SEO is one of the most important aspects of any digital marketing campaign, but it can also be one of the most confusing. There are so many different techniques and strategies that it can be difficult to know where to start.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to the 4 types of SEO you need to know for a successful marketing strategy, as well as the best practices and techniques that fall under these categories. We’ll explain what each one is, how they can help your website, and give you tips on how to implement them.
What is SEO and why is it important?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of improving the ranking of a website on search engines such as Google or Bing. The higher the ranking, the more likely people are to find the website.
SEO is important because it can help a website to attract more visitors, and therefore generate more business. It is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies and should be included in any comprehensive digital marketing campaign.
Each type of SEO may be relevant to a different stage of the marketing funnel.
The 4 Primary Types of SEO
There are many different types of SEO, but they can be broadly divided into four categories:
- on-page SEO,
- off-page SEO,
- technical SEO, and
- location-based SEO.
In the next section, we’ll break down each type of SEO and provide best practices for the optimization of each.
1. On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing a website’s content and structure (on-page) for the purpose of improving its ranking on search engines. On-page SEO includes optimizing titles, metatags, and keywords, as well as improving the quality of the website’s content.
There are many different types of on-page SEO, but here is a list of the main best practices you should know:
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an important part of on-page SEO. It involves researching and identifying the most relevant and frequently used keywords for a website or page. By understanding which keywords are most often used to find websites relevant to your niche, you can then optimize your content to include those keywords in order to increase your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify the most relevant and frequently used keywords for your website. Some of the most popular tools include Google AdWords’ Keyword Planner, Moz’s Keyword Explorer, SEMRush, and Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer.
If you’re new to the world of keyword optimization, check out our blog on SEO keywords – what they are and how to find the right ones for your website.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are small snippets of text that are used to describe the content of a web page. They help search engines to better understand what your website is about and how it should be indexed. It’s important to include relevant keywords in your meta tags so that search engines can easily identify your website for relevant searches.
Meta tags include page titles, descriptions, and keywords and can be added in the HTML of your website.
Content Marketing
This type of SEO focuses on creating and promoting high-quality content, such as graphics, images, copy, and video, to attract organic traffic to your website.
High-quality website content is essential for SEO success. This is because search engines use algorithms to evaluate the relevance and quality of webpages in order to determine where they should rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). If your page has poorly written or irrelevant content, it will not rank highly.
Content marketing also plays an important role in building trust and credibility with potential customers.
Some common content marketing techniques include blogging, infographics, and white papers.
Image and Video SEO
Image and video SEO is the practice of optimizing images and videos for the purpose of improving a website’s ranking on search engines. Image and video SEO can help to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs), as well as increase the likelihood that people will click through to the site.
Some common ways to optimize images and videos include decreasing image and video side to improve site speed, adding keywords to file names and alt text, as well as optimizing the thumbnails and titles of images and videos.
Voice Search SEO
This type of SEO focuses on making a website more visible to voice search engines. Voice search engines are used by people who want to find information verbally, rather than typing keywords into a search engine.
Some common voice search SEO optimization techniques include adding structured data to a website and using natural language in the on page content.
If you’re not already optimizing your website for voice search, you’re missing out! Voice search is becoming more and more popular, as people are increasingly using their voices to find information. And since voice search engines are designed to understand natural language, it’s important to include natural language in your website content.
Internal Links
Internal links are hyperlinks that point from one page on a website to another on that same website. Internal linking is an important part of SEO, as it helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of a website.
When creating internal links, it’s important to use relevant keywords in the link text (otherwise known as anchor text) so that search engines can better understand the relevance of the page being linked to.
By optimizing your internal links, you can help search engines better understand how the different pages on your website are related and improve overall visibility in SERPs.
2. Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is the practice of improving search engine rankings using tools outside of a website, such as building backlink strategies, social media marketing, ads, etc.
Both on-page and off-page SEO are important for any digital marketing campaign. However, which type of SEO is more important will depend on the individual website and its goals.
For example, a website that is just starting out will need to focus more on on-page SEO, as they will not have any existing links to build upon. Whereas an established website with a strong backlink profile will need to focus more on off-page SEO, as they will already have a foundation of links to work from.
Here are some off-page SEO best practices to implement in your SEO marketing strategy:
Link Building
Link building is the process of acquiring links from other websites to your own. Link building is important because it can help to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are a number of ways to go about acquiring backlinks, including reciprocal linking, link exchanges, guest posting, and writing articles for other websites. However, the most effective way to get links is through content marketing. By creating high-quality content that attracts attention and links from other websites, you can significantly improve your website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.
