Positioning a Website: SEO Guide 2025

Being able to position a website effectively is confirmed as a crucial element for online success. Even in 2025, it will be critical to update your SEO strategies to remain competitive and visible on search engines. This guide aims to explore the secrets and emerging trends that will define the future of SEO. All while providing practical insights and useful tips for optimizing one's online presence.

In recent years, we have seen significant changes in the way search engines evaluate and rank content. Increasingly sophisticated algorithms, such as those used by Google, reward not only relevance of posts, but also user experience (UX), page loading speed and compatibility with mobile devices.

These factors are becoming increasingly crucial in the placement of pages in search results .Another key aspect to consider is the growing importance of video content and voice searches. With the increased use of virtual assistants and smart devices, users are changing the way they search for information. It will therefore be necessary to optimize not only text, but also multimedia content and answers to voice queries.

The SEO of 2025 will require an integrated approach that takes into account these new modes of interaction. In addition, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the SEO landscape. This will affect both content creation and targeting strategies. New AI-based tools can analyze huge amounts of data to identify trends and user behaviors, enabling unprecedented personalization of marketing campaigns.

We of SHM Studio we want to provide a comprehensive overview of SEO best practices for 2025. Specifically, we will explore the most effective techniques for ranking a website on search engines.

SHM Studio's experience in positioning a website

If you are reading this article, chances are that you have a website or wish to open one,. You also wish it to succeed in getting a good ranking. Let's start by saying that if you do not consider SEO optimization, you undermine the visibility of your platform, compromising its ability to receive visits and convert user traffic into tangible results. Not ranking a website properly, in other words, can be synonymous with the failure of your business.

As Milan Web Agency, we at SHM Studio we have over 10 years of experience in managing projects related to SEO optimization. Working in digital marketing means staying up-to-date with the latest developments. Over time, we have helped dozens of businesses improve their website ranking and expand business.

Therefore, we have decided to put our experience at everyone's service. Using the simplest language possible, we are going to analyze what it takes to place a website at the top of the SERPs. Working with SEO requires experience, expertise and a good dose of creativity. Read this guide to become an expert and make the most of your business. If even after reading it you continue to have difficulties, you can always request a specialized web consulting. 

Aspects affecting SEO optimization and website ranking

If until recently it was considered sufficient to “smear” a few keywords here and there to aspire to a good ranking, today things are very different. The skills that must be possessed in order to master the secrets of SEO are numerous.

At the same time, the parameters to be taken into account are increasingly specific and technical. Many companies turn to communication agencies to take care of their websites, given the complexity of the task. These are the aspects that influence SEO, and thus the ranking of a website.

• Relevance of keywords/keywords: select the right keywords for your target audience and use specific techniques to identify them.
• Technical SEO optimization: improve site speed, ensure compatibility with mobile devices, adopt the HTTPS protocol to make the site secure in the eyes of users as well, create an XML Sitemap, and use the Robots.txt file.
• User Experience (UX): User engagement has a direct impact on ranking.
• On-Page Optimization: optimize titles, headings (H2, H3, H4), meta-tags, URL structure, content quality, and ensure a match between search queries and content.
• Off-Page SEO: Develop Link Building to increase site authority.
• Local SEO: implement specific strategies to optimize ranking in geolocated searches, including Google My Business management and presence in local directories.

On-Page, Off-Page and Technical: SEO in Detail

The main actions of optimization that you are required to consider are grouped into three main macro areas. In fact, SEO is divided into On-Page, Off-Page e Technique. Each of these three areas affects website ranking differently. As a result, different actions should be taken.

• On-Page SEO: focuses on content and optimizations made directly on website pages.
• Off-Page SEO: mainly involves the management of external links, known as backlinks, aimed at improving brand reputation and site authority.
• Technical SEO: focuses on optimizing the website architecture and its technical components, operations that often require the support of expert consultants to check and fix the code. Some of its aspects are also covered by On-Page SEO, so the two fields may overlap. When we talk about speeding up a page, this is an operation that is both Technical SEO and On-Page SEO. However, Technical SEO is also about interventions that act on the entire site, not just a single page.

For perfect SEO optimization, each of these three aspects must be considered as a whole. We will try to explain in detail, but in a simple way, what actions should be taken to increase the ranking of the site.

Technical SEO

La Technical SEO Is a crucial component of search engine optimization. It focuses on optimizing the technical aspects of a website. It aims to ensure that pages are easily crawled and indexed by search engines, thereby improving rankings.

