Hi there, and welcome to issue #22 of the Outranked SEO newsletter.
In this issue, I want to talk about why most 'SEO strategies' aren't actually strategies at all; they’re just lists.
You’ll learn:
- The difference between a strategy and a roadmap (and why most teams confuse them)
- Why great strategy is about focus and trade-offs
- How to connect your SEO strategy directly to commercial goals
Let’s get into it.
Most 'SEO strategies' are just lists of tactics.
I see it all the time.
A 40-slide deck titled SEO Strategy.
It’s full of things like keyword research, audit findings, content calendars, and a long list of “next steps.”
But here’s the truth; that’s not a strategy.
That’s a roadmap; a list of things to do.
And in SEO, we’ve blurred the line so badly that most teams can’t tell the difference.
Strategy and tactics are not the same thing, yet they're too often used interchangeably.
Here's what these really mean:
A strategy defines how you’ll win.
A roadmap defines what you’ll do.
The two are connected, but they’re not the same; and when you confuse them, you end up with a team doing a lot of work that doesn’t move the needle.
Go look at the last 'SEO strategy' you prepared or received...
Was it an actual strategy or was it just a glorified to-do list?
Strategy sets direction.
A roadmap keeps you busy whereas a strategy keeps you focused.
Think of it like this: strategy decides where you’re going; the roadmap shows how you’ll get there.
Without a clear direction, SEO teams pile up tasks; more content, more links, more tech fixes; but none of it ladders up to a meaningful outcome.
You can do SEO for years and still not get closer to your commercial goals.
Too often, what’s presented as strategy is just a list of tasks that don’t ladder up to a clear goal.
It’s a glorified version of throwing mud at the wall and hoping some sticks.
But you can also be 'strategic' or 'tactical' as a person. If someone is tactical, they know how to use the right SEO tactics. But if they're strategic, they know how to choose the right tactics.
It might sound a subtle difference, but it's huge.
Strategy forces trade-offs but tactics avoid them.
Good strategy is as much about saying no as it is about saying yes. It’s choosing to win somewhere specific and ignoring the rest.
That’s uncomfortable in SEO, because we’re wired to chase every keyword, every opportunity, and try to improve every metrics our favourite tool flashes at us .
But that’s how focus gets lost.
The best SEO teams make hard calls:
“We’re not targeting these terms because they won’t convert.”
“We’re doubling down on this category because it’s where our biggest opportunity is.”
That’s strategy in action.
Strategy connects SEO to business goals.
If your strategy doesn’t make sense in commercial terms, it’s not a strategy.
Traffic, rankings, links; they are all means to an end; not the end goals themselves.
A real SEO strategy starts with questions like:
- Where’s the biggest gap between our own organic share of search and competitors’?
- Which products, categories or services drive the highest lifetime value?
- How can SEO reduce our dependence on paid channels?
Once you’ve answered things like that, then you can plan your roadmap; your list of the tactics that make your goals happen.
What real SEO strategy looks like.
A real SEO strategy defines how your brand will win in search.
It’s built on clear choices: the markets you’ll prioritise, the problems you’ll solve, and the competitive advantages you’ll lean on.
Everything else; your roadmap, your optimisations, your content plan, should flow from that.
Strategy is a choice-driven narrative, not a task list.
Not having a strategy can be an expensive mistake.
When you don’t have a real strategy, you end up burning time and money and can easily give competitors the opportunity to overtake you.
You deliver work that looks good on paper but doesn’t move the numbers that matter.
You can fix a thousand SEO issues and still lose market share to a competitor with half your budget but twice your focus.
Having a list of tactics never replaces a strategy.
Strategy isn’t a document.
It’s decisions about how you’ll win.
And until SEO teams start making those decisions, they're just throwing mud at the wall and hoping some sticks. And some will, but you won't see anywhere near the impact you would with an actual strategy in place.
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If you learned something from this issue or it’s made you think about SEO a little differently, please consider forwarding it to someone else on your team.
I’m on a mission to make sure more SEO investment actually has an impact on real business metrics.
Appreciate you making it to the end; same time next week?
- James Brockbank
P.S. If you ever need expert support with SEO or digital PR and want to drive results that actually matter, I’d love to chat. Let’s talk.
📌 This week’s bookmarks:
If I could only send three links to a fellow marketer this week, it’d be these…
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👋 Hi, I'm James...
Managing Director & Founder at Digitaloft.
I've spent the last 10 years building an agency that's perfectly positioned to help ambitious brands to drive real business growth from SEO and digital PR.
You might have seen me speaking at events like BrightonSEO, SMX and the International Search Summit.
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