What if you could boost your visibility to the people who are searching for you the most? Well, actually you can – with three major types of SEO.
If you want to receive unpaid traffic from Google and other major search engines, you must attack SEO from various angles. Certain types of SEO are implemented directly onto your website as you create the content. While other types require you to involve your entire online network, even your social media platforms. So let’s discuss which types work best for your business.
A strong SEO strategy uses various types of SEO to create a system of techniques that help you reach your target persona. The right code is developed into your website, the right content is found by your audience and your website is functioning quickly and effectively – so Google’s algorithm can trust your website and direct traffic there.
We’ve seen companies who implemented the right type of SEO content alone, however it wasn’t enough. The right pieces must plug into place so Google can understand and analyze your website. There are several SEO experts across the web, however the most effective authorities are those who have the technical knowledge to optimize the website as well as the content know-how.
So here are the three major types of SEO: On Page SEO, Off Page SEO and Technical SEO. Let’s explore.
What is On Page SEO?
On Page SEO is formatting your content and web pages in a strategic manner that allows Google and other search engines to analyze and understand the value proposition you offer your customers quickly and efficiently.
On Page SEO techniques include the use of keywords and topic clusters to create content that is highly focused on the value you provide to your customers. In order to develop the right kind of content, it is imperative that you understand the mind and motives of your target audience. You must put yourself in the mind of the customer to understand the questions and keywords they are using when they search for your solutions.
How can you optimize On Page SEO to target your customers?
In order to optimize your On Page SEO, you must take a thorough look at every aspect of your website, from the home page to the blog posts to your about page. You must determine how to get the most out of every inch of your digital landscape, understanding whether you should include Google maps on your contact page, or on which keywords your blogs should be focused.
Here are specific On Page SEO techniques that you should begin to implement:
- Understand your target persona.
Your target persona should inform the foundation of all of your marketing and SEO efforts. Gather your key team members, especially those who are customer-facing. Get in them in a room with a whiteboard and ask questions like, “What products are our customers looking for?”, “What problem are they looking to solve?” and “What is their immediate need when they search for our company?” Explore your target persona’s background, economic status, social habits and communication style. Are they using voice search or are they typing into a keyboard? Do they shop locally or are they international consumers? The better you can pinpoint your target customer, the better you can identify what type of content you should include on your web pages and how to structure your website.
- Create specific, valuable, relevant content for your readers.
Now that you have identified your target persona, make a list of every keyword and phrase that your target persona may search. If you have seasonal products, or you solve a problem that is seasonal, think about the kind of content that your customers may look for at different times of year.
You also want to create “evergreen” content. Evergreen content is the “bread and butter” of your content. In these articles or pages, you will provide answers to the top industry’s problems that your users are searching. This content is the type of content that never gets outdated because it covers over-arching industry guidelines, rules and principles.
Search engines will send traffic to the websites that are providing highly specific, highly valuable content. As you develop your content, be sure to provide your unique expertise so your content will stand out from competitors.
- Optimize keywords and topic clusters for user intent.
Keywords, key phrases and topic clusters are the signature indicators that search engines pick up when they are analyzing your web pages. They should be used frequently, yet not to the point where your content comes across as spammy or so users will shy away from reading it. It should flow well and be engaging, while still providing value.
When you are selecting keywords and topic clusters, think about what your customer’s intention could be while they are searching. Think about the different uses of the words that your customers may search. For example, the customer may use the same words to search for “HelloFresh” than “Instacart”. They could use both “grocery delivery” and “food delivery”. Get into the mind of your customer so you can determine the best keywords and topic clusters to describe your product or service.
- Structure your content properly.
As you outline your content, use titles, headlines, subheadings and lists that signal search engines to recognize your content. Headlines are usually marked by H1, H2, H3 and H4 tags. When you break up your content into sections, using these tags, you train the search engines to find the keywords and topics that identify your content.
Remember the entire idea is to craft your content in such a way that Google and other search engines are able to see the value that you provide to your customers and direct them to your website.
- Update or correct any outdated content.
As time progresses, it becomes inevitable for a link to be broken or redirected. Periodically, it is important to review your blog posts, articles and web pages to ensure that they are working and updated. Any dated content that may have covered old events or outdated programs or software, should be updated so the user knows that your website is still relevant to their needs.
You will also need to correct any 404 redirect errors. Use the opportunity to re-engage the customer by redirecting them to a captivating, new piece of content, or even a special offer to get them excited about the value you offer.
What is Off Page SEO?
Off Page SEO is the network of links, articles, social media pages and beyond, that build trust and authority for your brand while directing customers back to your website. Off Page SEO can help you broaden your influence by getting your website in front of new eyes, strengthening new relationship connections and expanding your online community.
Off Page SEO techniques involve reaching out and making online connections to position yourself as an authority in the market. You can do this in forums, on social media, other industry websites and using local search engine resources such as Google Business, Yelp, YellowPages, etc.
A major online marketing source, Moz, said, “Off-site SEO-related factors likely carry more than 50% of the ranking factor weight.”
So, how can you optimize Off Page SEO to target your customers?
The major idea for Off Page SEO is to develop content that will create a thirst for your readers. Develop content across the web (including Instagram or Facebook posts, YouTube videos, guest blog posts, forum link and more) that is so high quality and unique that your customers will come and search for you.