Key areas of focus include loading speed, optimization for mobile devices, and site structure management, all of which are key to delivering a better user experience and increasing online visibility.

Now, let us try to understand a little more specifically what we are talking about.

Robots.txt , Sitemap and markup: all the information you need

The Robots.txt file is a textual document that regulates the behavior of the crawler on your Web site. It should be placed in the root of the domain and contain instructions to access or exclude areas of the site via directives such as “User-agent” and “Disallow.” For example, “Disallow: /sectionX/” prevents crawlers from accessing that specific section of your platform. Robots.txt directives thus allow you to indicate which areas of your site should be inspected or not by search engines, providing targeted control over indexing.

La Sitemap instead, is a file that lists all the URLs on your site that are useful for browsing. It can be in XML or txt and is read by crawlers to ensure complete indexing coverage. Sitemap improves it because it makes it easier to understand the structure of your website, allowing search engines to discover all your pages more easily. It also reduces initial indexing time and simplifies internal navigation.

We often get, as Milan Web Agency, of seeing even well-crafted sites that do not have a sitemap. Because of this, they have impaired better crawling and ranking.

Finally, we have the Markup scheme. Based on JSON-LD language, it enriches search results by adding extra information via the “rich snippet“. The latter are nothing more than snippets of additional content. They go beyond the URL and title, and appear in the results of search engines such as Google.

Through the Markup schema it is possible to include various types of elements including images, descriptions for items or products, opening hours and location for local businesses, reviews, prices and availability for offers, as well as author, date and thumbnail for blog articles.

The user's “contribution” to positioning a website: the User Experience

If a potential customer enters your website, visits several pages, spends some time there and perhaps signs up for your newsletter or makes a purchase, this will greatly favor the site's search engine ranking. Conversely, if the visitor enters the site, looks only at the homepage and after a few seconds leaves the page, this will penalize SEO and thus ranking. This is what we understand as “user contribution.”. 

So, how do you increase the time spent by users on your website? Page loading speed is essential. A site that takes more than a couple of seconds to load will never be visited. Positioning a website that does not load quickly is an almost impossible task.

Ensuring an optimal user experience is another determining criterion for ranking. Excellent UX on mobile devices makes the difference between your site and those of your competitors. In addition, a website designer must also ensure the site is easily navigable. Precise menus, crisp and clean images, internal cross-referencing links. These are all aspects that favor the user and encourage them to spend more time within the page.

Let's take a closer look at what factors determine User Experience, and which you need to prioritize. Let's talk about the Core Web Vitals.

Core Web Vitals: what they are and why they are important

I Core Web Vitals represent additional key parameters introduced by Google to evaluate the user experience on your web pages. The three main ones are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): measures the time it takes to load the main content of the page. It should be optimized within 2.5 seconds.
• First Input Delay (FID): identifies delays in responding to user inputs and interactions. It should be less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): quantifies changes in the layout or position of elements during loading. A value of 0 is ideal.

Since March 2024, an additional metric has been included in Core Web Vitals: Input to Next Paint (INP).
INP goes beyond simply measuring the first interaction. Specifically, it considers them all and reports the slowest during the entire page duration.

Unlike First Input Delay, which measures only the initial delay, INP measures the entire period from the start of the interaction until the browser fails to render the next frame. This approach makes INP a more comprehensive measure of perceived user responsiveness than FID.

Specifically, what actions can you take to improve all these parameters?

• Optimize the size and number of HTTP requests.
• Reduce the size of CSS, JS, and HTML.
• Compressing images.
• Implement delayed loading (lazy loading) and prefetching.
• Managing reflows/relayouts more efficiently with JavaScript.
• Enable compression, caching and use of HTTP/2.
• Constantly monitor these parameters through tools such as e.

On-Page SEO: specific improvements to position a website

For the’On-Page SEO Optimization is indispensable the role of copywriters. These professionals act directly on the textual content of the site, going to draft, optimize and publish it in a manner consistent with the parameters of search engines.

In addition to the content of the text itself, which must be well written, consistent with keywords and original, the copywriter acts on the metadata, that is, all those settings that are not seen once the piece is published, but that “speak” directly to the search engine.

These are all steps to be taken at the metadata level to improve SEO optimization.

