Are you intimidated by the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Does it make you feel overwhelmed or anxious? Let's change that perception. SEO is a powerful tool for business growth, and contrary to common belief, it's more manageable than it may seem.
To illustrate, we'll categorize SEO into four types: on-page, off-page, technical, and local. Each contributes uniquely to your website's rankings and traffic. This guide will delve into each category, offering insights to help you succeed in your SEO endeavours.
But First, What Exactly is SEO?
In basic terms, SEO involves enhancing your website to make it more visible online when people search for terms related to your brand, business, or industry. Specifically, organic SEO offers a cost-effective approach, attracting relevant visitors without paying for online ads.
For a more detailed explanation of SEO, check out our post on 'What the Heck is SEO, and Is it a Big Deal for My Business?'
Striking an SEO Balance: Quantity with Quality
Many business owners prioritize increasing website traffic in their SEO strategy, focusing solely on quantity. However, it's also vital to consider the quality of that traffic. Doubling visitor numbers is only beneficial if it aligns with your target audience.
If you're unsure who your ideal customers are, be sure to read our post on identifying your brand’s target audience before embarking on any SEO efforts.
A Comprehensive Guide: 4 Types of SEO
Now, let's explore the four SEO types essential for an effective digital marketing strategy.
1. On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the content that tells search engines (and readers!) what your website is about. You have the most control over on-page SEO because it involves everything on your site.
On-page SEO encompasses doing the following things:
Performing Keyword Research: Developing a keyword strategy involves identifying the specific words and phrases that your target audience uses when searching for information related to your industry and business.
Creating Curated Content: Craft compelling copy highlighting customers' benefits while maintaining high quality, relevance, and engagement. Incorporate targeted SEO keywords naturally into your copy, when appropriate. Pro Tip: For best results, dedicate one (1) primary keyword to each web page, including blog posts, and strive for a keyword density of 1-3% (1-3 instances per every 100 words of content).
Strategize URL Structure: Ensure page URLs are concise, relevant and contain keywords to improve search engine visibility and the user experience.
Mastering Metadata: In addition to integrating keywords into your URLs and website copy, enhance page titles and descriptions with relevant keywords and persuasive calls to action to boost click-through rates.
Implementing Header Tags: Structuring content with header tags (H1, H2, H3, H4) to improve readability and emphasize essential sections and topics.
Developing Internal Links: The goal is to create a linking strategy from one page to other relevant pages on your website (and blog) to improve navigation and the user experience.
2. Off-Page SEO
Once you've grasped on-page SEO, it's time to incorporate off-page SEO, which tells search engines how popular and valuable your website pages are through votes of confidence.
Effectively implementing off-page SEO entails:
Acquiring Backlinks: Also known as links from other websites to yours, backlinks signal your website's credibility to search engines. However, the quality of backlinks is crucial; having numerous spammy websites linking to yours can harm your site's reputation. Conversely, obtaining links from authoritative sites like Forbes or Entrepreneur can significantly boost your website's credibility.
Building Social Media Profiles: Creating and maintaining a solid social media presence and engagement.
Gaining Online Reviews: Building and managing online reviews and reputation on third-party platforms, like Google, Facebook and Yelp, among others.
Discover the 7 SEO Truths: Clear the fog, dispel doubts, and master SEO for success!
3. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is also within your control, but it’s a bit trickier to master since it’s less intuitive. It involves ensuring that search engines can easily crawl and index your site.
Many website platforms handle the more challenging aspects of technical SEO automatically. If you've collaborated with a website professional to build your site, you’ll have an advantage here, as they should understand how to structure a website effectively.
However, the larger, older, and more complex your website is, the more effort may be needed to enhance your technical SEO. In such cases, hiring a digital marketing agency, like The Brand Brew™, to build and manage your SEO strategy could be a worthwhile investment.
Some Technical SEO factors are:
Gaining Website Speed and Performance: Optimizes page load times, reduces server response time and compresses image sizes.
Taking a Mobile-First Approach: Involves ensuring your website is optimized for smaller screen devices, with a responsive design and mobile-friendly content.
Optimizing Website Security: Implement SSL encryption, use secure passwords, and protect against malware and hacking.
Planning Site Architecture: Optimizing website architecture and navigation to make it easy for search engines to crawl and index the site.
Strategizing Structured Data: Implementing markup that helps search engines understand your content and display it prominently in search results.
4. Local SEO
Finally, local SEO focuses on boosting your website's visibility in search results within your geographic area. If your business involves in-person interactions or primarily caters to local customers, local SEO becomes particularly crucial, potentially even more so than on-page SEO endeavours.
Even if your business operates virtually with customers worldwide, dedicating some effort to local SEO is prudent.
These factors can improve local SEO:
Optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP): Be sure to provide accurate business contact details along with your primary and secondary categories, attributes, reviews, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) to conquer The Map Pack. If you need clarification on what we're referring to, head over to our Local SEO series to meet The Map Pack.
Curating Citations: To improve visibility in local search results, build online citations on local directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and TripAdvisor. Ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent and accurate across all online listings.
Getting Rave Reviews: Encouraging and managing online reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook to improve online reputation and increase visibility in local search results.
Local SEO strategies can help small businesses attract more customers searching for products or services in their area, leading to increased visibility.
Stronger Together: Integrating 4 SEO Types
Understanding the interconnectedness of on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO is crucial for enhancing your website’s search engine ranking and online visibility. On-page factors like keyword research and quality content forms the foundation, while technical optimization—like site speed and mobile responsiveness—are essential for visibility. Off-page efforts such as link building and social media presence bolster authority, while local optimization targets specific audiences.
Partner with The Brand Brew for Expert SEO Help
A comprehensive strategy integrates all four SEO types, ensuring thorough keyword research, high-quality content, technical accessibility, and off-page credibility. However, it takes skill, is time-consuming, and requires ongoing maintenance.
Remember, “set it and forget it” is not a viable SEO strategy.
Enter The Brand Brew™; not only are we pros regarding SEO best practices, but our Website Design Experience is just what you need to breathe new life into your business and propel your SEO ranking into those top spots. Contact us today if you’re interested in brewing your business’s online marketing strategy!