Scale & Strategy
This is Scale & Strategy. Our love language is gift-giving (and they come in the form of business insights).
Here’s what we got for you today:
- How to Nail On-Page SEO in 2025
- How to Write for Machines (Without Sounding Like One)
How to Nail On-Page SEO in 2025
If you want one part of SEO you can fully control, it’s on-page.
Backlinks and off-page signals still matter — but your content, structure, and layout? That’s all you.
Adam Riemer recently shared a smart breakdown of what to focus on in 2025. It's worth keeping close if you're trying to rank in the age of AI-first search.
Here’s the playbook:
1. Headers that speak human.
Ditch vague H1s like “Crossing the Finish Line First.” No one’s Googling that. Your headers should spell out what the page actually offers. Be specific. Use the H1–H6 hierarchy properly and write as if you’re trying to help a friend, not impress a professor.
2. Titles that get clicks (without faking it).
Avoid clickbait. Use the actual phrases your users search for. If someone’s looking for “how to switch payroll providers,” say that — not “The One Secret HR Teams Don’t Want You to Know.” Keyword-stuffing is dead. Clarity wins.
3. Content that’s clear, useful, and doesn’t waste time.
Forget clever — go for helpful. Back up what you say with sources, give examples, and always answer the “why should I care?” It’s also how you land in AI Overviews — value and clarity beat flair.
4. Clickable elements that make sense.
If your button says “Learn more,” it better lead to more info. If your CTA says “Start free trial,” it better be obvious and instant. Google pays attention to UX cues like this. So do users.
5. Speed — but with sanity.
Yes, speed matters. But if you're sacrificing actual functionality to save 0.3 seconds, you’re doing it wrong. Prioritize lazy loading, caching, and deferring scripts smartly. Aim for fast and functional.
6. Canonical tags: your unsung cleanup crew.
If you’re A/B testing, syndicating, or reusing content — canonicals make sure Google knows which version to rank. Use them right to avoid duplicate content chaos.
Bottom line: On-page SEO in 2025 isn’t about gaming the algorithm.
It’s about being clear, helpful, fast, and human.
That’s what ranks — and converts.
How to Write for Machines (Without Sounding Like One)
The visibility game has changed — again.
It’s no longer just about getting to page one of Google. Now, you’ve got to show up in answers — the ones ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and every other generative engine spits out.
Welcome to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). And yeah, it requires a different approach to content.
Here’s how to adapt without losing your voice:
1. Write for intent, not just traffic.
Language models don’t care about clickbait. They care about relevance and clarity. So stop dancing around the topic — say the thing. Directly answer the questions your audience is actually asking.
2. Speak like a human.
No more robotic keyword stuffing. Use long-tail phrases, conversational queries, and natural language that mirrors how people actually talk. The closer you write to how people think, the better the machines understand it.
3. Keep it structured.
Headings, bullets, short paragraphs — they don’t just help readers skim. They help LLMs extract and summarize your content correctly. Think of it like training data: feed them clean structure, get clean results.
4. Sound like you give a damn.
AI models prioritize trustworthy content. That means citing real sources, quoting credible voices, and presenting actual data. Authority signals matter more than ever.
5. Focus on the distribution, not just the post.
Your blog isn’t enough. You want your insights showing up in public, indexed, high-trust places. The more visible you are across quality sources, the more likely your content gets trained on — and pulled into future answers.
6. GEO + AEO = upgraded SEO.
SEO isn’t going anywhere. This is just the next version. Think of it like adding another lens: traditional SEO gets you the link; GEO/AEO gets you the quote in the answer box.
Bottom line: you're still writing for people — but now, the machines talking to those people are your new gatekeepers.
Write clearly, structure well, and earn trust. The algorithms (and your audience) will follow.
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