2025 marks the final phase of a particular era of the web. The traditional method of searching for topics and visiting websites with relevant editorial content is ending abruptly.
The new world order will see AI summarize results in just a few seconds.
The question around what your website is even for now comes into sharp focus. Its purpose is no longer to indulge the need for clicks and noise.
In a world of précis, your website needs to become the ultimate source of truth, not just a generator of unclicked results in a search query.
Looking into 2025, the website – the previously irrepressible stalwart of an organization’s digital presence – requires an overhaul of purpose.
You could ask, what is the point of a website anymore?
With declining traffic from all corners of the Internet, the value of original content – written, video and imagery – is being depleted.
The value of a website and its content now exists through its distribution on other portals where users already naturally visit.
Add to this how your website’s results will be sucked into large language models (LLMs) and spat out as AI conversations.
The worth of a website transforms to becoming the tip of the sword for an organization’s branding. In a world of unreliable, third-party information, an organization’s website must create a unique experience with fans with clear interaction points.
Content is no longer the priority for an owned website. Sports organizations must focus on delivering realities and relationships.
Google knows its future lies in AI yet faces the classic innovator’s dilemma. The giant is in the difficult position of reinventing its search proposition for users, while being a dominant leader in that field.
There are fresh, nimble, powerful challengers. OpenAI’s sensational impact on the digital landscape is obvious, as ChatGPT now has 200 million weekly active users.
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PerplexityAI, a conversational search engine alternative to Google, is rising in popularity too with 10 million users.
Their combined speed has set the table for users wanting answers not results.
These AI-powered rivals provide answers to questions, to varying degrees of accuracy, whereas Google is best known for providing a list of results.
Unlike Google, which has an expectation of accuracy and reliability, the various AI services are judged less harshly should they make mistakes while growing.
This evolution of search and discovery will result in a continued decline for referral traffic for editorial sites.
Fewer people being directed to their website will have inevitable knock-on effects for sports teams, leagues, and rights holders.
The “why” behind your website must shift. It’s no longer just a hunt for traffic, but the true north for your brand, your partners, and your fans.
“All of [Google’s efforts are] seemingly without consultation, transparency, permission, or reward for the original curators and rights holders of that information.”
Owen Meredith, Chief Executive, News Media Association
Variety is vital
The website has traditionally been the document of record for those in the sports industry. It’s a guaranteed destination where fans can seek clarity.
However, it is more vital than ever that publishers have multiple and diverse means of engaging their audiences and do not become over-reliant on this singular platform.
Due to a clear change in user behavior and the proliferation of other sources, a healthy digital marketing mix is required. This includes tailored and personalized email communications, push notifications, an appropriate mix of owned social media channels, and an official presence on third-party platforms such as message boards and chat servers.
Rearrange the resource
With search absorbing much of your editorial traffic, organizations need to rethink how their resource is structured.
For content, the focus should be on developing distribution networks to push your editorial and messaging through established – and well-visited – locations. The website’s value is shifting.
If you do develop content, you must maintain extremely high standards for two reasons beyond the obvious.
If websites aren’t kept healthy with legitimate content, AI can’t learn from that content and could hallucinate content as a result, delivering a poor experience for fans.
Equally, there’s an opportunity to license content to AI models as they build out and evolve their own offering for fans.
Smarten up your SEO
Google is not the only search engine to factor into your website’s content going forward.
With the rise of ChatGPT, Perplexity and Microsoft-powered Bing, there will be a shift in growth in the other ways people search.
Users could spend considerably more time on their chosen search engine, with thousands of spin-off questions around a chosen topic.
SEO-leading content around “What time is kick off?” and “Where can I watch?” will not be strong enough to survive in 2025 and beyond.
Sports organizations need to have a far stronger SEO set up around their content, matching the new behavior of its existing and future users.
