Whether you're completely new to SEO, or have a background in digital marketing, the full concept can be overwhelming. SEO isn't a one task project. Many, many small adjustments build up to the bigger picture and your end goal, better online rankings on search engines.
To put it simply, there are three main aspects of SEO. On-page, off-page and technical. So what are the differences and how can you ensure your website is performing as it should be.
What is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to things that can be changed directly on your website to influence search engine rankings. It can sometimes be referred to on-site SEO. On-page SEO can often be carried out via your website's CMS. Some of the common tasks include:
Header updates
Meta information updates
Page content updates
Image alt text updates
New content creation for blogs and articles
Targeting local SEO through location-based content
Internal linking
URL optimisation
On-page SEO can only be carried out with the backing of quality keyword research. Understanding search volume, difficulty levels, search intent, and the SERP landscape is an essential part of a successful on-page SEO strategy.
What is off-page SEO?
Off-page SEO focuses on building your online network outside of your website. Understanding how your brand is perceived by Google will help you to understand where you can improve your off-page SEO. Social media, PR, and featuring on online directories, are all a part of building up your off-page SEO.
Backlinks tell Google that other companies are interested in your business, trust what you're saying and are happy to endorse your content. Getting a few good backlinks from reputable sources in your industry is more important than hundreds of backlinks from random websites.
This is where your PR skills can come into play. Networking is hugely important and the more network connections you have in real life, the more likely you'll be able to build online connections with them too. Think about online industry publications, local news outlets, and suppliers from within your industry - how can you get them to link to your content? If they know and trust you, the more open they'll be to shouting about you and your content. This is where digital and traditional marketing lines can blur and you'll soon understand the importance of both when it comes to off-page SEO.
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO focuses on the core performance of your website. Site speed, accessibility, redirects, analytics, crawlability (how easy is it for Google to understand your webpages), are all major factors in technical SEO.
Technical SEO is largely a web developer's domain, but some who are newly self-taught or have learn when SEO wasn't such a big thing, may have less of an understanding of SEO than those who have worked closely with SEO specialists before.
In a perfect world, every new website would be technically optimised from the get-go. If you're in the process of building a new website, start asking your designer and developer about their SEO input throughout the project to ensure you're not having to go back and have things fixed later down the line.
A lot of technical SEO aspects can be fixed retrospectively, but sometimes, if the website just isn't up to scratch, starting fresh can be the most effective option. Consulting a technical SEO agency will help you understand how your website compares to those in your industry.
Can an SEO specialist do all three?
Not all SEO specialists will cover all three areas of SEO. Some may prefer and excel at on-page, especially if they have a strong writing background and love creating content strategies. Partnering with a PR agency is a great way to boost your off-page SEO and presence online, while speaking to an SEO with development skills will ensure your techincal SEO is covered. When choosing your SEO agency or freelancer, ask about their skillset and who handles what, and make sure you're confident with their answer!
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