SEO has been a buzzword in business for years, but what does it actually mean? While the acronym stands for Search Engine Optimization, SEO is not just one thing or strategy. Instead, modern SEO relies on three different SEO strategies for success.
What is SEO?
In general, SEO is exactly what the acronym says: search engine optimization strategies. They’re different tactics and approaches that can make your website more attractive to search engines. But instead of just one strategy, good SEO requires a trifecta approach focusing on on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.
What is On-Page SEO?
When someone talks about SEO services or improving SEO, they’re often talking about on-page SEO. This is the act of creating new content and reconditioning old content to keep up with the current search engine best practices. On-page SEO is how you get your website to rank for your desired keywords and how users find your website when entering a search query. On-page SEO can be enhanced by using the correct phrases for your audience. For example, the difference between a “traffic circle” and a “roundabout” or a “drinking fountain” vs “bubbler” can vary greatly depending on where your audience is. If you have a product or a service that has a variety of different names or terms, it’s a good on-page SEO practice to use a mix of these to create the most keywords possible.
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO can be thought of as your internet reputation. Not only does the information on your website affect your search engine rankings, but so does what search engines know about you from other sources. If you’ve got a large number of high-quality backlinks, search engines will assume your website is trustworthy and credible. However, if there aren’t a lot of other websites linking to yours, search engines often think your website is new or less reputable. Building up off-page SEO can be done through guest blog posting, building up your citations, or even through generating more customer reviews on third-party websites.
Technical SEO
When considering which pages to showcase in search results, Google doesn’t just look for the best answer, they look for the best answer paired with the best user experience. Technical SEO is the strategy and tactics used to create this positive user experience. Since the majority of searches are done using a mobile device, one of the main ranking factors today is mobile website experience. Things like having a slow-loading page, overlapping elements, or having a page that “jumps” as it loads will all negatively affect your technical SEO. Things like the proper use of H1 tags, keyword-enhanced meta descriptions, and proper page titles will all improve your technical SEO score. Google Lighthouse is a great (and free) tool to check your website’s current technical SEO scores for both mobile and desktop versions of your website.
SEO is constantly changing which is why it pays to find an SEO partner you can trust. Check out the variety of SEO services we offer or contact us if you have questions about your website’s SEO and how we can work together to improve your ranking.
