Learn the difference between on-site and off-site SEO and see how
professional SEO strengthens your business.
Christopher Newberry
Introduction To Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique used to reach your target
audience and increase traffic to your website. There are two main types of
SEO: on-site and off-site. This article will examine both types of SEO and
how they affect your business.
Background:
To understand SEO and its benefits it is essential to understand the nature
of search engines. Since the start of the Internet, many search engines have
been developed to provide different types of search results. Search engines
index the content of all websites across the Internet to display a list of
sites in the search engine results page (SERP). The most used search engines
are Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Bing.
Results found on the SERP are either paid results or organic results. Paid
results typically show up at the very top of the page and have a small “Ad”
label symbolizing that it is an advertisement. Organic results are listed in
the order of the search engine's algorithm. Professional developers
understand each search engine's algorithm and optimize websites to rank
higher on the SERP.
On-Site SEO:
Optimize your source code.
On-site SEO, also known as on-page SEO, focuses on improving the quality of
your website. Professional developers directly modify the source code of a
website to rank higher in search results and generate more relevant traffic.
Typically, this can be achieved by modifying the HTML portion of a website.
Developers improve on-site SEO by using relevant content on their websites.
Search engines read websites and extract information to understand the
meaning and purpose of the website. By analyzing potential search queries
and understanding the target audience, developers can code a high-ranking
website on the SERP. There are many things to consider when improving
on-site SEO:
• Relative content
• Trustworthiness
• Metadata
• User-friendliness
• Link usage
• URL structure
• Originality
• Website load speed
• Responsiveness
Off-Site SEO:
You can attract visitors without code.
Off-site SEO, also known as off-page SEO, focuses on utilizing tools outside
of your website to improve your site's ranking. This type of SEO does
not require any programming; developers are not necessary. The main goal is
to link potential visitors to your website via physical or non-physical
links. Methods to improve off-site SEO are:
• Backlinking
• Marketing (advertising, public relations, social media)
• Mailing lists
• Blog commenting
Reach Your Target Audience:
Focus on your customers.
Internet users want what they are looking for in as little time as possible.
Often, users enter websites that do not contain the information or services
they need. If a visitor enters your website looking for pizza when you sell
pizza ovens, they will leave without making a purchase or increasing your
conversion rate. Great SEO will match the user's search intent with the
websites listed in their search results. If your traffic consists of users
who want what you offer, your conversion rate will increase, making your
business more successful.
Increase Website Traffic:
More visitors, more sales.
Remember, internet users want what they are looking for in as little time as
possible. When users are given search results on the internet, they are more
likely to visit your website if you list it on the first page. According to
Moz, up to 92% of users click on websites listed on the first page of their
search results. SEO increases your website traffic and conversion rates by
improving your ranking against competitors.
Conclusion:
SEO is an essential part of digital marketing because users perform trillions
of internet searches every year. Reaching your target audience and
increasing your website traffic will help you outperform your competitors.