When you need some information, you probably would ask Google, Bing, or any other search engine. In fact, 68%
of all online experiences begin with a search engine. And to rank businesses on top of search results, marketers invest in Search Engine Optimization.
SEO is an all-inclusive process adopted to elevate a website’s position in search engine results. Let's say, we search for “best hiking shoes for women” on Google. This is how the results will appear.
Image via Google
While the red box in this image shows paid ads, the green box shows the organic results. SEO techniques are used to rank higher in organic search results.
In a broad sense, SEO strategies are based on 3 practices.
- On-page SEO
- Off-age SEO
- Technical SEO
Image via Semrush
1. On-Page SEO
It refers to the process of optimizing various elements on a website. Marketers use SEO audit tools to determine the health of a website. It's all about building your website to deliver a great user experience. The major elements include:
- Keyword optimization
- Writing content that is relevant and aligned with search intent
- Title tag and meta tag optimization
- Image optimization
- Internal linking
- Mobile-friendliness and more
2. Off-page SEO
It refers to all the techniques marketers use outside a website to boost that site’s position in search results. This includes:
- Content marketing
- Link building
- Reviews
- Social media activities
- Citation building
- PR
- Forum and more
3. Technical SEO
This refers to all the activities we undertake to ensure that a website meets the technical requirements of advanced search engines. It includes:
- Website speed
- Use of structured data
- Page URL structure
- XML site map
- Canonicalization and more
When we make all these elements and several others work together, we can boost a website’s search rankings. That's what I do on a daily basis and I must confess, there is no ‘one size fits all’ theory in SEO. As an SEO specialist, I have to adopt a combination of different marketing techniques to achieve the desired goals.
