What are your SEO goals? Setting clear and achievable goals is the first step to a successful SEO strategy. Really, have you thought about it? Or are you simply plugging away, doing the same old same old, and hoping for different or better results?
Stagnation is not an option in the dynamic world of SEO. It's time to innovate, move forward, and strive for better results. It’s not admitting defeat but instead being inspired to push the boundaries of SEO.
But if you want to elevate your SEO campaign, it's time to set worthy goals and push your marketing in the right direction.
SEO isn't the same now as it was many moons ago, and harking back to a more simplistic time of keyword stuffing and questionable black hat SEO tactics is only going to render your efforts obsolete. And with new Google updates hitting the algorithms seemingly every few months, you need new goals and new targets to stop you from languishing at the bottom of the search results.
But what SEO goals do you need to be working towards?
AI Rules
AI SEO, AEO, and GEO are not just random letters. They represent the future of SEO, where AI plays a crucial role in optimizing your content for search engines.
- AI SEO is artificial intelligence search engine optimisation
- AEO - artificial engine optimisation
- GEO - generative engine optimization
AI SEO basically puts your websites and content front and center in AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google's new AI overviews.
Essentially, what these do is put you in front, center, and top of the search engine results.
They work by collating information to answer questions asked directly by authoritative publishers. These results are from websites that are proven to be genuine, informative, and high quality, such as major media outlets or niche sites etc.
As far as SEO goals go, focusing on pushing your content to the top of chatbots and AI search results can benefit your SEO no end because it is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get eyes on your content.
More and more people are using chatbots to find information on regular search engines, and anyone who has used Google lately will see the prominent placement of the new AI overviews. If you want to know how to implement AI SEO, this article provides more details on how to achieve this.
Backlinks
How many backlinks are pointing towards your website?
Are you producing relevant, informative content that people want to reference and link to?
Not sure, not really not bothered?
It's time to get bothered.
Far from simply reaching out to other outlets and asking them to place links to your content on their websites, you want to create linkable content. You won't create link-bait content.
What is link bait content?
Essentially, link bait content is content that entices people to want to link to it. It is articles using research or studies on trending and popular topics in your niche that resonate with your audience or other publications. This approach is vital to gain high-quality, authoritative backlinks.
But why is this so important?
You need high-quality backlinks to prove to Google that your content is valuable. That is a resource that others won't have and do need and find value in. The more you can demonstrate how valuable your content is, the more likely you are to rank higher.
So, while you're putting together your SEO goals for the tail end of 2025, don't overlook the importance of gaining those all-important backlinks.
Content Updates
It cannot be underestimated just how many websites took a massive hit in the latest Google updates.
Google constantly changes its algorithms and guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable and what it prioritizes. The most recent one was August 2024, and this is likely around when you noticed your traffic dropping off a cliff.
While this goes a long way toward stopping people from manipulating the search engine results, you need to play Google at its own game. This means embracing all of its core qualities for content and ensuring that you are checking all of the boxes.
Go through all of your content and see if the keywords you're using are still relevant. Then, analyze the content to see if there are any gaps in information. Address any structural issues. Ensure that you include only relevant information that is up-to-date and delivers value.
Social Media Mentions
Did you know that your social media content and engagement help boost SEO?
Social media can be key to driving traffic to your website and helping you get mentioned on high-authority websites and news outlets.
Let's take the UK Aldi social media team.
Not a week goes by that they don't do something that gets them mentioned in other publications, news stories, or social media accounts. They do this by using trending and relevant news topics affecting their shoppers, products, and business activity in a tongue-in-cheek way.
This way of getting people talking about them drives engagement to their website and social media accounts and boosts their visibility. Try it now: Search for the Aldi social media accounts and see all the articles they have been featured in.
While this indirect approach does not directly impact SEO, it can gain valuable mentions for your business and create buzz, which will pay off in the long run.
Tracking
Tracking isn't just for those online orders you've made and need to hide from your spouse.
It's also the best way to understand if your SEO campaign is working or not.
If you want your SEO campaign to work as hard as your delivery driver, then you need to track your analytics from start to finish for the entire campaign.
You need to start by determining exactly what you want from your SEO campaign. Without this information, you can't track the results and will not know how successful you've been.
So, set your target, focus on the outcomes that you want to achieve, and then look at ways to track progress. It might be that you want to increase traffic to your website or click-through rates, or you might simply want to reach the top of the search engines for certain keywords relating to your business.
Once you know what you want, you can find the right tools to help you track and ensure that you do not encounter any nasty surprises from your campaign, and that it is delivering exactly what you ordered.
Boost Brand Awareness
How many people know your brand or business activities?
No really.
Outside of your mum's friends and family, who actually knows what your business is and what you do?
Negligible brand awareness isn't going to work well for you; however, SEO is an amazing way to get your name and job business out there.
When implementing SEO goals, add brand awareness as one of them.
Brand awareness can help direct your SEO actions to ensure people know exactly who you are and what you are doing.
The reality is that the more people know about you and what you do, the easier it will be to get the results you need.
Refine your brand's message, find your market, and make sure that everything focuses on sharing who you are and what you are about. Don't be shy. Being shy doesn't get results. Be proud of your company and of what you're building, and run with this throughout your SEO campaign.
Better User Experience
How easy is your website to use?
If the answer is not very good, it's time to backtrack and sort that out.
Google prioritizes easy, fast, and structured websites.
Like a helicopter parent circling in the background, Google knows how people act when clicking through to your website. It knows how fast your site loads and what your issues are. The more issues you have, the more people will click off, the longer it takes to load, and the faster you slide down the SERPs.
So, when you're considering overhauling your SEO campaign, you must absolutely prioritize a better user experience.
Because the longer people spend on your website, the more information they can find, and the easier it is to navigate, the more favorable Google will look at your website and prioritize it over others.
Addressing issues such as loading speeds, alt text, meta descriptions, navigation, and more can all help boost the user experience.
When you add in valuable content and make product descriptions clear, the more improved your website will improve, and the more likely it will be for you to boost your SEO
Final Words
Your SEO campaign should be managed on a near-constant basis. Algorithms change constantly, and new updates roll out all the time. New methods, techniques, and tricks are constantly in and out of fashion in relation to SEO. Ensuring that you are setting relevant goals to achieve tangible results is vital to boosting success in your SEO campaign.
Leave a Reply