In this guide
- What a strong growth OKR looks like
- How to pair a shared objective with team-level key results
- Key result examples for SEO, content, and product
- Measuring outcomes, not output
- How to connect OKRs to weekly decisions
1. Nail the OKR structure
Every OKR has two parts: the objective says where you want to go, and the key results tell you when you’ve gotten there.
- Objective: A short, clear sentence that sets direction. It doesn’t need to include a number.
- Key result: Measurable, with a clear yes-or-no answer at the end of the period.
- How many: Two to four key results per objective is usually the sweet spot.
Practical tip
Pull the baseline and target values for your key results from your own data. The examples on this page are illustrative and only show the structure.
3. Key result examples by team
The illustrative examples below map to the shared objective above. Fill in the bracketed values from your own baseline data.
- SEO: Increase search visibility for the top [N] topics on the priority list from [baseline] to [target].
- Content: Increase the visibility of the [N] pages refreshed this quarter from [baseline] to [target] by the end of their measurement window.
- Marketing: Increase the share of organic search visitors who go on to product pages from [baseline] to [target].
- Product: Increase the number of visitors moving from help and guide content to product pages from [baseline] to [target].
Watch out
“Publish 10 blog posts” is a task, not a key result. A key result describes what you expect those posts to change.
4. Avoid common mistakes
- Counting output: Publishing volume shows the work got done, not that it worked.
- Too many key results: Measure everything and your focus gets spread thin.
- Metrics you can’t influence: Chasing a number the team can’t move kills motivation.
- Targets without a baseline: Without knowing where you’re starting, any target is guesswork.
5. Connect OKRs to weekly decisions
OKRs are useless if you write them at kickoff and forget them. In your weekly prioritization meeting, ask which key result each opportunity supports. Work that doesn’t tie to any key result can go on hold for the quarter.
At quarter’s end, compare each key result with its baseline and use that review to write next quarter’s OKRs.
OKR checklist
- Is there one objective that every team shares?
- Is every key result measurable?
- Are the baseline values taken from your own data?
- Do the key results describe outcomes rather than tasks?
- Does every team own at least one key result?
- Do you have four or fewer key results per objective?
- Do OKRs come up in weekly prioritization?
- Is the end-of-quarter review on the calendar?
Frequently asked questions
How long should an OKR cycle be?
Most growth teams run quarterly cycles. SEO and content results take time to show up, so don’t make the cycle too short.
Should every team write its own OKRs?
Teams can own their key results, but those results should ladder up to a shared objective. Otherwise, teams end up competing for the same resources.
What happens if we miss a key result?
OKRs are meant to be ambitious, so falling short on some key results is normal. What matters is learning what worked, what didn’t, and planning next quarter accordingly.