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How many types of SEO are there?

There are tons of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) types out there. In this blog we will break down different types and how you can use them to improve your website’s visibility.

The goal of SEO is to optimize your website for better visibility in search engines. First, we can dive into a definition of SEO and then its types.

What is SEO?

When working on SEO the entire goal is to make the website easy for search engines to index and rank so that users can find a high-quality and friendly result that meets their needs. The overall goal of SEO is to increase organic traffic from Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)for key user intentions and search terms.

SEO can be broken down into many different types and each has its own purpose and role. SEO is one big process and strategy that can simply be broken down into many smaller processes that make the entire strategy much easier to manage and execute.

A few key types of SEO we will cover in this blog are:

  • On-Page SEO
  • Content SEO
  • Off-Page SEO
  • Technical SEO
  • Local SEO
  • eCommerce SEO

I am not covering mobile SEO within this blog. To be clear, you need a mobile-friendly site, fast load times, good user experience and you should run mobile-friendly tests. If you take care of these for mobile, you will be in great shape. Ok, now let’s dive in.

What is On-Page SEO

On-page SEO has everything to do with the page itself. It is key to have each section of the page optimized and made with intention so that search engines know your purpose, which will help them show your pages to the proper users at the right time!

A few important on-page SEO guidelines:

  • Title Tags – Title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO factors. These are what shows in the SERP and make your piece of content interesting enough to be clicked. This gives the SERP and the user an idea of what your page is so they are encouraged to click.
  • H1’s – H1’s are your key page heading that shows on the top of a page. Typically you will only have one H1 per page and it should relate to the page title or title tag. Remember that consistency and relevancy from the SERP to your page is key for great engagement and low bounce rates.
  • Headings & Subheadings – outside of the H1, pages need to have subheadings that break down and explain what other parts of the page are about (H2’s and H3’s). When you have long-form content these additional headings make it easier to read and for search engine crawlers to break down the pages by sections.
  • Image optimization – Images that you use on-page can be optimized as well. Search engines do not know what images represent yet so optimizing the file name, size, and ALT text are great moves for SEO. Most people are lazy on this piece, so do it right!
  • Formatting and User Experience- How people engage with a page has everything to do with SEO. Make sure that you are using a friendly page design, mobile-friendly too! A quality user experience, more time-on-site, and a low bounce rate are great indicators to the search engine you are offering a good experience.

What is Content SEO?

While Content SEO is very close to On-Page SEO they are different. Often times when I write a blog, I monitor the ranking long-term, as it grows in ranking I will then go back and optimize it further. This is an example of content SEO.

You may also have pages that you built in the past, and they just are not performing well. Maybe they are struggling badly! With some light work and Content SEO you can take an underperforming page and make it much more impactful creating great results!

A few key tips:

  • Long-tail keywords – The shorter the keyword, the less intentional. The longer, the more intentional, right? You have more insights as to the need of a user the longer the keyword search. Create content for these more intentional longer tail searches and intentions to rank faster. (They are often less competitive!)
  • Longer form content – Short-form content that is a 1-3 minutes can rank well and answer some common questions. This is a great way to get pages built and to get your website ranking. Longer form content on the other hand can rank high and can be optimized further with high-quality video, infographics, images, and more. The longer the content, the more context search engines have about the page which can help you rank higher.
  • Schema Markup – One great tool is schema. Using schema on a page lets the search engine know, what is the most important content on this page.

What is Off Page SEO?

Off Page SEO is a strategy where your brand or website is promoted across the internet. The prior SEO tactics we discussed had everything to do with on-site work, this is all off of and separate from your website.

The most popular websites that are shared on social, backlinked from other authoritative sites, and that have strong word of mouth tend to rank higher than the websites that do not.

The two key components of Off Page SEO are backlinks and brand awareness and promotion.

  • Backlinks – Backlinks are when you earn links from other websites. These are basically references to your business and almost act like a trust factor.
  • Brand Promotion – Word of mouth is big in the offline world, it is the same online. Google ranks brands well that have the high trust of other people and users. Brands that are well circulated and spoken about on social and other online platforms tend to rank well and see growth organically through SEO.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is used to ensure that search engines can crawl the site without and problems. Often technical SEO are related to things that users don’t visually see.

