The term SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a process that helps your business get listed online in search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and MAYBE even DuckDuckGo!
The end.
OK, just kidding – there’s more to it.
”Successful SEO is not about tricking Google. It’s about PARTNERING with Google to provide the best search results for Google’s users.
Phil Frost, Main Street ROI
There are many different approaches to SEO – but I’m going to quickly explain it with 3 top-level approaches.
- Technical SEO
- On-Page SEO
- Off-Page SEO.
Let’s get started!
What Is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO has everything to do with your website’s back-end and the opportunity you’re giving search engines to discover your website and all of its content.
- Is your website fast?
- Does your website allow search engine robots to crawl it?
- Did you implement Schema Markup?
- Is your site mobile-responsive?
- Do you have an SSL certificate?
- Where is your sitemap?
- Do you have analytics code implemented on your website?
- How is the overall user experience on your website?
OK the list can go on… but generally technical SEO is the first portion of the process of SEO that should be executed when you’re looking at really using an SEO strategy to help you gain visibility online.
When you’re looking to work with an SEO agency or freelancer, don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding technical SEO and how they will help your website index properly.
What Is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO (or on-site SEO) is the process in which you create and layout content and metadata on your website.
This is so much more than just plugging in keywords and plastering content all over your website. Google needs to know what your website and specific landing pages are all about. By doing this in an organizational manner by implementing on-page SEO best practices, you’ll be well on your way to your business appearing in search results. Some of these best practices include:
- Keyword Research
- Content Strategy
- Header tags
- Internal and External links
- SEO-friendly URLs
- Carefully curated metadata
- Image optimization
- Alt-tagging
And again there is so much more than goes into on-page SEO. On-page SEO is where the majority of your strategy will be executed on a monthly basis. And it’s honestly one of the more exciting processes for someone like me to geek out on!
Last, but not least…
What Is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO is a process that executes tasks from everywhere BUT your website. Off-page literally means…. off the page! This is where you find websites and other platforms to link BACK to your website to draw more organic/discovery traffic. You can obtain off-page SEO goals by
- Posting to social media
- Guest posting to other websites/blogs
- Podcasts
- Citation building (business listings)
- Google My Business
- Reviews
And more!
Can I Do SEO On My Own?
I firmly believe that there are enough resources out there between YouTube, online marketing classes, and instructional blogs that you could probably perform SEO on your own. However, it is time-consuming and you need to make sure you have the right tools to get the job done right.
If you’d like to discuss SEO in-depth, please don’t hesitate to contact me! I’m more than happy to offer advice and my services.
Until next time!