Did you know there are different types of SEO? If you’re a novice in search engine optimization, you might be surprised to discover four different types that should be in play across your marketing plans.
Search engine optimization (SEO) might seem like it’s all about having the appropriate keywords for the web crawlers to find your site. However, there is much more to SEO that includes
- Technical
- On-Page
- Off-Page
- Local
Ready to learn more? Keep reading.
Technical Types of SEO
Technical SEO deals with how your website displays and the experience your visitors have. It has nothing to do with the content or keywords on your web page. However, these items can affect where your site shows up in the organic search results.
Load Time
Visitors want to have access to your site as quickly as possible. If your site takes too long to load, they won’t stick around to learn more about your company or your products. Instead, potential customers will quickly move on to the next site that loads faster.
You have less than 10 seconds to capture a viewer’s attention. That means your website should load within two seconds to allow you time to capture their interest before they bounce off your page to a competitor.
Crawl Errors
Crawl errors can make it difficult for potential customers to find your site. A tiny mistake in code may keep Google and other search engines from being able to see and display your pages. A regular site audit will help you identify these errors and correct them before they become an overwhelming problem.
Mobile-Friendly
You may use a desktop or laptop while sitting at your desk working, but you probably don’t bother with them when you are relaxing in the evening. Instead, you use your cellphone or tablet like almost everyone else. And, of course, that is how people search for your products.
Here are some mobile statistics that might surprise you.
- People spend about 5 hours per day on their smartphones.
- 70% of web traffic comes from mobile devices.
- 61% of users won’t return to websites that are not mobile adaptive.
If you aren’t sure if your site is mobile-friendly, you can use the mobile-friendly test on Google, and it will crawl your site to tell you if it is easy to use on a mobile device.
Duplicate Content and Duplicate Keyword Audits
Running regular audits on your website can make a huge difference in how your website is crawled and how it ranks on search engine results pages.
Duplicate content can be detrimental to your website’s rankings. If not, it can be harmful to your website’s rankings. If you find something too identical, edit it and republish it.
Another problem could be having the same keywords for multiple pages or posts. For example, having two pages with the same seed keyword can make it difficult for search engines to decide which page should display in a given query. So, while it might not stop you from ranking on Google, it will limit the amount of traffic because the search engine will alternate between the two options.
On-Page Types of SEO
On-page SEO is one of the types of SEO that focuses on content that you find on your website. You need to optimize for factors such as keywords, meta descriptions, images, titles, headers, and content. Optimization of on-page factors can help boost your SEO rankings.
Right Keywords
With a user-friendly website ready, you need to optimize it for customers to find it. That means you must do intensive keyword research to determine which key phrases and words your customers are searching for.
Developing a keyword strategy takes time to complete. It is not simple and can require using advanced tools that help you create a keyword list to help establish search-engine-optimized content. These tools will help you see how often specific keywords are searched for and which ones for which you could rank.
You should always have a keyword set before creating content for the website. If you don’t know what your customers are searching for, you will spend time creating content that may never be seen or read.
Quality Content
Keywords in hand, it’s time to make some SEO content for your visitors. However, you should not just throw something together to have new content on your website. Instead, high-quality, relevant content is essential.
When creating content, determine if it will satisfy a particular question your visitors have. For example, does the content teach them something they want to learn about? Is it done in a way that they will want to keep reading content available on your site?
Writing content that answers specific questions in a way that engages your audience can help to boost your SEO ranking. It is important to remember that the longer the visitors stay on your webpage, the better chances you have to rank well on Google.
Optimize Metadata
Part of creating content for your website is the metadata that goes along with it. Metadata is what Goole uses to see what your web pages contain. Therefore, it plays a significant role in determining what keywords you rank for.
Metadata consists of two parts, the meta description, and meta title. The meta description is what you see in a search engine result that describes the content. It is usually one or two sentences with a limit of 156 visible characters. The meta title is the blue text you click to access the content.
Your keywords should be located in the metadata area to help boost your rankings and allow Google to index your page.
Internal Links
Internal links are URLs that lead to other pages on your website. Using them strategically in blog posts or web pages alerts your visitors that there is more information about a given topic in different places on your site and encourages them to continue engaging with your page.
Having internal links signals to Google that you author quality pages with the answers your consumers need. Additionally, you can set up outbound links to neutral but high-authority pages. Don’t link to a competitor, but someone who knows a lot about the topic while remaining neutral.
Optimized Images
Images are an essential part of online content. They break up long text and make your blogs and web pages more attractive to readers. Depending on your content, they may also be a way to guide your visitors through problems they may be having.
Just like written content, images need to be optimized for search engines. With the proper descriptions, Google can find the photos you use and provide a link back to the web page where the image is located.
You can optimize your images by giving them descriptions with the appropriate keywords. The descriptions make it easier for web crawlers to understand the page. Include the keywords in the alt-text field of an image when you upload it.
Off-Page Types of SEO
While on-page SEO focuses on your website, off-page types of SEO focus on SEO that takes place off your website. Things like guest blogging, internet ads, and press releases are good examples of off-page SEO.
Internet Ads
Internet ads are the pay-per-click ads you see on Google, Bing, and social media platforms. You have to set up an ads account and pay to publish them online. However, they are a great way to add a little SEO to your business as they are part of search engine marketing.
With internet ads, however, you don’t get the benefit of organic search results. For instance, just because your advertisement is top of page one does not guarantee that your business will appear in the organic search results. In addition, ads will not affect your overall search engine ranking.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a form of content marketing that helps build backlinks to your company’s website. Guest blogging is done on any platform that is not your own. For example, with permission, you can post content on a high-authority site and link to your own.
While having well-placed links throughout your guest post will help new users find your website, visitors don’t have to click on these links to help your SEO. In addition, having your site linked back from the high-authority site will help your SEO ranking. Again, it is because Google sees the association and assumes your site is on par with the same quality content.
Press Releases
With digital marketing becoming more prevalent and the use of social media to connect with your customers, press releases often get overlooked. Press releases are simple publications that can help boost visitors to your website and help boost website SEO.
Since most press releases are published offline, it might not seem like an SEO-intensive task. However, as more traffic comes to your website, it will help your rankings online.
H.A.R.O.
HARO stands for Help a Reporter Out. You can sign up to receive emails Monday through Friday. Then, you can submit a response if you know what you know.
If the journalist you pitch to uses your information, they will not only credit you in their story but also link back to your website. It can help to boost your ranking and solidify your authority in your field.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a location-specific type of SEO that helps your website rank among local businesses to raise awareness about your website within your home state. Local SEO focuses on city and state.
You can add keywords to your website that will help direct search engines looking for companies like yours in the home area. However, what you need to optimize more than anything is your Google My Business page. Follow Google’s guidelines to set up your Google My Business page so you can be found based on proximity, services rendered, business hours, and reviews.
4 Types of SEO Work Together
You don’t want to focus on just one type of SEO for the best results. Instead, you should ensure all four types are optimized and work together to make it easier for visitors to find your website. In addition, it is a task that needs to be revisited and updated periodically for best results.
Ready to make your website SEO friendly? Contact us today to find out how we can help your business gain a better ranking.
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