Whether you’re a large business that’s been around for decades or a small one-person startup, it’s important to know the basics of SEO and how to implement them on your web pages, social media, and more.
If you’re asking yourself, “What is SEO?” the answer to that is simple. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it refers to the process of improving your site so it ranks higher on search engines. Having better SEO will make your page easier to find for consumers who are looking for a product or service in your industry.
However, there are three main types of SEO, on-page, technical, and off-site. It’s important that you use all three types to improve your online presence. If you’re new to SEO, this may seem overwhelming. Don’t worry, we’ll break it down for you.
1. On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the content that’s on your website. This includes any copy, blogs, or landing pages. You can use on-page SEO to better optimize individual pages on your website, as well as your website as a whole. With on-page SEO, you’ll focus on:
- Keyword research: Researching to find the best keywords to target on your specific web pages. A keyword is something that a consumer would use to search for content. For example, if you were looking for an attorney, you may search “personal injury attorney near me”.
- Content creation: This refers to any posts you make on your blog to draw in potential customers. This content should be relevant to your brand and published with your target keywords in mind.
- Keyword optimization: Knowing which keywords to use and where to use them. Keywords should be used in your content, meta descriptions, and image alt tags.
How to Improve On-Page SEO
To improve your on-page SEO, you should start with keyword research. There are many different programs (both free and paid) that you can use to find out which keywords you should be using. Some great options include:
Once you’ve determined what keywords you should be using, you should then move on to producing high-quality, relevant content that attracts customers.
2. Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to all components of your website that aren’t considered to be content, such as:
- Site speed
- Mobile-friendliness
- Crawlability
- Indexing
- Structured data
- Site architecture
- Security
These elements are important because they make customers more likely to use your site (as well as allowing your site to rank higher). For example, if your site has slow load times or isn’t mobile-friendly, you may drive people away. If your site isn’t secure, people may feel unsafe making payments for products or services through your site. Fixing these issues is a great place to start.
How to Improve Technical SEO
You can use different programs to audit your site. Auditing your site will allow you to see the grade that you get for your technical SEO. Most of these sites will also provide you with instructions on how to fix any issues that your site may have.
3. Off-Site SEO
Off-site SEO is used to help strengthen the relationships that your website has with other websites. When other websites mention your website or link back to your website, it improves your website’s authority and reputation, showing you as a site that others trust and look to for information.
Off-site SEO most commonly refers to backlinks. When another website links to one of your web pages, this is called a backlink. To improve your off-site SEO, you want to have a wealth of high-quality backlinks.
How to Improve Off-Site SEO
You can improve your off-site SEO by increasing the number of backlinks you have. There are many different ways that you can do this. Some people choose to purchase their backlink articles through companies, but these can be viewed as low-quality depending on the source. One great way to increase your backlinks is to look into guest-blogging. You can submit articles to other, similar websites. To find out where you should submit these blogs or articles, check out where your competition is guest blogging.
There are also directories where you can register your site, such as city websites or “what to do in your city” blogs.
Using the Three Main Types of SEO to Improve Your Marketing Strategy
Using one type of SEO isn’t enough to get your brand off the ground, but implementing all three correctly can really help you grow your audience. Start slow, and work on one aspect of your overall SEO at a time. If it seems too overwhelming, or you don’t have the time to do it yourself, hire an SEO agency to take care of all the aspects of SEO for your website.
By hiring Site Social SEO, you’ll have a company on your side that genuinely cares about you and your brand. We offer a variety of SEO services and can help you manage your SEO, create content, and develop a brand strategy. For more information, please contact us online or at 407-712-0494.
