If you’re a small or mid-sized business owner trying to attract more customers online, you probably already have heard about search engine optimization (SEO) and how it can help your business grow online.
At its core, SEO is about making your business easier to find and trust online. And in the past, it was all about ranking for keywords and showing up on page one.
But what many business owners don’t realize is that today, in the latter part of 2025 and heading into 2026, SEO isn’t just about keywords or ranking on Google—it’s a holistic strategy made up of multiple moving parts.
In the almost 14 years—has it been that long?—since I helped start my boutique SEO and web development agency, I’ve seen SEO drastically change. And it’s probably changed the most in the last 18 months or so.
I really believe that entrepreneurs and marketers who are on the fence as to whether they need SEO to help their businesses grow could use a refresher on what actually encompasses a successful SEO Strategy, because it’s not just keywords and rankings.
With that said, today, I’m going to reveal the eight key elements of SEO today, how each process works, and why they’re important for your business growth. Let’s go!
1. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
What it is: Conversion rate optimization focuses on turning your website visitors into paying customers, leads, or subscribers. It includes optimizing calls-to-action (CTAs), landing pages, forms, and checkout processes.
Why it matters for SEO: Ranking high on Google doesn’t matter if visitors leave your site without taking action. CRO makes sure the traffic your SEO brings in actually grows your revenue.
Example: A simple change like making your “Contact Us” button more visible or streamlining your checkout process can significantly increase sales. Make sure your CTAs are above the fold, which means they’re visible as soon as someone lands on your site.
2. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
What it is: AEO is about optimizing for voice search and AI-driven answers (like when people ask Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant questions). It focuses on providing clear, concise, and structured answers that search engines can pull directly. GEO makes your content visible and cited within AI-generated answers from generative AI platforms like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
Why it matters for SEO: More customers are using voice and AI assistants to find businesses near them or ask questions. If your content is optimized for AEO, your business has a higher chance of being the chosen answer. And, as Google moves towards AI-generated answers, having your content cited and linked in those answers can help drive traffic as well.
Example: Adding FAQ sections with direct answers (e.g., “What are your hours?” and “Do you offer free delivery?”) can help your business show up in voice searches. For GEO, make sure you’re also citing relevant information that AI can pick on like, “What is the best way to keep raccoons out of my attic?” or “Why do I need a lawyer for a real estate deal?”
3. SEO Content
What it is: SEO content consists of the blog posts, product descriptions, service pages, and guides you publish to target keywords your customers are searching for.
Why it matters for SEO: Content is the foundation of SEO—it helps search engines understand what your business offers and positions you as an authority in your industry.
Example: If you operate a local law firm, writing an article on “What to Do After a Car Accident in [Your City]” can bring in people actively looking for legal help.
4. Web Design
What it is: Web design goes beyond making your site “look nice.” It’s about user experience (UX), mobile-friendliness, site speed, and easy navigation.
Why it matters for SEO: Google rewards websites that are user-friendly and penalizes ones that frustrate visitors. A poorly designed website increases bounce rates, which hurts rankings.
Example: A clean, mobile-responsive design ensures customers on their phones can browse and then perform an action from you easily.
5. Technical SEO
What it is: Technical SEO ensures that your website can be properly crawled and indexed by search engines. This includes fixing broken links, improving page speed, setting up secure HTTPS, and creating an XML sitemap.
Why it matters for SEO: If search engines can’t easily crawl your site, your content won’t show up in results—no matter how good it is.
Example: Compressing large images to load faster improves both user experience and rankings. Making sure you’re following best practices when it comes to title tags and meta-descriptions is also important.
6. Backlinks
What it is: Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to your site. They act as “votes of confidence” in Google’s eyes.
Why it matters for SEO: The more high-quality, relevant websites there are that are linking to yours, the more trustworthy your site appears to search engines. This boosts your rankings.
Example: If a local newspaper links to your business after covering a community event you sponsored, it improves both your SEO and your reputation.
7. Local SEO
What it is: Local SEO, is about optimizing your online presence for location-based searches. This includes Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, and location-specific keywords.
Why it matters for SEO: Most small and mid-sized businesses rely on local customers. Local SEO ensures you show up on the map when people nearby search for your services.
Example: If someone searches “plumber near me,” local SEO tactics make sure your business appears in the map pack.
8. Analytics
What it is: Analytics tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console track your website traffic, keyword performance, conversions, and user behavior.
Why it matters for SEO: Data lets you see what’s working and what’s not. Without analytics, you’re essentially guessing.
Example: If you see most of your traffic is coming from mobile but conversions are low, it may be time to improve your mobile checkout process.
Putting the 8 Elements of SEO to Work
So, to recap:
- Employ CRO to get visitors turned into leads, subscribers or customers.
- Use AEO and GEO to show up in AI-curated results and voice search.
- Create SEO content to ensure that search engines know what you do and then can relay that to searchers.
- Optimize your web design to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward to all visitors to your site.
- Implement technical SEO so that the site can be properly crawled and indexed.
- Build backlinks to help boost your authority across the Internet.
- Focus on local SEO to grab the attention of local customers quickly and effectively.
- Make use of analytics so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.
As you can see, SEO has evolved and it’s not just keywords and rankings. But this is just half the story, because even if you have a great SEO strategy, you have to make sure that you’re making money from it. That’s the return on investment (ROI) on your SEO.
If you want to get into finer detail about how these eight elements apply to your business in particular and what else is happening with SEO that can help grow it, book a complimentary consultation with Numero Uno Web Solutions today.
