impossible, and none of it is fundamentally different from good business practice anyway.
What’s died isn’t SEO itself but lazy SEO tactics that used to work. Keyword stuffing, thin content, bought links, and manipulative techniques are dead. Quality, helpfulness, and genuine authority are what matter now for legitimate businesses providing good services, this is actually fairer than the old system.
What You Should Actually Do
Instead of worrying whether SEO is dead, focus on whether your SEO approach is current. Are you creating genuinely useful content? Is your website providing a good experience? Are you collecting reviews and maintaining your Google Business Profile? Are you clearly serving your local area?
If you’re doing these things, you’re doing SEO effectively. The fact that search results look different doesn’t change whether you need to do these things. It just changes exactly how they appear in results.
SEO evolves constantly, and it always has. Businesses that adapt and focus on genuinely helping customers through their online presence succeed. Those that panic and abandon SEO because it’s “dead” tend to struggle. Your competitors are still doing SEO, and if you stop, they’ll take your customers.
So no, SEO isn’t dead. It’s different, it’s more sophisticated, and it requires better quality than it used to. But for local businesses serving customers in specific areas, it remains one of the most effective ways to attract new business. Don’t believe the headlines declaring it dead. They said the same thing ten years ago, and they’ll say it again in another five years.