• Title optimization (title tags) to include. keywords And describe the content.
• Alt attribute optimization of images.
• Proper use of headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to better structure the textual parts and create a hierarchy in the information.
• Optimizing Meta Descriptions to attract user clicks on Google SERP snippets.
• Content optimization through the use of relevant keywords
• Internal page organization, including URL management, internal navigation, and loading speed.
• Validation of HTML/CSS code to improve user experience and indexing.

As Web Agency in Milan specializing in SEO, we are often asked which, among them, are the most important activities. We can say that all of them are relevant. Only by considering them all is it possible to achieve the best results. In our work as consultants, it is the organic view that allows us to consider every aspect and achieve measurable effects, demonstrating the actual increase in a brand's online visibility and SEO optimization done properly.

Keywords and how to find them in 2025

The process of keyword research involves identifying various types of search intent. These can range from the more informative to the more strictly commercial. For what purpose is the user searching for that specific word? Does he want to inform himself, find an idea, or just entertain himself? The content of the text, always optimized with the chosen keyword, will also need to be weighted according to these questions.

It is essential to conduct a thorough analysis using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SeoZoom o Semrush to identify the most relevant keywords for your industry. Which ones are the most used? And the ones that bring in the most users? Or perhaps the ones to avoid? It may sound complicated, but what makes the difference here is experience. That's why we at SHM Studio, as a digital agency in Milan, we place great importance on continuous updating and practice co0me keys to a successful digital business.

In addition, careful selection of keywords is essential for the structure and categorization of the site. This includes menus, content and category pages, products and services. It is critical to distinguish between the specific search intent for each section of your platform, which will guide the creation of menus, submenus, breadcrumbs and call-to-actions.

To clarify the concept, let's look at an example. In the photo, the Keyword Planner screen suggests relevant keywords related to “baby girl shoes” and “baby girl clothing.” (photo in previous piece)

Originality and quality always pay off: content

Google rewards sites that offer value with informative and relevant text. Currently, search engines maintain a preference for human ones despite the advent of the’Generative AI. Content, meaning articles, posts, or anything else, must be of high quality. In this sense, it means text that is consistent and akin to the search made by the user.

In addition, the copy should include consistent keywords, be well organized, with accurate information expressed in an engaging way. The clearer and more complete the text is with all the information, the more the user will continue reading and spend time on the site, lowering the bounce rate. We are talking about a metric that indicates the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page, without interacting further.

Finally, the text must be absolutely original. There are now parameters that search engines adopt to check whether the content is copied from other web pages. Even just a few copied and pasted parts can drastically lower the ranking of the page, and consequently of the website.

Local SEO: on-page, but direct interaction is imperative

Unlike traditional SEO, Local SEO aims to position geolocalized content for a specific area. If a business or enterprise aims to index itself correctly in a specific location (it can be the urban center of Milan, but also more provincial realities) then it is necessary to put in place a series of specific techniques that are much more targeted than normal SEO.

In this case, the techniques to be employed are both on-page and off-page. On-page because all the strategies to be applied on the site remain valid. Use of correct keywords, clear meta data, eye-catching images. All implemented with the specific rules of Local SEO.

Off-page, on the other hand, because as businesses with ties to the local area, direct communication is important. Participate in community initiatives, sponsor recreational activities, collaborate with other businesses. All of this helps the site rank on google, receive backlinks and more.

If you want to learn more, you can check out our specific article here. If not, read on, because they still have so much to say.

Off-Page SEO: working outside the website

La Off-page SEO refers to all the strategies and activities that take place outside the website to improve its search engine ranking. Unlike On-page SEO, which focuses on internal elements such as content and site structure, Off-page SEO aims to build authority and reputation through external factors, through which a website will be ranked effectively.

One of the main techniques of off-page SEO is the link building. It consists of gaining backlinks from other sites to increase perceived trust and reliability by search engines. Other effective practices include the content marketing, the social media marketing, and the guest posting. These techniques help disseminate content and engage a wider audience.

In summary, the Off-page SEO is crucial for improving online visibility, since search engines consider external signals, such as mentions and links, as key indicators of a site's quality and relevance

Link building

La link building Is a fundamental strategy in SEO optimization. This off-page SEO technique consists of the acquisition of backlink, i.e., links from other websites that point back to your own. These links are considered signals of trust and authority by Google. The reason is clear. An external link back to your content means that it is considered relevant and useful by other sources.