Social Media SEO
Social media can be a powerful tool for off-page SEO. By creating high-quality content and promoting it on social media, businesses can attract attention from other websites and increase their chances of getting links and traffic to their website.
Additionally, businesses can use social media to build relationships with their customers and other businesses and create partnerships that can lead to links. Social media can also be used to create and share infographics, videos, and other types of shareable content that will generate more links to your website.
Directory Submission
Directory submission is the process of submitting a website to online directories. This can be an effective way to build links, as well as improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
However, it is important to note that not all directories are created equal. There are many low-quality directories that will not provide any benefits, and can even harm a website’s SEO. Therefore, it is important to only submit a website to high-quality directories that are relevant to the business.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is the process of writing articles for other websites in exchange for a link back to your own website. This can be an effective way to link back to your website, as well as improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
To find high-quality websites to guest blog for, you can use a tool like Moz’s Open Site Explorer. This tool allows you to see the PageRank and domain authority of websites, so you can easily identify high-quality websites that are worth guest blogging for.
Ads
Ads are an effective way to increase the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). Paid ads can be used to target users with specific keywords or audiences and can increase brand awareness by 80%.
Additionally, ads can be used in conjunction with other SEO strategies, such as guest blogging and link building. This can help to improve the visibility of a website in SERPs, as well as increase the chances of getting more links and traffic to your website.
Press Releases
Press releases are used to inform the public about a company’s latest news and developments. Press releases can be an effective way to gain attention from other websites, as well as improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Additionally, press releases can also be used for link-building purposes. By creating high-quality press releases and submitting them to other websites, you can attract attention from other websites, as well as obtain valuable backlinks that will improve the visibility of your website in SERPs.
3. Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the website for technical factors such as site speed and indexing. Technical SEO is important for any website, as it can help to improve the crawling and indexing of the site by search engines.
There are many ways to optimize a website for technical factors, and each website will require a different approach. Here is a list of some common technical SEO optimization techniques:
Mobile SEO
Mobile SEO is the practice of optimizing a website for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Executing this correctly can help a website to attract more visitors. As of May 2022, statistics show that 52.79% of total website visits are mobile. Optimizing your website for mobile devices is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies and should be included in any comprehensive digital marketing campaign.
Some common mobile SEO optimization techniques include compressing images for faster loading times and using AMP pages.
Site Speed Optimization
Site speed optimization is the practice of optimizing a website for faster loading times. Site speed is important because it can have a significant impact on user experience and search engine rankings, as pages that load quickly are more likely to be ranked higher in SERPs.
There are many ways to optimize website speed, such as compressing images, minifying HTML, and using caching technology.
To check the speed of a website, you can use a tool like Google Pagespeed Insights, which will provide insights into how to improve the speed of a website.
Site Error Checking
Site error checking is the process of identifying and correcting errors on a website, such as broken links or missing pages. This can help to improve the overall user experience of a website, as well as make it easier for search engine crawlers to crawl and index a website.
To identify errors on a website, you can use tools such as Google Search Console and Screaming Frog. These tools will provide insights into any potential errors. This can help to improve the usability of a website, as well as increase the chances of getting ranked higher in SERPs.
Duplicate Content Audits
Duplicate content audits are used to identify any duplicate or similar content on a website. Duplicate content can hurt the rankings of a website, as it dilutes the relevance of other pages on the site and makes it harder for search engines to understand what is unique about each page.
To identify any potential duplicate content, you can use tools such as Copyscape, which will compare the content of a website to other websites on the internet.
Layout and UX Optimization
Layout and UX optimization is the practice of optimizing a website for better user experience. This can help to improve conversions, as well as the visibility of a website in SERPs.
The layout of your website should be easy-to-navigate, with the flow of information leading users through the site naturally through informative but concise website copy and clear calls to action.
To optimize the layout and UX of a website, you can use tools such as Hotjar, which will provide insights into how users interact with your website. This can help to identify any potential improvements that could be made to increase conversions and improve user experience.
Thinking about outsourcing the technical SEO work to an agency? We cover everything you need to know on our blog!
4. Location-Based SEO
This type of SEO focuses on making a website more visible to searchers in a specific geographic area.
Local SEO
Local can be important for any type of business that wants to attract local customers, such as a restaurant or retail store, as well as businesses that want to attract customers in a specific location.
