By: Elsa Rich
What are the 4 types of SEO?
There are several types of SEO, but the four main categories are:
- On-page SEO: This type of SEO focuses on optimizing the content and HTML source code of individual pages on a website. On-page SEO helps search engines understand the context and relevance of the content on a webpage, and can include things like title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags.
- Off-page SEO: This type of SEO focuses on building high-quality links from other websites to your own. Off-page SEO helps to increase the authority and trustworthiness of a website, which can help improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Technical SEO: This type of SEO involves optimizing a website’s technical elements to make it easier for search engines to crawl and index its pages. Technical SEO can include things like improving the website’s mobile-friendliness, site speed, and security.
- Local SEO: This type of SEO helps businesses optimize their online presence to attract more customers from local search results. Local SEO includes optimizing a website for a specific location, as well as building citations (mentions of the business on other websites) and reviews from customers.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing the content and HTML source code of individual pages on a website. The goal of on-page SEO is to help search engines understand the context and relevance of the content on a webpage, and to help them determine how well a page should rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are many factors that can impact the on-page SEO of a webpage, including:
- Title tags: The title tag is a HTML element that specifies the title of a webpage. It should be placed within the head section of the HTML code and should include the main keywords for the page.
- Meta descriptions: A meta description is a brief summary of a webpage’s content that appears in the search results. It should be a concise and accurate description of the page’s content, and should include the main keywords for the page.
- Header tags: Header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are used to organize and structure the content on a webpage. They help search engines understand the hierarchy of the content and can impact the relevance of a page for certain keywords.
- Content: The content on a webpage should be relevant, informative, and of high quality. It should include the main keywords for the page, but should not be stuffed with keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
- URL structure: The URL of a webpage should be clear, concise, and include the main keywords for the page.
- Image alt tags: Alt tags are used to describe the content of an image on a webpage. They help search engines understand the context of the image and can impact the relevance of a page for certain keywords.
By optimizing these and other on-page elements, businesses can improve the ranking and visibility of their pages in search engine results.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO involves building high-quality links from other websites to your own. The goal of off-page SEO is to increase the authority and trustworthiness of a website, which can help improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are many ways to build links to a website, including:
- Guest blogging: Writing articles for other websites in exchange for a link back to your own site.
- Link reclamation: Identifying and asking for links from websites that have mentioned your business but have not linked to your website.
- Broken link building: Finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your own website as a replacement.
- Resource page link building: Identifying websites that have a page of resources or links and suggesting your website be added to the list.
- Influencer outreach: Partnering with influencers or industry experts to create content that includes a link back to your website.
It’s important to note that off-page SEO is not about manipulating search rankings through unethical means, such as buying links or participating in link schemes. Instead, it’s about building genuine, high-quality links that demonstrate the value and authority of a website.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing a website’s technical elements to make it easier for search engines to crawl and index its pages. The goal of technical SEO is to improve a website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and to make it easier for search engines to understand the content and structure of a website.
There are many technical factors that can impact the SEO of a website, including:
- Site speed: A slow-loading website can negatively impact a business’s search rankings and user experience. Technical SEO can help improve a website’s speed by optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript, and reducing redirects.
- Mobile-friendliness: More and more users are accessing the web from mobile devices, so it’s important for a website to be optimized for mobile. Technical SEO can help improve a website’s mobile-friendliness by ensuring that it has a responsive design and that pages load quickly on mobile.
- Indexability: Technical SEO can help improve a website’s indexability by ensuring that search engines can easily access and crawl its pages. This can include optimizing the website’s XML sitemap and robots.txt file, as well as fixing crawl errors.
- Security: A secure website is important for both search engines and users. Technical SEO can help improve a website’s security by implementing measures such as SSL encryption.
By optimizing these and other technical elements, businesses can improve the visibility and ranking of their website in search results.