A few examples below:

  • Sitemap – you want to have a properly set up robots.txt sitemap so search engines can read and see the hierarchy of your website. This helps the SERP access your website correctly.
  • Google Search Console – This is a phenomenal tool that will give you insights into page indexing errors, mobile experience issues, ranking and coverage issues, technical details, and more! (It is also great to see your top ranking keywords and pages so you can optimize your best content further)
  • Site and URL Structure – This is a fun part of the strategy. This is a great way to ensure that all pages have an internal link strategy, which helps each page reach another page, so Google can easily go through your site without hitting dead ends. This tremendously helps to rank!
  • Incredible Design and UX – User Experience (UX) is very important! You must have an easy-to-use website that is mobile-friendly and is a pleasure for users to navigate and work through.
  • Loading Times – your website should load fast on desktop and mobile. You should make sure to compress images, and not to add massive amounts of scripts and codes on-site that slow it down! If you place tracking codes use Google Tag Manager.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a type of SEO that is specifically for local businesses. All of the above strategies are completely relevant for local SEO but there are some additional things we really must mention and make clear for small business owners out there.

With local SEO, you must have clarity of your business name, address, zip, phone numbers and all contact info relevant.

Some key things to do:

  • Create a Google My Business – fully populate your profile, get reviews, and upload images, videos, 3d tours and more.
  • Get in Local Business Directories – you want a consistent representation of your brand across all directores. Consistent address formatting, phone numbers, etc. This matters to Google!
  • Local Page Creation – you want to create pages for long-tail terms and localized pages for the geographic areas you serve.
  • Video Content – one great differentiator for a small business is creating video content that answers common questions that customers ask over the phone or in-person at jobs. Upload to youtube and optimize for those questions. It is a great way to build trust and to earn more ranking with off-site backlinks.

What is eCommerce SEO?

The eCommerce industry is growing faster than ever before. It is very competitive when it comes to SEO and ranking. eCommerce websites often have hundreds if not thousands of pages due to the category, subcategory and product structure.

eCommerce SEO is far more difficult because of the large scope, but this also creates opportunity! Many brands get lazy and do not stay consistent. Consistency leads to results!

Here are some important SEO factors for eCommerce websites

  • Homepage – You must optimize your homepage first. This is the master page, the queen bee if you will. Optimize the homepage to be clear as to what you offer and what you do. Then link to the top products and categories, and one power tip is have 500-800 words at the very bottom of the page below the fold. This will help get it ranking fast. + most users never scroll that low, so it will not impede or hinder people from shopping!
  • Category Pages – Category pages are top-level pages just below your homepage if you were to visualize them below your “queen bee” (Homepage). Category pages are like the house/buckets in which your sub-categories and products live. The better these are optimized the easier it is for users to find niche categories on your site to shop for their specific needs.
  • Product Pages – Remember earlier when I mentioned Google Search Console? Well product page optimization is massively important. Make sure to work through optimizing all of your products. You can monitor each product’s ranking and top keywords in Google Search Console. Always optimize your products for their top ranking terms or user intentions for the best results.
  • Images and Video – We are a visual bunch! Videos and images sell the product, showcase quality, and make clear what the product is! Do not shortcut on these. Power tip: do not use stock photos, make your own for a level-up feel to your brand.
  • Schema – use schedule on products, offers, and more to get the best ranking and results in Google.
  • Social Media – Built profiles for your brand and store, share your website across social, and get influencers to share your brand and products for maximum SEO results.
  • Blogging – answer common questions about your products and write about things shoppers are asking and feeling. Express how your product helps them and create value so they know your product is the choice next time they shop!

The Takeaway

There are many types of SEO, but all work together for a holistic SEO strategy. SEO is one of if not the most powerful tools for a business. SEO is the foundation to the next steps in social content, paid strategy, email marketing, and more.

If you lack the budget and need to get creative use these strategies! Also, check out our guide on how to market with $0 budget! This will be an absolute game-changer for you!

If we can help, just reach out! We hope this was valuable. Say hello below, we would love to help 🙂

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