October 14, 2020
Did you know there are three different types of SEO? Your website needs all three!
Very often, people say “SEO” and have a vague idea of what they mean. It’s “optimizing” for search engines. Simple. WordPress website owners usually install Yoast and call it a day (here’s why I think you should use RankMath instead of Yoast). It doesn’t take long for them to wonder why they do that since it doesn’t seem “to work” in getting them on Google search results.
All website owners need to understand that there are three different types of SEO. Once they know the three disciplines, they’ll be able to progress in their optimization goals.
Technical SEO
Technical search engine optimization meets the technological needs for search engines to read, crawl, and index your website. This type of SEO entails having up-to-standard HTML, a mobile-friendly website, and having critical files like sitemap.xml and robots.txt file.
A good website developer or even plugin if you’re using WordPress, can take care of all these things so that your website is ready to go.
Why care?
It’s like the Biblical proverbs on building a house. Would you build it on sand or solid ground? Google is just a search engine made up of code, so if you have any hope of having Google understand your website, your code must speak the right language.
On-Page SEO
It’s good practice to move on to “on-page” SEO once the technical aspects are complete. This type of SEO retains more to the meta tags, the way you use HTML tags like strong and h1 tag, the title tags, and optimizing images appropriately with alt tags and compression. And, above all, having valuable content on the page.
On-page optimization is more about the individual page, improving it, and giving further context for Google with meta tags. On one level, you’re communicating what your website is about to Google. On the other, you’re providing the reader value with content and experience.
Why Care?
Technical SEO ensures Google CAN read your website, on-page SEO moves to make it worth the trouble.
Off-Site SEO
Once you have a structurally sound website with optimized content, off-site SEO can lead you to visibility. Off-site SEO tends to utilize publication outreach (online and offline), guest posts, commenting on other blogs (and forums), and link-building.
We had a saying at our ad agency. “Build it, and they won’t come.” This saying was our way of explaining to clients that we can build a beautiful website, but it may be invisible without post-launch work.
Why Care?
Investing in a website with on-page and technical SEO is like planning a party but never sending any invitations. Off-site SEO work is like having a club promoter to bring the party in and build your reputation as a great party.
Putting All the Types of SEO Together for a Comprehensive Strategy
Technical SEO is meeting the technical needs for search engines to index and crawl websites. On-page SEO looks at each page and optimizes it by creating engaging content, internal and external links, and structuring HTML tags. Off-site SEO is the practice of blog outreach, emphasizing EAT (expertise, authority, trust), and link-building.
I hope you see how it all comes together like a trinity. Each corner takes a vital aspect to make the triangle whole. It isn’t incredibly sexy. It’s work that takes time to even reward you for it.
Sometimes putting it into perspective helps: most businesses don’t break even until their third year. Utilizing all the types of SEO is about creating a lasting online presence.