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2025 didn’t just change digital marketing, it flipped the entire playbook. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is no longer what it was, thanks to Google’s major algorithm changes, which prioritise AI-powered content evaluation, search intent and website performance factors. Above all, the enhanced focus on user experience (UX) has fundamentally shifted what must be prioritised when optimising for search.
Traditional SEO focused on visibility, getting more visitors to a brand’s site by using backlinks, keywords and other technical factors to rank highly in search engine results.
Now SXO has entered the chat. This evolution of SEO adds satisfaction (CRO − conversion rate optimisation) and usability (UX − user experience) to SEO’s visibility tactics.
Basically, the goalposts have shifted. The current ‘hard truth’? Getting users to a site isn’t enough anymore. SXO considers the entire search journey, from query to conversion. And this experience needs to be seamless, engaging and valuable.
With machine learning, AI and user experience increasingly important in Google’s ranking criteria, brands must adapt their search experience optimisation strategies to stay visible and competitive.
What does this mean for businesses? With user experience now a critical ranking factor, companies must optimise their websites so that content is accessible and relevant, and sites must offer frictionless navigation. Why? Because what truly matters is what happens after the click.
In this, the second article in our AI and Innovation series, we’ll explore how SXO is reshaping the search landscape and what it means for your strategy moving forward.
What is SXO?
SXO is an evolution of SEO that’s all about optimising the entire search journey, from start (the query) to finish (the conversion). Think of it as a 3-step process that combines:
- SEO: To get users to your site via search engines.
- UX: To offer users an engaging, easy experience on site.
- CRO: To nudge users to take the intended actions.
It’s less about the click and more about what happens after. So SXO, your new power combo of SEO + UX + CRO, isn’t optional anymore.
Why SXO Matters: Google’s Focus on UX and Algorithm Changes
With its 2024 and 2025 updates, Google’s mission became clear: User experience must be prioritised as a key ranking factor. With Google’s algorithm becoming more user-centric, SXO matters because it mirrors how users actually search, browse and decide.
So, to achieve search rankings, we must now pay attention to: ·
- The growth of new search behaviours that have moved beyond keywords and include more mobile and voice search.
- Building brand trust to encourage repeat visits to pages.
- Engagement metrics that show behavioural signals, such as bounce rates, time on site and click-through rates.
- User intent and satisfying user needs.
Key Changes in Google’s Ranking Criteria and Optimisation Priorities
Here’s how Google’s algorithm updates have reshaped search engine optimisation and user experience priorities:
- Refinements to E-E-A-T prioritising expert content even more
- A greater focus on search intent to better match relevant content to user queries
- Core Web Vitals have been expanded to consider scrolling behaviour and engagement. New metrics introduced to evaluate the browsing experience include the Mobile Experience Score (MES); Cumulative Layout Shift 2.0 (CLS 2.0); and Interaction Readiness (IR).
- Content authority signals are needed to flush out AI-generated ‘spam’
- The growth of zero-click search, thanks to AI Overviews and featured snippets
Overall, it’s about using structured data, avoiding manipulative SEO tactics and focusing on producing relevant, authoritative content.
Content Must…
…meet user intent: Rather than just matching keywords, Google evaluates how well content answers search queries. User engagement, bounce rates and dwell time matter more.
… have the human touch: Machine learning judges whether content is relevant, informative and original. AI slop won’t rank well.
… be snippet-friendly: With AI Overviews and AI platforms answering questions directly and quickly right at the top of the results page, content must be tailored to fit. So answer customer queries upfront and optimise for structured data.
Websites Should…
…encourage engagement: User behaviour interaction signals (time on page, etc.) are more important, so content must hold user interest.
…perform flawlessly: To rank highly now, Core Web Vitals (such as visual stability, page-load speed and interactivity) are essential. Websites must be easy to navigate, fast and mobile-friendly.
