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3 OKR examples for Search Engine Ranking

What are Search Engine Ranking OKRs?

The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.

Writing good OKRs can be hard, especially if it's your first time doing it. You'll need to center the focus of your plans around outcomes instead of projects.

We understand that setting OKRs can be challenging, so we have prepared a set of examples tailored for Search Engine Ranking. Take a peek at the templates below to find inspiration and kickstart your goal-setting process.

If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.

How to write your own Search Engine Ranking OKRs

Option 1. Turn ideas into OKRs with Tability AI

While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here.

You can use Tability's AI generator to create tailored OKRs based on your specific context. Tability can turn your objective description into a fully editable OKR template -- including tips to help you refine your goals.

Tability will then use your prompt to generate a fully editable OKR template.

Watch the video below to see it in action 👇

Option 2. Optimise existing OKRs with Tability Feedback tool

If you already have existing goals, and you want to improve them. You can use Tability's AI feedback to help you.

AI feedback for OKRs in TabilityTability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRs

Tability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.

You can then decide to accept the suggestions or dismiss them if you don't agree.

Option 3. Use the free OKR generator

If you're just looking for some quick inspiration, you can also use our free OKR generator to get a template.

Unlike with Tability, you won't be able to iterate on the templates, but this is still a great way to get started.

Search Engine Ranking OKRs examples

You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Search Engine Ranking. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.

Hope you'll find this helpful!

OKRs to increase search ranking

  • ObjectiveIncrease search ranking
  • KRAchieve a top 5 ranking for at least 5 target keywords
  • TaskConduct keyword research to identify the most relevant and valuable target keywords
  • TaskOptimize website content and meta tags based on chosen target keywords
  • TaskImplement a strategic link building campaign to increase website's authority
  • TaskContinuously monitor and analyze keyword rankings and make adjustments accordingly
  • KRIncrease organic website traffic by 20%
  • TaskPromote website through social media platforms and engage with the audience
  • TaskCollaborate with influencers or industry experts for guest blogging or partnerships
  • TaskRegularly publish high-quality, SEO-friendly blog posts and articles
  • TaskOptimize website content with relevant keywords and meta tags
  • KRIncrease the number of indexed pages by 15%
  • TaskGenerate high-quality and relevant content to expand website's indexable pages
  • TaskImplement XML sitemap and submit to search engines for better indexing
  • TaskOptimize website structure and navigation for improved crawlability
  • TaskIncrease internal linking to help search engines discover and index more pages
  • KRImprove domain authority score by 10 points
  • TaskOptimize on-page content by adding relevant keywords and improving internal linking structure
  • TaskCreate high-quality and shareable content to attract natural backlinks from other websites
  • TaskIncrease backlinks by reaching out to authoritative websites in the same niche
  • TaskRegularly monitor and disavow any spammy or low-quality backlinks to maintain a clean link profile

OKRs to improve search engine rankings for targeted keywords

  • ObjectiveIncrease organic search traffic for target keywords
  • KRIncrease number of backlinks from reputable websites
  • KRImprove website content relevancy to target keywords
  • KRUtilize on-page optimization techniques to improve search rankings
  • KREnhance page loading speed for better user experience

OKRs to increase organic website traffic by 25%

  • ObjectiveBoost organic website traffic
  • KRCollaborate with influencers to expand reach and drive traffic
  • KRIncrease social media engagement and referral traffic
  • KRPublish quality content regularly to attract and retain visitors
  • KRImprove website SEO to increase organic search ranking

Search Engine Ranking OKR best practices

Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.

Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇

Tip #1: Limit the number of key results

The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.

We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.

Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins

Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.

Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.

Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row

Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples above). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.

As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.

Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.

How to track your Search Engine Ranking OKRs

The rules of OKRs are simple. Quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly, and yearly OKRs should be tracked monthly. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:

Most teams should start with a spreadsheet if they're using OKRs for the first time. Then, once you get comfortable you can graduate to a proper OKRs-tracking tool.

If you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.

More Search Engine Ranking OKR templates

We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.

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