Some common location-based SEO optimization techniques include optimizing website content for specific locations and adding location-specific keywords to website content.
International SEO
If your business is international, you can also use International SEO to optimize your website for other countries by translating website content into other languages and adding internationalized domain names (IDNs) to a website.
Choosing the Right Type of SEO for Your Business
Not all types of SEO are right for all businesses. The type of SEO that is right for your business will depend on your business goals, your budget, and your website’s strengths and weaknesses.
To choose the right type of SEO for your business, start by identifying your business goals. Do you want to increase traffic to your website? Improve your website’s conversion rate? Rank for certain keywords? Once you know your goals, you can start to create an SEO strategy that includes the types of SEO that will help you achieve your goals.
SEO for a New Business
As mentioned previously, if your business is just starting out, you may want to focus on On-Page SEO and Technical SEO such as quality content, website structure and keyword strategy to help you create a strong website that is optimized for search engines, rather than off-page SEO such as link building and advertisements. If you build a good foundation now, it can help to ensure your website is ready for future SEO efforts.
SEO for an Established Business
For an established business, you may want to focus on getting the most out of Off-Page SEO techniques such as link building and social media marketing to increase visibility. You can also continue to optimize your website with On-Page SEO techniques such as content updates and UX optimization.
SEO for a Low Ranking Website
If your website is not performing well in SERPs, you may need to focus more on Technical SEO and On-Page SEO. Start by analyzing the current state of your website with a tool such as Google Search Console to identify any potential issues that could be impacting its performance. Then take steps to improve your website’s structure and content to make it more search-engine friendly.
Ultimately, the best way to choose the right type of SEO for your business is to understand your business goals and website strengths and weaknesses. By taking an informed approach, you can ensure that your SEO strategy focuses on the types of SEO most relevant to your business.
In Conclusion
Now that you understand the different types of SEO, it is important to choose the right type of SEO for your business. Start by identifying your business goals and then researching how each type of SEO can help you achieve those goals. You should also consider your website’s strengths and weaknesses when choosing an SEO strategy.
Finally, once you have chosen the right type of SEO for your business, you need to implement it. This means making changes to your website’s code, content, and design; building links, and doing other activities that will help your website rank higher in search engines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which type of SEO is right for my business?
To choose the right type of SEO for your business, start by identifying your business goals. Do you want to increase traffic to your website? Improve your website’s conversion rate? Rank for long-tail keywords? Once you know your goals, you can start to create an SEO strategy that includes the types of SEO that will help you achieve your goals. You should also consider your website’s strengths and weaknesses when choosing an SEO strategy. If your website is weak in terms of on-page optimization or link building, you may want to focus your efforts on those areas.
How can I improve my website’s SEO?
There are many things you can do to improve your website’s SEO. Some of the most effective methods include on-page optimization, link building, content marketing, and social media marketing. You can also improve your website’s SEO by making sure your website is mobile-friendly and by optimizing your website for local search. If you need help improving your website’s SEO, contact a digital marketing agency that specializes in SEO.
What are some common SEO mistakes to avoid?
Some of the most common SEO mistakes to avoid include not optimizing your website for search engines, not building links, and not creating quality content. You should also make sure your website is mobile-friendly and optimized for local searches.
How can I track my website’s SEO progress?
There are a number of ways you can track your website’s SEO progress, including using Google Analytics, using SERP tracking tools, and using SEO audit tools. You can also track your website’s progress by monitoring your website’s search engine rankings and by measuring your website’s traffic growth.
What are some tips for improving my website’s SEO?
In addition to the tips mentioned above in this article, here are a few more ways you can improve your website’s SEO:
• Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions
• Create quality content that is relevant to your target audience
• Use Google My Business to optimize your local SEO
• Monitor your website’s search engine rankings and traffic growth regularly.
What are black hat and white hat SEO?
White hat SEO is the practice of optimizing a website for search engines using techniques that fall within the guidelines set by the search engines. Black hat SEO is the practice of using unethical or spammy techniques to improve a website’s ranking in search engines.
Some of the most common white hat SEO techniques include on-page optimization, link building, content marketing, and social media marketing. You can also improve your website’s SEO by making sure your website is mobile-friendly and by optimizing your website for local search.
What is negative SEO?
Negative SEO is the practice of using unethical or spammy techniques to hurt a website’s ranking in search engines. Negative SEO tactics include buying links, creating link farms, cloaking content, and keyword stuffing.
Negative SEO practices should be avoided as they can result in penalties from search engines.
