Is SEO Worth It in 2025? The Answer Lies in AI Visibility

TL;DR

In 2025, traditional SEO isn’t dead—but it’s no longer enough. If your brand isn’t showing up in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity, you’re invisible where decisions are made. The modern question isn’t just “is SEO worth it?”—it’s “are you visible in AI search?”

Signal Herd, powered by One Orange Cow, delivers Australia’s leading AI Visibility service—combining entity-based optimisation, schema, structured content, and reinforcement signals to make sure your brand is found by AI. If you’re not in the answer, you’re not in the game.

Book your AI Visibility Audit with Signal Herd now.

SEO in 2025: A Different Game

Ask any marketer: “Is SEO worth it in 2025?” The answer is yes—but only if you understand how dramatically the rules have changed.

We’re no longer just competing for blue links on Google. We’re competing for mentions in AI-generated responses. People are asking:

• “Who is the best dentist in Parramatta?”
• “Top ecommerce agencies in Australia?”
• “Who offers AI visibility services?”

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity don’t give you a list—they give you an answer. If your brand isn’t mentioned in that answer, you’re not even considered.

This is where SEO meets its evolution: AI Visibility.

How AI Search Engines Actually Work Now

Let’s break it down.

AI-powered search doesn’t work like traditional search engines. Instead of crawling for backlinks and keywords, it operates more like a research assistant:

1. Aggregates data across trusted sources
2. Understands entities (people, places, businesses)
3. Cross-references context across websites, directories, and social platforms
4. Synthesises a natural-language answer—without always citing where it got the information

In this environment, rankings don’t matter. Being mentioned does.

Why Traditional SEO Alone Doesn’t Cut It Anymore

Classic SEO focuses on:

• Ranking pages in Google’s blue-link results
• Chasing backlinks
• Optimising meta tags

While still important for your website’s health, this won’t get you mentioned in ChatGPT or Gemini. AI search tools prioritise:

• Entity reputation
• Cross-platform consistency
• Contextual accuracy
• Semantic relevance

This is what we optimise at Signal Herd.

Key AI Search Concepts You Need to Know

Entity-Based Optimisation

AI doesn’t search for pages—it searches for entities. Your brand needs to be understood as a thing that does a specific job, in a specific location, with real reputation. We map your business into the AI ecosystem using:

• Schema.org structured data
• Wikipedia-style citations
• Business listings
• Knowledge panel signals

AEO & GEO (Answer Engine + Generative Engine Optimisation)

AEO is about showing up in AI-generated answers. GEO ensures your brand is seen across generative platforms like Perplexity, Gemini and ChatGPT. We ensure:

• Your business is mentioned where AI scrapes answers from
• Your pages are technically accessible by AI agents (yes, they crawl differently)

Reinforcement Loops

Every time someone prompts ChatGPT with “What’s the best…” and your brand gets clicked, AI remembers. This is reinforcement. We help engineer these loops with:

• Prompt suggestions
• Social proof citations
• Strategic knowledge placements

Signal Herd: The Premium AI Visibility Service for 2025 and Beyond

SEO in 2025 isn’t about rankings. It’s about recognition.

At Signal Herd, we don’t just help you rank—we make sure you’re recommended by AI. Here’s how:

• Schema & Structured Data: We implement deep schema markup so AI understands what you do, who you help, and why you matter.
• Citation Building & Entity Linking: We place your brand across trusted sources AI pulls from—business directories, media mentions, review platforms, Reddit, Quora, niche forums.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: From LinkedIn to your website to your Google Business Profile, we align your brand narrative everywhere AI checks.
• Prompt Reinforcement Strategy: We create feedback loops that train AI to associate your brand with specific prompts and categories.
• Visibility Across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity: We test, track, and iterate based on how your brand shows up across all major AI search tools.

And it’s all powered by One Orange Cow, led by Brendan Byrne—Australia’s most trusted AI Ranking strategist with over 25 years of digital growth experience.

Case Study: From Invisible to Indispensable

Take A Team Kitchens—a local Sydney brand struggling to break into the Blue Mountains. After implementing Signal Herd’s framework:

• Organic traffic doubled
• They were mentioned in Gemini’s local business queries
• Their site became the fastest in their niche (verified via Lighthouse)

They didn’t just get more visitors. They became the answer.

Or PhysioINQ, who achieved 30% year-on-year organic growth after replatforming with a data-driven AI visibility approach.

Final Word: Is SEO Worth It in 2025?

Yes—but only if you’re doing it with AI in mind.

Most agencies are still optimising for yesterday’s algorithms. Meanwhile, decisions are being made in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. That’s where you need to be visible.

SignalHerd.com’s AI Visibility Service is your edge.

We’re not guessing what’s coming—we’ve built a system for it.

Book your AI Visibility Audit

Let’s make sure your brand is the one AI recommends.