SEO in 2025: 6 Must-Haves to Rank on Google and Outrank Your Competitors

If you want your website to actually show up in search results—and stay there—you need to master the six foundational SEO principles that define success in 2025.

At Brod Solutions, we recently hosted a marketing session called “SEO: 6 Must-Haves to Rank,” breaking down the real, practical steps any site owner (from bloggers to e-commerce stores) should take to improve visibility, drive traffic, and compete with top-ranking sites. This article shares those principles, supported by the insights from our live presentation and slides.

Whether you're managing a brand, selling online, or running a passion project, these are the SEO essentials to implement today.

1. Indexability: Can Google Even Find You?

If Google can't crawl your website, it can’t rank it. Indexability is non-negotiable. Here's what you need to do:

• Check your robots.txt file to make sure you're not blocking crawlers.
• Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console.
• Fix errors like “noindex” tags or blocked pages.
• Audit crawl status monthly to maintain visibility.

Pro tip: Recheck your sitemap monthly to ensure new pages are being discovered.

2. Authentic Content: Be Human. Be Real.

2025 is the year of authenticity in SEO. Google’s core updates now punish generic, AI-generated, or duplicate content.

What works:

• Original stories and real-world experience
• Expert commentary and personal takes
• Solving real problems for real people

Example: BarrelRaftBoys.com, a blog documenting a 2-month journey down the Mississippi River, ranks highly because of its unique, lived experience that no other site replicates.

3. Great Titles: Make Them Click-Worthy

Your page title is your first impression. If it's not enticing or relevant, users will scroll past—and so will Google.

Best practices:

• Keep it under 60 characters
• Use keywords naturally
• Be specific and honest about what users will find
• Entice curiosity and match search intent

Examples that work: “Unleash the Power of SEO with Brod Solutions”, “My Secret Fishing Spots in Kalamazoo”, “9 Hacks to Get a Baby to Sleep Through the Night”

4. Amazing Descriptions: Write for the Searcher

Meta descriptions appear below your titles in search results and directly influence clicks. Treat them like ad copy.

• Keep descriptions under 160 characters
• Include relevant keywords naturally
• Use compelling, benefit-driven language
• Include a soft call-to-action

Good example: “Brod Solutions is your trusted partner for handcrafting unbeatable websites and digital strategies.”

Bad example: “Marketing, agency, SEO, website, content, design, Kalamazoo.”

5. Domain Authority: Build Trust, One Click at a Time

Domain Authority (DA) is your site's perceived credibility in the eyes of search engines. It's influenced by:

• Domain age and stability
• Backlink quality and quantity
• Content volume and publishing frequency
• User engagement like comments, reviews, and shares

To compete with major sites like Amazon or Reddit, own a niche, target low-competition keywords, and publish high-quality content consistently.

6. Sharability: Make Your Content Easy to Spread

Search engines measure how often your content is shared, linked, and engaged with. That makes shareability a critical SEO factor.

Tactics to improve sharability:

• Add share buttons on all key pages
• Allow comments and reviews
• Use Open Graph metadata for link previews
• Internally link related posts and products
• Encourage influencers or affiliates to share your content

Recap: The 6 Must-Haves for SEO Success in 2025

1. Indexability: Ensure your site is technically optimized so search engines can find and read it.
2. Authentic Content: Create human-centered, original content based on real experiences and needs.
3. Great Titles: Use concise, keyword-rich, compelling titles that drive clicks.
4. Amazing Descriptions: Write persuasive meta descriptions that entice users to visit your page.
5. Domain Authority: Build long-term trust by targeting a niche, generating backlinks, and publishing often.
6. Shareability: Make it easy for readers to share, link to, and engage with your content across platforms.

Need Help Executing This?

If you’re unsure where to start or need help applying these tactics to your website, Brod Solutions is here to help. We provide hands-on SEO consulting, content creation, and ongoing site management to help your business grow through search.

Contact us for a discovery call or sign up for one of our free Tuesday sessions in Kalamazoo.