If you’ve been keeping an eye on changes in the digital world, you’ll know there’s a lot going on, from privacy tools like VPNs becoming mainstream, to major legislative changes like the UK’s Online Safety Bill, and Google’s increasing use of AI in how it delivers search results.
Understandably, many small to medium-sized business owners are left wondering:
“Is my website still relevant? Will people still find me online? And what can I actually do about it?”
In this article, we’ll break down what’s changing, how it might affect your business’s website traffic, and ** most importantly ** what practical steps you can take to stay visible and competitive in a shifting online landscape...
What’s Changing in the Digital World?
Let’s start by explaining the key trends and developments affecting websites and online visibility in 2025.
The Rise of VPN Use
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) allow users to browse the internet securely and anonymously. Once seen as a niche tool for tech-savvy users or international travellers, VPNs are now being adopted more widely and are often marketed around privacy, security, and freedom from tracking.
Why this matters:
VPN users can appear to be browsing from another country, making it harder to target them geographically through traditional digital marketing.
Google’s localisation of results may be less accurate for users on VPNs, which can affect how and when your local business shows up.
User tracking and analytics may become less precise, meaning less reliable data from platforms like Google Analytics.
The UK Online Safety Bill
The Online Safety Bill officially passed into law in 2023 and is now being enforced throughout 2024 and 2025. While it primarily targets large platforms and harmful content, it does have knock-on implications for businesses operating websites and digital services.
What to watch out for:
You must ensure your site content is compliant with stricter rules around misinformation, user interaction, and digital harm.
Businesses using comments, forums, or user-generated content must have moderation tools in place.
There’s a general trend toward accountability for online content — even for smaller sites.
While it might not directly penalise you as a business website owner, it raises the bar for trust and transparency which affects your audience’s perception of your brand online.
Google's Search Is Evolving with AI
Possibly the biggest shake-up of all: Google’s integration of AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) is changing how search results are displayed. Instead of the familiar list of website links, users are increasingly seeing AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, often answering their question without clicking through to a website.
The result?
Fewer clicks from search, even if your website ranks highly.
More competition for attention above the fold.
Greater emphasis on content that feeds the AI summary, not just ranks on its own.
So… Does This Mean Your Website Doesn’t Matter Anymore?
Absolutely not.
In fact, in a world of AI answers and anonymous browsing, your website becomes your most important owned asset — a space you control fully, that builds trust, delivers helpful information, and showcases your expertise.
The challenge is how to adapt your strategy to these new realities.
What Can You Do to Stay Visible and Competitive?
Here are the key ways to keep your website working hard for your business, even in a world of VPNs, AI search, and stricter regulation.
Double Down on Helpful, Human Content
When AI starts answering more user questions, the websites it pulls from are the ones doing genuinely helpful, topic-focused content.
If you can consistently publish well-written articles that answer real customer questions (just like this one), you’re far more likely to:
Be cited in AI search results.
Rank well organically for long-tail search terms.
Build trust and authority with your target audience.
This approach (made popular by Marcus Sheridan’s “They Ask, You Answer” philosophy) is more relevant than ever in 2025.
If you’re not already doing this, start by creating a Knowledge Centre or blog on your website and publish 1–2 helpful articles per month.
Keep Your Website Fast, Clear, and Trustworthy
With privacy laws and user expectations increasing, your site should make it clear you’re legitimate and trustworthy.
That means:
HTTPS security and privacy policy pages.
Clear calls to action and contact information.
Mobile-friendly, accessible design.
Fast loading speeds (AI tools and voice assistants don’t like slow sites either).
These aren’t just “nice to haves”. They affect your rankings, user trust, and legal compliance.
Use Local SEO Tactics to Stay Relevant (Even with VPNs)
Even though VPNs can obscure a user’s location, Google still tries to serve local intent-based results when relevant. That means you still have an opportunity to show up for local searches like “web design in Hull” or “plumber near me” if your site is properly optimised.
To help with this:
Add clear location information to your site (address, areas served, etc.).
Create individual landing pages for key towns or services.
Get listed (accurately) in online directories like Google Business Profile.
Keep Control of Your First Impression
With more search answers staying on Google and less traffic guaranteed, the traffic you do get needs to count.
When someone visits your site, they need to:
Understand immediately what you do and who you help.
Find answers to their questions quickly.
Know what to do next (get in touch, request a quote, book a call, etc.).
This means getting your homepage, services pages, and navigation structure working as a seamless part of your sales journey, not just a digital business card.
Monitor Your Analytics – But Don’t Panic...
It’s true that VPNs and privacy tools can skew your analytics data (and Google’s shift away from Universal Analytics to GA4 hasn’t helped).
But the goal isn’t perfection. It’s about spotting patterns:
Are your organic visits growing month-on-month?
What pages are performing best?
Are users converting when they do visit?
Combining analytics with real-life feedback from clients (ask them - e.g., “I found you on Google by searching X”) as it gives a much fuller picture.
In Summary
Yes, the landscape of online marketing is evolving fast. But that doesn’t mean your website is becoming obsolete. Quite the opposite...
In a world where people are more anonymous, AI is doing more heavy lifting, and regulation is tightening, your website remains the one place you can own, control, and build trust.
The businesses that stay visible in search will be the ones who:
Regularly publish genuinely helpful content,
Optimise their site structure, trust signals, and location relevance,
Treat their website as a living part of their sales process — not a static brochure.
At it’seeze Hull, you'll be unsurprised to hear that we genuinely believe websites are still the beating heart of your marketing, and when used properly, they’re one of your most powerful business assets.
If you'd like to hear more about how we help our clients with issues like this, feel free to get in touch.
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