In the evolving landscape of digital marketing, businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to remain competitive in search engine results. The core principles of SEO—on-page, technical, and off-page optimization—remain foundational, but the methods and expectations have evolved. With the rise of AI-generated content and tools like large language models (LLMs), SEO strategies must also consider Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This article outlines a structured approach to building an effective SEO strategy, incorporating insights from case studies and practical techniques.
Understanding the Core of an SEO Strategy
An SEO strategy is a long-term plan that aims to improve a website's visibility in unpaid search results. Traditionally, SEO strategies have focused on three key areas:
- On-page SEO: Improving the relevance and quality of specific webpages.
- Off-page SEO: Encouraging other websites to link to your site or mention your brand.
- Technical SEO: Enhancing the performance of a website for both users and search engines.
In 2025, the importance of these elements is reinforced by the growing influence of AI in search and content creation. Businesses must now also consider GEO, which involves optimizing for AI-generated responses. This is crucial because many AI tools rely on existing web content to generate answers. As Google’s Danny Sullivan noted in August 2025, “Good SEO is good GEO.”
The Importance of an SEO Strategy
Implementing an SEO strategy is vital for businesses aiming to grow their online presence. A well-defined strategy helps in making informed decisions, aligning teams, and allocating resources efficiently. It increases the likelihood of earning organic traffic, attracting potential customers, and converting them into sales.
For example, Morningside Acupuncture NYC began investing in SEO in 2020. Within two years, the company saw a fourfold increase in revenue due to higher organic search traffic. By July 2025, the site was generating organic traffic worth $9.2K in advertising costs, according to Semrush’s Organic Research tool. This case study illustrates the tangible benefits of a well-executed SEO strategy.
Step 1: Perform Keyword Research
The foundation of any SEO strategy is keyword research. This involves identifying the search terms and phrases that users type into search engines. These keywords provide insight into user intent and help in tailoring content to meet those needs.
For example, a buyer’s journey through search might involve multiple stages—from initial research to making a purchase decision. Understanding these stages allows businesses to create content that addresses each phase. Using tools like Google’s autocomplete suggestions, related searches, and the “People Also Ask” section can help in identifying relevant keywords.
Effective keyword research not only helps in ranking higher in search results but also ensures that the content is relevant to the target audience. This relevance is a key factor in both SEO and GEO, as it aligns with the expectations of search engines and AI tools.
Step 2: Optimize On-Page SEO
Once the keywords are identified, the next step is to optimize the on-page elements of a website. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and content itself.
- Title Tags: These should be concise, include the primary keyword, and accurately reflect the page’s content. For example, a title tag for a page about international SEO might read: “International SEO: How to Dominate Global Rankings.”
- Headings: Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure the content. Each heading should clearly describe the section it introduces.
- URL Structure: Keep URLs short and descriptive. For instance, a URL for a page on international SEO might be
www.example.com/international-seo.
In addition to these elements, the content itself must be optimized. This involves using the identified keywords naturally throughout the text, ensuring that the content is informative and valuable to the user. The content should also be structured in a way that is easy to read and scan, using short paragraphs and bullet points where appropriate.
Step 3: Address Technical SEO Issues
Technical SEO involves ensuring that a website is accessible and performs well for both users and search engines. Common technical issues include broken internal links, formatting errors in the robots.txt file, redirect chains, and invalid structured data.
- Broken Internal Links: These can lead to poor user experience and hinder search engine crawlers from accessing all parts of the site. Regular audits using tools like Semrush’s Site Audit can help identify and fix these issues.
- Robots.txt Errors: The robots.txt file tells search engines which pages to crawl and which to ignore. Errors in this file can prevent important pages from being indexed.
- Redirect Chains: These occur when a page redirects to another page that also redirects. This can slow down the crawling process and should be avoided.
- Structured Data: Incorrectly formatted schema markup can prevent search engines from understanding and displaying the content correctly. Validating the schema markup using tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool is essential.
By addressing these technical issues, businesses can ensure that their websites are optimized for performance and accessibility.
Step 4: Build a Strong Backlink Profile
Backlinks are a critical component of off-page SEO. They signal to search engines that other websites consider the content valuable and trustworthy. A strong backlink profile can significantly improve a website’s search visibility.
To build backlinks, businesses can use several tactics:
- Digital PR: Creating and distributing newsworthy content can attract media coverage and backlinks.
- Broken Link Building: Identifying broken links on other websites and offering to replace them with working links to your content can be an effective way to earn backlinks.
- Guest Posting: Writing high-quality articles for reputable websites can establish authority and earn backlinks.
- Link Baiting: Creating original studies, reports, or other high-quality content that naturally attracts links can also be a successful strategy.
- Becoming a Source: Responding to media requests for commentary or images can lead to mentions and backlinks.
When identifying prospects for backlinks, it is important to focus on relevant and reputable sites that publish high-quality content. Tools like Semrush’s Link Building Tool can help in finding and tracking these prospects.
Step 5: Track and Analyze SEO Performance
Tracking the performance of an SEO strategy is essential for understanding what is working and what needs improvement. This involves setting up tools like Google Analytics 4 to monitor key metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions.
By regularly analyzing these metrics, businesses can refine their strategies and make data-driven decisions. For example, if a particular page is not performing well, it may be necessary to update the content, improve the technical SEO, or enhance the on-page optimization.
Adapting to the Changing SEO Landscape
As of 2025, the SEO landscape has become more competitive, and user expectations have changed. The fundamentals of SEO still matter, but the bar has been raised. Search engines and AI tools now expect higher-quality content, better user experiences, and more strategic backlinking.
One key adaptation is the integration of SEO and GEO strategies. Businesses must focus on building a unique value proposition (UVP), tailoring content to a clearly defined audience, and ensuring that their brand is featured on commonly cited websites. Managing online reputation and encouraging customer reviews can also enhance visibility in both search engines and AI-generated content.
Another important consideration is making content accessible to AI crawlers. This involves avoiding unclear language and complex sentence structures, which can hinder AI’s ability to understand and use the content.
Conclusion
Building a comprehensive SEO strategy in 2025 requires a focus on on-page, technical, and off-page optimization, while also considering the impact of AI and GEO. By following a structured approach that includes keyword research, on-page optimization, technical fixes, backlink building, and performance tracking, businesses can improve their search visibility and achieve long-term success.
The key to success is not just in chasing rankings but in creating valuable, informative content that meets the needs of the target audience. As the SEO landscape continues to evolve, businesses that adapt and refine their strategies will be best positioned to thrive.