This type of SEO also involves creating high value connections online so that your readers see your company as a leading source for the very products and services you offer.
Here are specific Off Page SEO strategies you can try:
- Create Backlinks.
As you develop your content, search out 3-4 different forums you can post on consistently. Forums such as Quora or Yahoo Ask are generic forums, you can use, however you should identify those forums within your industry market where you can position yourself as a market expert.
- Enhance Your Social Media Presence
A strong social media presence should focus on quantity, how often you post, as well as quality, how valuable your posts are to your target audience.
You can start off by aligning your social media strategy with your target persona and your content strategy. You can repurpose your blog or web content, using photos, headlines and quotes to create engagement and interaction on various social media platforms.
Every platform is not for every audience. Some organizations are better off focusing on a LinkedIn page, whereas other more visual brands, or Millennial-focused brands, may fare better on Instagram.
There are social media scheduling tools that you are able to use to manage your social media, however many of the social media algorithms tend to favor the profiles and businesses that post directly to the platform.
- Leverage Influencer Marketing
You can also involve other influencers and thought leaders to gain visibility and improve your SEO ratings. Influencer marketing is effective because you’re essentially allowing someone else to create the content for you and to reach your customers on your behalf. Influencers may create videos, photos and tutorials that showcase your product.
Influencers with a smaller following will sometimes accept goods and services as payment for their endorsement. The key to finding the right influencers is to research which influencers your customers are following. You can reach out to them by using email or direct messaging.
- Guest Posts
Guest posting is writing articles for other websites and blogs that align with your brand values and services. For example, a pool cleaning company may provide content for a pool supply blog. Make a list of business categories and websites that could use the valuable information you can provide. Then reach out to the webmaster or content administrator for those websites. All of the websites don’t have to be high ranking, but they should be relevant to your brand. Once you develop a few working relationships, you should be able to develop a strong network of guest posts.
- Local SEO
If you have a business where you provide services or products to local customers, you may want to implement a strategy where your customers can find you using search terms, such as “roofing contractors near me”, using your location.
You can begin by completing your Google Business profile along with other business directories.
What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is structuring your website with a solid foundation so that it can be crawled and indexed by Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines. Technical SEO allows search engines to analyze your website, evaluate your content and assess the loading speed and efficiency of your website structure.
Technical SEO techniques are put into place to communicate to search engines that your website provides a high quality experience for its users.
How can you optimize Technical SEO to target your customers?
The main objective in optimizing your Technical SEO is to get your website in top shape, so that the technical structure of your website aligns with the context of your website. In other words, your site menu, page titles, URLs, header tags, alt texts and metadata all work together so that Google, Yahoo, Bing, Safari and others can recognize your website.
- Optimize Your Site Loadability for Speed and Responsiveness.
When customers go to your website, they expect it to load quickly. Whether they are on a computer or a mobile phone, they expect your website to be formatted properly, or they will quickly choose another option – a competitor or similar website. Search engines must evaluate billions of websites and prioritize each set of search results based on the overall performance of each website. Site speed is a major factor that contributes to your search engine ranking.
Assess the size of videos and images on your web pages and compress all unnecessarily large files. Incorporate a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to deliver large images quickly and more efficiently without slowing down your overall site speed.
Choose a responsive website layout that appears consistently on all types of mobile phones. Evaluate your website on various mobile platforms like iPhone, Droid and Google phones to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly.
- Ensure that Your Website is Structured Logically for Search Engines.
When search engines crawl your website, they evaluate information quickly based on the site structure. This includes all content from the alt text for images to the page URLs. Structure your site so that content is logically and easily located by search engines.
- Go the Extra Mile when it Comes to Your Website Security
Have you ever gone to a website and gotten an error message that says that the site is not secure? Search engines have begun to favor sites with HTTPS protocol which provides more security for sites that require login credentials or credit card transactions. Even if you don’t require a login or take payments, by implementing HTTPS, you signal to Google and other search engines that your website is safe and secure for all potential customers.
- Audit SEO regularly
There are tools and plugins you can implement on your website that will help you assess your SEO performance. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing effort that you must continue even if your SEO is performing at a high level.
These various types of SEO help ensure that every component connected to your website, whether the page content, the connecting links or the technical aspects, work together in harmony to provide the best experience to your customers for search engine users.
Putting each type of SEO in place is necessary in order to achieve the best SEO rating and establish a strong online presence. After all, the goal is not only to get a great SEO ranking, but to establish your business as an authority and a leader in your space.
Though it seems like it could be a lot of work, remember that your messaging and your content focus is the same. Find your target persona, develop those keywords and topic clusters that matter most to your business and build out your content strategy. As you develop the content strategy, consider how you can repurpose each piece of content to appeal to your customers on various platforms. Research communities where your target persona may be involved and find ways to become a source of authority and leadership to them.
As you build your website, take the necessary technical steps, beyond aesthetics to make your website searchable, visible and understandable to search engines. Your brand message should be evident as search engines crawl your website and direct new customers to an optimized experience.
So which types of SEO resonated with you? How do you plan to implement these techniques in your daily marketing practices?