SXO Is the New SEO: Optimise for Experience or Get Left Behind
Understanding this fundamental shift is just the beginning. Next, get familiar with the technical foundations that make SXO possible…
Core Web Vitals: The Foundation of Search Experience Optimisation
Core Web Vitals were enhanced in 2025, building on the benchmarks launched in 2021. These updates mark the shift from technical SEO to full SXO. UX, speed and engagement all matter.
With Google’s algorithm now evaluating websites based on mobile-friendliness, fast load times and user engagement, site owners must conduct regular performance audits and improve their UX design to maintain search rankings.
Ideally, sites must load within two seconds, be optimised for mobile, and encourage longer browsing sessions with reduced bounce rates.
The main metrics remain:
- Loading speed: measured by Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- Interactivity: First Input Delay (FID)
- Visual stability: Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Beyond these, Google now evaluates how sites respond during network fluctuations and how they function across devices like tablets and mobile phones.
To meet these advanced standards, developers should: ·
- Test website performance under varying network conditions (3G, 4G, Wi-Fi).
- Ensure site adaptability across different devices and screen sizes.
- Go beyond basic LCP, FID and CLS metrics by focusing on overall site responsiveness and user-friendly navigation. Flexbox and CSS grids can help create more stable layouts and reduce CLS.
Mobile Comes First
With Google’s mobile-first indexing, websites that aren’t mobile-friendly will pay the price. In SXO terms, you need to deliver fast, seamless mobile journeys that meet users wherever they are.
Adapt by:
- Using responsive website design
- Ensuring navigation is optimised for small touch screens
- Using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
Accessibility, Non-Intrusiveness and Safety
Here’s what Google’s Page Experience Update 2.0 means for your site:
- Websites must be more accessible to those with disabilities.
- Adverts shouldn’t be too intrusive or annoying.
- Websites should have stronger security measures in place (think advanced HTTPS protocols) to be rewarded by search engine algorithms.
To adjust to these requirements:
- Invest in cybersecurity safeguards.
- Think of the user experience of people with disabilities. Offer full keyboard navigation, text alternatives, alt text for images, clear layouts and forms, and ensure compatibility with voice commands.
These aren’t just box-ticking exercises. They’re crucial parts of SXO that signal trust, accessibility and usability to search engines.
Semantic Search and Search Intent
Today’s advanced AI models seek out contextually relevant content that meets the intention behind a query.
Strategists should:
- Structure content clearly for easy AI analysis
- Use tools like AnswerThePublic and SEMrush to understand user intent
- Answer search queries directly
- Rely more on long-tail keyword research around search intent
Need proof that this will work? In one case study, online-education platform Brainly tripled their keyword rankings year-over-year by using user-generated content and optimising for user intent.
Multimodal Search
Search isn’t just about words anymore. If you’re not optimising for visuals, voice search and video, you’re missing out.
- To help Google understand the context and content of your visuals, optimise image metadata thoroughly.
- To improve the visibility of your media, implement schema markup.
- To improve performance in local search results, add location-specific metadata to images and videos.
- To increase user engagement, offer interactive, immersive visual experiences. Think VR, AR and 360-degree photos.
- To analyse your visual content, use tools like Google Vision AI or Adobe Sensei.
What about Google penalties?
Now that we know a bit more about what Google search is looking for, let’s look at what it will likely ignore, or worse, penalise you for:
- Sneaky tactics like clickbait headlines
- Low-quality backlinks
- Keyword stuffing
- AI-generated content that shows no sign of the human hand
The Advantages of SXO
In addition to positively impacting your brand’s perception, the benefits of SXO include:
- Better search rankings: Google’s Page Experience updates mean pages optimised for speed and UX will rank higher.
- More engagement, thanks to useful content on sites that are easy to navigate.
- Greater conversion rates because of clear CTAs that nudge the user to explore more.
- Lowered bounce rates because of intuitive, readable UX design and content that truly answers users’ search queries – credibly, and fast.
