We all know how important Search Engine Optimization is, especially after core updates. The trouble is, trying to keep up with all of the changes can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, it’s essential to get back to the basics. When you align your page’s on-site and off-site SEO, you are working towards a successful campaign. What is the difference between on-site and off-site SEO, and how can you leverage your efforts to drive more traffic?
What is On-Site SEO?
This term is otherwise referred to as on-page SEO. Whichever word you use, it’s the strategy used to ensure the search engines can read your content and list you in the results. On-page SEO deals with your titles, website pages, content, tags and the overall structure. A lot is going on behind the scenes that ensures your site is properly indexed.
Sure, you need to pay attention to your target keywords. But you must apply this with the on-site optimization plan in mind. You must also use these keywords appropriately, according to Google Webmaster Guidelines. If you don’t follow these rules, your site could be penalized.
A solid on-site strategy includes the following aspects.
- Technical SEO: ensures there are no technical issues with the website.
- On-Page Optimization: includes the metas and H1 tags.
- Analytics: understanding the organic traffic coming to your site.
- Site Architecture & UX: ensure that navigation is set up on the site to improve the user’s experience.
If your brand isn’t focusing on all aspects of the on-page SEO, you will miss out on valuable traffic.
What is Off-Site SEO?
Once you have the site set up properly and you are producing quality content, it’s time to think about the off-page SEO tactics. Google wants to see that your site is trustworthy, relevant and maintains authority over your given topic.
That’s where the off-site SEO strategies come in. Your strategy should include these aspects.
- Backlinks: run an analysis to see who is linking to your site.
- Link Building: through relationships, you can share content with websites that have a high DA rating to help build trust in your site.
- Competitor Analysis: spend time looking at what your competitors are doing; analyzing what’s working and what isn’t.
The biggest aspect of the off-site SEO is the backlinks, but these are not all created equally. At one time, we were told to accumulate as many backlinks as possible, but that’s not the case anymore. However, Google created more stringent guidelines and you must be intentional about finding quality backlinks these days.
If your site contains authoritative backlinks, you will outrank sites that have focused only on quantity. There are several ways to create backlinks.
- Self-Created Backlinks: You add comments to forums or blogs, but you must be careful as some practices can trigger a penalty.
- Manually-Created Backlinks: This occurs when you ask customers to share content, work with influencers to promote your site or leverage your PR through editorial publications.
- Natural Backlinks: When you create quality content, others will naturally link to it.
No matter where you get the backlink from, you must ensure the site is reputable and has a high domain authority. After all, your focus is on quality, not quantity.
Taking Search Engine Marketing to New Heights
While these are strictly the basics of search engine marketing, you have other factors to consider. Page speed and anchor text are two more factors you must consider. To achieve success, it’s essential that you put a plan in place. One such as the Sure Oak Game Plan provides realistic steps and actionable advice each step of the way.
More importantly, you want to set up benchmarks to analyze your results. Set goals for each step of the way to ensure your efforts are paying off. If you encounter aspects that are beyond your scope of expertise, it’s best to hire a professional. After all, you don’t want to get penalized for making a mistake along the way.
The original version of this article was first published on V3Broadsuite.
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