The main goal of link building is to improve the visibility of the site in search results. This also improves its ranking. It is crucial to target high-quality links from authoritative sites, as not all backlinks are of equal value. A small personal site that links to your content obviously cannot have the same value as Adobe or the site of the Italian Government.

Relationship between social media and SEO optimization

A company's use of social media certainly has an impact on SEO optimization, albeit indirectly. With a good social media manager and a proper digital marketing strategy, activities such as sharing your site's content and interacting with your audience can increase the visibility and relevance of your platform, reflexively affecting its ranking.

The relationship between social media and brand recognition is clear. A high number of likes, shares and comments on posts will make your site be perceived as authoritative. This will improve its ranking. Also, the more popular a page is on social, the higher the chance of receiving authoritative backlinks.

This is the same principle we talked about at the beginning. The techniques for perfect SEO optimization are many, and all of them together promote site ranking. You certainly need an overall look, which is not easy to have. That's why turning to experienced professionals in the field is always a good choice for those taking their first steps in the world of online business.

SEO tool 2025: what to use to rank a website

With the constant evolution of search engine algorithms, it is essential to use effective tools that can simplify the process of ranking a website. We at SHM Studio would like to present a selection of indispensable tools That help to improve SEO. We will also look at their features and the benefits they offer.

In fact, these tools provide detailed, real-time information about your website's search engine performance and user experience. From keyword research to competitive analysis. These tools can make all the difference in ranking your site and achieving your online goals.

Semrush

It offers a wide range of features, including searching for the most relevant keywords for your industry and analyzing the strategies adopted by your competitors.

La platform allows you to conduct in-depth keyword research using tools such as the Keyword Magic Tool and Keyword Manager, making it easier to identify and organize those relevant to your target audience. It also offers an extensive backlink database and tools to manage your link building strategy.

It also provides support for technical SEO, helping to identify and resolve issues through the Site Audit tool and improving individual page visibility with the On-Page SEO Checker. For businesses interested in local visibility, Semrush offers tools for managing listings, reviews, and monitoring local keyword positions. There are also features for market analysis and ad-specific keyword research to optimize their conversions.

Ahrefs

It is a powerful online marketing tool that offers several features to improve the online visibility of a website.

Among its main features, the evaluation of the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to the site stands out. In addition to this it offers comparison of the latter with those of direct competitors.

In addition to these features, Ahrefs offers tools for content analysis, to identify relevant influencers and websites in order to develop a digital public relations strategy, and to analyze competitors' SEO strategies to identify opportunities for improvement.

It then allows you to monitor mentions of your site and brand online, identify new content ideas, and obtain detailed data on website traffic and social media performance.

SEOZoom

SEOZoom is an all-Italian platform that provides a wide range of features to improve the performance and visibility of websites on search engines. These tools include in-depth keyword analysis, competition monitoring, site audits, backlink analysis, and more.

SEOZoom is aimed at industry professionals, marketing agencies and website owners who want to boost their web business by achieving measurable results in the shortest possible time. The platform stands out for its ability to provide accurate and up-to-date data, enabling users to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies to improve search engine rankings.

The interface is particularly straightforward and intuitive, making SEOZoom a great tool even for those new to SEO.

SEO optimization also critical for e-commerce

Positioning a website effectively is crucial For the success of e-commerce sites. This is because it directly affects site visibility and traffic. In a very competitive and saturated digital market, working effectively on SEO positioning can make the difference between a successful business and one that struggles to emerge.

Most users begin their purchasing journey through search engines. If an e-commerce site does not appear in the top positions, it risks losing potential customers. Investing in SEO attracts organic traffic, thus visitors who come to the site without paying for advertising. Doing so not only reduces the cost of customer acquisition, but also often increases at conversion rates, since users who actively search for specific products turn out to be the ones who often make purchases.

In addition, a good SEO ranking lends credibility to the brand. As is normal, users tend to trust pages that are at the top of searches more, perceiving them as more authoritative. This can translate into increased customer loyalty and positive reviews.

SEO optimization in the time of artificial intelligence

SEO-related logics have always been constantly changing with respect to what Google's algorithm detects as most useful and effective for the user. With this in mind, the’Artificial Intelligence offers countless opportunities and challenges for digital marketers.

Interaction with AI, in fact, can enable better SEO optimization. How? By more precisely identifying ideal keywords and adjusting content with respect to the algorithm's needs and search intent. 

