SEO today is far from its early “stuff keywords and buy backlinks” days. Google’s algorithms now reward quality, speed, accessibility, and trust.
The 2025 SEO pillars
- User intent — matching the reason behind the search.
- Core Web Vitals — LCP, CLS, INP are ranking factors.
- Accessibility — good for users, rewarded by Google.
- Structured data — helps search engines understand your content.
Optimising Core Web Vitals
Test with Google Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights.
Fix:
- Slow LCP (optimise hero images, use preload)
- High CLS (reserve space for images/ads)
- Poor INP (minimise blocking scripts)
Adding structured data
Use schema markup to help Google display rich snippets.
Example:
add_action( 'wp_head', function() {
echo '<script type="application/ld+json">' . json_encode([
"@context" => "https://schema.org",
"@type" => "Organization",
"name" => get_bloginfo( 'name' ),
"url" => home_url()
]) . '</script>';
});
Writing for intent
If someone searches “best running shoes for flat feet,” they want recommendations, not a sales pitch. Match content to intent to rank well.
Takeaway checklist:
- Focus on intent-driven content.
- Meet Core Web Vitals thresholds.
- Implement schema where relevant.
- Ensure accessibility for both users and crawlers.