How to Improve your SXO: Tips for Digital Marketers and Business Owners
To enhance your search experience optimisation, you’ll need to blend SEO, UX and CRO strategies to improve user pathways while optimising content for AI and voice search. Focus on ensuring contextual relevance when creating content and offering a smooth, intuitive, engaging search experience from start to finish. Following good SXO practices will help you build brand trust and increase conversions.
Now for the content and technical adjustments you should make…
Content Improvements
- Give searchers what they ask for. Take note of the intention behind the question and ensure your pages are structured to meet it directly. For example, are users looking for a ‘How To’ or comparison? In another case study, US real-estate company Flyhomes grew organic traffic by over 10,737% in three months through a content strategy aligned with what users wanted – cost-of-living guides. These guides generated 55.5% of site traffic.
- Write content that solves the user’s problem and does so in a trustworthy, easy-read way. Think short and scannable. Add sources and other authority signals.
- Make CTAs clear and place them in the right context.
- Create strong meta titles and descriptions to entice clicks from SERPS.
Technical Improvements
- Make navigation as easy as possible to increase time on site. Use breadcrumbs, intuitive menus and so on.
- Make your site mobile-friendly.
- Use schema markup such as structured data for greater visibility. Snippets and FAQ work well.
- Optimise for Core Web Vitals as these are Google’s key US performance indicators. PageSpeed insights can help you improve the responsiveness, speed and visual stability of your site.
- Note how users behave on site to adjust your layouts and content. Analyse heatmaps and session recordings with tools like Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar to see where you might be losing your customer on their user journey.
- Do A/B tests of your pages to see what leads to more engagement and/or conversions.
Checklist of SXO Questions for a Strong Online Presence
To maintain a strong online presence in 2025 and beyond, ask yourself:
Have you optimised your content for AI search? It should be factual, well-structured (clear headings, schema markup, etc.) and relevant.
Have you enhanced your technical SEO? Pages must be fast to load. Their structures should be regularly updated. Internal linking must be improved.
Have you considered engagement metrics? Websites should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, interactive and include multimedia elements.
Are your articles and blogs credible? They should be up-to-date and include factual information, expert quotes and statistics linked to a trusted source.
Final Thoughts
Google’s 2025 algorithm revisions have created major changes in SEO practices, emphasising machine learning-based ranking systems, search intent understanding and user experience factors.
The path forward is clear: blend SEO, UX and CRO strategies while staying proactive about emerging trends. Monitor algorithm updates, improve content quality and multimodality, encourage greater collaboration between your design and SEO teams, and conduct regular performance audits using tools like PageSpeed Insights and Google Lighthouse.
Clearly, businesses that prioritise excellent user experiences alongside technical optimisation will thrive in this new search environment. SXO isn’t just the future of search, it’s the present competitive advantage.
Need help optimising for search relevance in the age of AI and SXO? Contact us to learn more about our Digital Marketing and Digital Strategy solutions.
Did you learn something from this blog? You might want to check out some of our others, such as “GEO vs SEO: Do Traditional Tactics Still Matter in AI Search?” and “How to Optimise Your Content for AI – GEO Best Practices”
Coming Next:
Part 3: “AEO vs SEO: Optimising for Answers, Not Just Rankings” − understanding feature snippet optimisation vs generative AI content.
FAQs
What’s the difference between SEO and SXO?
SEO gets users to your site; SXO helps them stay there longer.
Can SXO be used across industries?
Yes. Any business, no matter the type, can benefit from offering visitors a better search experience.
Will I have to redesign my entire website for SXO?
Not at all. Start making UX tweaks. Track results, then move from there.
What’s the biggest mistake businesses make when transitioning from SEO to SXO?
Focusing solely on technical metrics while neglecting the user journey. It’s not enough to have fast load times if your content doesn’t solve user problems or guide them toward conversion.
Article by
Deidre Donnelly
