Would you believe it if we told you that there are over 1.8 billion websites on the internet? Luckily not all of those websites are your direct competition, but for those that are, you want to make sure that you stand out above the rest.
If you already have a website or are just now in the planning phase, you have probably heard the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But did you know that there are many different types of SEO? More importantly, do you know how to use them?
If you don’t yet, that’s OK — the truth is that most people don’t. Today, we will take a look at the elements of SEO and how they work to bring your site higher in the rankings.
What Are the Different Types of SEO?
Before we dive into the different types of SEO, let’s talk about what exactly SEO is. Search Engine Optimization helps websites rank in search results based on relevant keywords. An SEO strategy can increase the number of visitors to your website and help drive quality, targeted traffic.
SEO was more straightforward back in the early 2000s, but it has steadily become more complex over the years. There are dozens of rules you have to keep in mind to satisfy search engine ranking factors.
We are going to talk about five different types of SEO and discuss what SEO rules each type applies to.
#1. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is used to ensure that the search engine crawlers can crawl and index a website without experiencing any problems.
Here are some examples of technical SEO:
- Increasing the speed of your site
- Updating your robots.txt file to make sure that search engines are able to access your site correctly
- Creating an XML sitemap and submitting it to major search engines
- Ensuring that your website loads quickly and correctly on desktop and mobile devices
#2. On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO optimizes your website itself. These are the things that you can control yourself.
Some examples of the aspects you can change are:
- Making sure to create content that will appeal to your target market’s interests and including relevant keywords
- Including keywords in your URLs, heading tags, and title tags
- Ensuring your site navigation is user-friendly
- Making your website aesthetically pleasing and easy to use
#3. Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is made up of elements outside of your website that you don’t always have direct control over. The most common type of off-page SEO is in the form of backlinks. These are links to your site from another website.
Here are a couple of types of links to be aware of:
- Natural Links — when another site finds your content on its own and links to it
- Brand Promotion — when you promote yourself on another site, forum, or social media platform, and link to your site
#4. Local SEO
Local SEO strategies make it easier for users in your area to find you. For example, if someone searches for something “near me,” local SEO would aim to bring your business back as a result.
Some examples of local SEO tactics are:
- Claiming your Google My Business listing and making sure your contact information is updated, adding photos, and writing an introduction to your business
- Including location-specific keywords in your content
- Asking customers to leave a review for your business and respond to other reviews
#5. Enterprise SEO
Enterprise SEO follows some of the same strategies of traditional SEO. However, it is customized to meet the needs of very large websites. In addition, while it employs many traditional SEO techniques, it tends to focus on short-tail, high-competition keywords.
Traditional SEO used in smaller businesses typically concentrates on long-tail keywords, making it easier to rank. However, after you rank for enough long-tail keywords, you may want to improve your SEO by focusing on short-tail keywords that are highly competitive.
Enterprise SEO specific strategies include:
- Using short-tail, highly competitive keywords relevant to your goals and your industry in your content
- Using these same keywords across your entire site.
Future Proof Your Business With The Best SEO Portland Has To Offer
Your local competition and global chains are working to one-up their competition and gain new customers. To survive in a more competitive online world, making sure you utilize the very best SEO practices is essential to finding success.
It’s important to remember that SEO is not a one-and-done process. SEO is always ongoing and the search algorithm constantly changing. With all of the responsibilities required with running your own business, you might not have the time to manage this all on your own.
That is where we come in.
At Stoute Web Solutions, we specialize in creating custom website care plans, managed WordPress hosting, SEO, and web design services. Based in Portland, Oregon, we are ready to help your business grow and specialize in working with small and medium-sized businesses with affordable SEO services and web design.
If you would like to take your business to the next level, please reach out to us to schedule a consultation today.
