There is a lot of confusion surrounding SEO and there are so many companies out there promising the world without really delivering. So, what’s the difference between on-page and off-page SEO? Why does it matter? And what can you do, without paying thousands of dollars, to help your site?

That is what this article will answer!

What is SEO?

To put it simply, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of making your website more visible in search engines. The higher your site ranks in the search engine results pages (SERPs), the more likely people are to find it. In fact, people rarely scroll past the first page of search results, so it’s important to do everything you can to ensure your site appears as high up in the SERPs as possible.

There are two main types of SEO: on-page and off-page. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

What is on-page SEO?

On-page SEO is the optimization of your website’s individual pages. This includes things like your title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and even the images on your site. All of these elements are important in helping search engines understand what your site is about and how to rank it.

(It also includes the keywords that you use and how you use them, but we’ll save that for another article!)

Does that feel like a whole other language to you? I get it – I felt the same way!

So let’s define some of those terms.

Title tags are the title of your page or post, and they appear in the search results.

Meta description are short descriptions of your page that also appears in the search results.

Header tags are used to structure the content on your pages. (For example, the heading above “What is on-page SEO” is a header tag.)

The images on your site can include alt-text to be read by screen readers for those visually impaired. Google also indexes those descriptions so make sure they are keyword rich!

Another area that helps your content rank higher is the quality of the content. This means making sure your content is well written, informative, and engaging. No one wants to read a boring article, so make sure yours is something people will actually want to read!

It makes sense, Google’s whole purpose is to provide searchers with the best possible results. If your content isn’t good, they aren’t going to rank it high.

All of these elements come together to help search engines understand what your content is about and how to rank it.

What is off-page SEO?

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, refers to the things you can do outside of your website to improve your ranking. This includes things like link building and social media.

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your site. The more high-quality links you have, the higher your site will rank.

How can you get links from high-quality sites? There are a few ways.

You can reach out to other site owners and ask them to link to your site. This is called outreach. You can create content for their site – such as guest blogging, podcast appearances or infographics – in exchange for a link back to your site.

Another way to get links is to simply create great content that other people will want to link to. This could be an article, blog post, or even an infographic. If you create something truly awesome, people will want to share it!

What makes a high-quality link? A high-quality link is from a reputable site that is relevant to yours. For example, if you have a blog about fashion, a link from Vogue would be considered high quality.

Social media is also a great way to improve your off-page SEO. By sharing your content on social media, you are increasing the chance that people will see it and link to it.

You also absolutely must make sure that your Google My Business is set up. Why? Google My Business is a fantastic tool for small businesses to submit key information quickly and simply to Google. This data includes the business’s location and/or service area, industry type, contact information, and hours of operation.

You know how when you search “hairdressers near me” and you get local results? Having Google My Business helps Google with those localized search so this is especially key if you are a small business that relies on local customers!

So, there you have it! A quick overview of on-page vs off-page SEO. As you can see, both are important in helping your site rank higher in search engines. But which one should you focus on?

The answer is both! You need to have a well-optimized website with high-quality content, as well as links from other reputable sites.

Working with A Content Strategist

SEO doesn’t have to be complicated and working on your site doesn’t have to be something you do alone.

A content strategist can help you figure out what type of content to create, how to optimize it, and how to promote it effectively. That’s where we come in! We help our clients with everything from developing a content strategy to writing blog posts to promoting their content on social media.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this, don’t worry! We can help you develop a plan that works for your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your SEO and get more traffic to your site.