Thus, on the one hand, we have Artificial Intelligence that allows for partial automation of content writing and performance analysis, quickly identifying trends and proposing already optimized drafts of content. On the other hand, it is crucial that the automation of the creation process is accompanied by scrupulous and accurate human oversight, to avoid the content being instead “penalized” by search engines as artificially created. 

AI and search engines

AI simplifies SEO performance analysis, allowing specialists to quickly identify areas for improvement and optimization. Using predictive analytics tools, changes in search engine algorithms can be anticipated and strategies adjusted accordingly.

Search engines work through specific stages, for example the crawling, l’indexing and the ranking. Each of these determines how and what content is displayed first to users. Integrating AI into these moments allows us to analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends and optimize content in real time, better responding to user needs.

SEO and AI optimization: are keywords still key?

The simple answer to this question is: yes, they are indispensable, still. Certainly, there is no denying that the advent of Artificial Intelligence is changing the way search engines work. Algorithms are becoming more and more specific and personalized, all for the benefit of the end user. SEO optimization professionals need to be aware of these changes, and adapt their way of working.

Thanks to AI, search engines are now able to understand the context and intentions of the user when entering the query. This leads to more accurate and personalized results, partly because of the implementation of new tools, such as location-based services and personalized recommendations. The ownership of search engines such as Google and Bing, therefore, is shifting more toward creativity and relevance of text, as opposed to keyword density alone.

In addition, users' habits are also changing through voice searches. When searching for information on Google via voice search, the query tends to be more conversational. In this sense, AI is helping professionals. New technologies allow the analysis of a huge amount of data. By analyzing voice searches, it will be easier to c0mprehend the intent of searches by a huge number of users, allowing for better targeting of content.

Best SEO AI Tools in 2025: to make the most of new opportunities

I SEO AI tools are able both to work on existing content, optimizing and improving it for various search engines, and to start from scratch, creating text and providing useful ideas for developing your business. By harnessing the new power of Artificial Intelligence, you simplify your work and make it more precise and targeted. SHM Studio has operated for you a selection of the best on the market. 

1. Botify

Do you want to be in total control of all aspects of your site's SEO? Then Botify Is the SEO AI Tool for you. With this tool, you can analyze the technical and content performance of your website. In addition, you can track the behavior of search bots and user interactions.

The tools that Botify makes available are many. One of the most useful is the ability to monitor the SEO performance of competitors, highlighting their strengths but also their weaknesses, content discovered, and the keywords used.

With the help of artificial intelligence, this Tool is perfect for quickly highlighting and solving any website problems that limit its indexing and visibility.

2. Phrase

Do you go strong in your business but lack the aptitude for writing and fail to create punchy copy and articles that truly reflect your company? Phrase then it's the tool you've been looking for.

Frase is an excellent SEO AI tool for content creation. It harnesses the power of built-in Artificial Intelligence to generate SEO-Friendly articles without sacrificing readability.

In addition, the software is able to suggest possible topics and relevant topics. All this in addition to SEO-optimizing your previous work.

3. SurferSEO

SurferSEO is an incredible tool that integrates artificial intelligence with a kit of software that will allow you to make your website enjoyable and with a truly user-friendly experience, without sacrificing SEO and readability.

One of the main tools is Surfer AI, which calls itself a “traffic generator, not a content generator.” In just a few clicks you can create an article from scratch, providing only the trend keyword to be developed. Thanks to the power of AI, you can also discover dozens of keywords related to your topic. Writer's block, goodbye!

SurferSEO is an SEO AI tool that can also be integrated with common digital marketing tools, as WordPress e Google Docs. In addition to this, it provides an anti-plagiarism function and offers innovative business solutions.

Despite all the modern tools and supports, positioning a website remains a complicated job. It takes a great deal of industry knowledge and experience that not everyone possesses. Indeed, there are so many pitfalls and tricks behind SEO optimization. Therefore, an online business must always be able to rely on a qualified team of experts who can handle any situation. SHM Studio, with more than 10 years of experience in the field of web marketing, has already helped dozens of businesses find their place in the digital market. Although the do-it-yourself may initially seem like a good solution, especially in terms of cost containment, in the long run every company needs a comprehensive SEO strategy to exploit the full potential of this tool.

Contact us, even if only for advice or information. Together we will find the right method to turn your business into a recognizable brand that is appreciated by customers.