SEO can feel a little like therapy sometimes. You sit down with a business’s website, listen to what it’s saying (or not saying), and try to understand its history, pain points, and unmet potential. At least, that’s how I approach it. And while algorithms and tools get all the attention, the reality is that the businesses I work with—their story, their tone, their goals—carry just as much weight in whether their beautiful new website ends up sitting on page ten or dominating search results locally and beyond.
So in 2025, what actually works when it comes to SEO? And how can you gain some traction without selling your soul to keyword stuffing or writing a blog post every day about the same forgotten topic?
I want to walk you through strategies that aren’t just “best practices,” but proven methods I’ve used myself with clients—from local restaurants to personal brands to service-based businesses—who saw measurable ranking improvements and, more importantly, more calls, bookings, and revenue.
Most sites start with the wrong keywords. Generic ones. Non-specific phrases like “web designer” or “home remodeling.” These might get traffic in theory, but not from the people who are actually looking for your exact service or in your exact area. The truth is, SEO isn’t just about visibility—it’s about relevance at the exact moment someone needs what you do.
So the shift here is going from broad traffic to intent-driven traffic. That means keywords like “eco-friendly home renovation in Franklin TN” or “Squarespace designer for therapists.” It’s a mouthful, but Google sees that phrase and understands exactly who should be seeing your site—but only if that exact phrase is used with purpose across your site structure.
I worked with a client here in Franklin who runs a small landscaping business. Originally, his site was ranking okay for “landscaping Nashville,” but he was getting tons of calls from folks outside his service area. We shifted focus to “hardscaping Franklin TN” and rewrote service pages to focus more on the process and local limitations. Traffic dipped 20%—but his conversions doubled because the traffic actually wanted exactly what he was selling.
Every local business thinks that claiming their Google Business Profile is enough. It’s a start, sure. But showing up in the 3-pack (those businesses that show with the map on Page 1) takes work that goes beyond GMB optimization and a few images.
Google wants to verify your location and services from multiple angles—not just from your GMB but from consistency across review sites, third-party directories, social media, and even your footer. This concept is often called NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone Number), but I like to think of it as building your local credibility profile.
I helped an independent interior designer in Nashville who had stunning photos and a clean website—but was barely on the search radar. Beyond optimizing her GMB with targeted keywords and services, we audited her listings across Yelp, Houzz, Angi, Facebook, and Apple Maps. Half had outdated info. Once we cleaned all of these and added location-specific content updates on her site, she rose to the top of local maps within three months—and maintained it.
This is where my web design background really collides with SEO strategy. A pretty site that loads slowly or has a confusing navigation hierarchy can hurt your SEO more than an outdated blog. Google’s algorithm is designed to mimic user behavior—if users bounce, Google notices.
In 2025, UX signals like crawlability, accessibility, speed, and interaction timing play a significant role in rankings. And Google’s Core Web Vitals—measures of how fast and stable your site is—are not just tech specs anymore, they’re ranking factors.
One client came to me after originally building a DIY Wix site. It looked fine, but their bounce rate averaged 78%. We migrated the site to Webflow with a cleaner CMS structure, leaner animations, and optimized loading. Within 6 weeks, bounce rate dropped to 32%. The result? More keyword traction and two full-page service sets now ranking on page 1 locally. Google’s Core Web Vitals were all green.
I won’t tell you to blog every week unless your audience and industry actually lends itself to that frequency. Consistent content helps, yes—but optimized, purposeful content helps more.
Think about what your client is searching when they’re confused or unsure. Now write content that answers exactly that point. Don’t write for popularity, write for your customer’s fears and hopes. It’s not just SEO copywriting—it’s grounded empathy.
I wrote a blog two years ago titled “Why Your Business Isn’t Growing Isn’t About Traffic.” It broke down the layers between perception, branding gaps, and website clarity issues. It wasn’t keyword-stuffed, but it resonated. It got linked by two industry psychologists and still brings in slow-burning traffic that converts better than my homepage.
Backlinks still remain one of the most influential ranking signals, but the type of backlink matters immensely. Buying shady backlinks or submitting to fake directories often triggers Google penalties. Instead, think of backlinks as endorsements—earned through real industry presence.
That means features in local publications, partnerships with vendors, guest posts on related sites, or being listed in regional “best of” features. It’s time-consuming, but the ROI is long-lasting.
One of my clients—a small but excellent brewery here in Middle Tennessee—ran a collaboration brew with a popular local food truck. They created a landing page around it. Then, local bloggers and journos featured it in event guides and food roundups—with backlinks. That one page got linked in 14 domains, and the overall domain rating went up 9 points. Their traffic went up, but more notably—they ranked higher for non-branded beer search terms in Tennessee.
Technical SEO feels intimidating, but much of it comes down to maintaining a clean, crawlable structure. Even well-designed websites fall apart under the hood due to things like broken redirects or redundant pages. Every time Googlebot visits your site, it reads your code like a blueprint. If it’s messy, you lose trust.
Then there’s schema—structured data that tells Google what your content actually means. It’s how your star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, or dates show up directly in the SERP. These don’t just look good—they increase click-throughs too.
One of the biggest mindset shifts I’ve had to coach clients through is this: SEO isn’t a checklist or a destination. It’s a system that responds to attention. Metrics without a strategy are just data. So once you’ve made changes, what are you actually measuring?
Traffic matters, but goal completions matter more. Engagement rate, time on page, conversions, and phone calls—all of it should map back to your business goals, not just rankings. Because getting to Page 1 is fun... until nothing happens.
Every client I work with gets a monthly progress call and report, but I only highlight 3 metrics: Rankings, Conversions (form fills or calls), and Usability Score (a loose blend of Core Web Vitals + bounce + read time). These keep us focused not on vanity, but on movements that drive business.
Lastly—and I can’t stress this enough—treat SEO like you treat a good reputation. It’s built, nurtured, goes through seasons, and benefits from authentic relationships. Cheat it, and the foundation collapses eventually. Build it with empathy and understanding? It becomes your quiet referral machine.
If you think of your site as a house, SEO is your city zoning, property insurance, and signage all rolled into one. You wouldn’t build a beautiful home no one can find, right?
SEO in 2025 isn’t only about ranking higher—it’s about surfacing the right message to the right person at the right time. When you pair technical acumen with a deep understanding of your audience—their fears, their goals, the moment they finally search—you begin to earn the kind of visibility that lasts.
From owning your niche with intent-driven keywords to building your backlink network through real local relevance, it’s the blend of empathy and systems thinking that defines the best SEO strategies today. In my experience, thoughtful design, meaningful messaging, and tight technical foundations outperform gimmicks and hacks every single time.
So whether you’re just starting with a brand new Webflow build, or revisiting your old WordPress structure that’s seen better days, consider SEO as an act of connecting—deeply, authentically—with the people you’re here to serve.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
