You’ve probably heard that search engine optimization, or SEO, is a big thing when trying to build a business empire online.

After all, organic search is believed to be the highest channel of ROI for almost 50% of marketers.

For SEO to be successful, you must be willing to learn, comprehend, and implement various tactics simultaneously—or at least find an SEO marketing professional who has already done this.

When you’re new to SEO, one of the first things you need to understand is that there are two basic forms of website SEO: on-site SEO and off-site SEO.

This is a crucial first step, as implementing both of these properly will work wonders in improving site SEO.

What Is On-Site SEO?

On-site SEO, sometimes referred to as on-page SEO, refers to the information on your website or web page. This includes everything from the titles and meta descriptions to the keywords and content.

Keywords are by far the most important aspects of on-site SEO, although there are plenty of other aspects that play a vital role. Some of these include:

• Meta titles and descriptions
• Heading tags
• URL structures
• Website loading speed
• Content
• Image alt text

Due to the fact that you have more leverage over on-site SEO since you are in control of it, it serves as an integral part of your overall SEO efforts.

Why Is On-Site SEO Important?

Did you know that organic search is responsible for more than half of website traffic?

People are constantly using the internet to search for answers to questions they have about various topics, services, and products, which are directly or indirectly related to your business.

Each search is a new opportunity to connect with potential customers, solve their problems, answer their questions, and ultimately become a credible resource when they need help.

With search being responsible for how internet users arrive on your website, improving your online visibility and ranking higher in the SERPs with the proper use of SEO is important to the overall success of your online business.

SEO will bring more traffic to your website, which means more customers and more sales. The higher you can rank in Google, the better the reputation you have.

On-site SEO is important because your efforts are sustainable. If you are implementing a paid campaign like PPC, the traffic will stop as soon as your campaign ends. If you are implementing a social media campaign, the same is true, although you may still maintain some traction in regards to traffic.

With SEO, though, it can last forever. The more effort your put into SEO marketing, the more rewards you will reap in the long-run. D

ue to the fact that user behaviors are constantly changing, you must make sure to invest in SEO marketing efforts to become more efficient.

What Is On-Site SEO vs Off-Site SEO?

The primary difference between on-site SEO and off-site SEO is that on-site SEO refers to SEO tactics on the website/page while off-site SEO refers to tactics of the website/page.

With off-site SEO, the purpose is to prove the credibility and level of authority your website provides, which are factors you have no control over.

The most important aspect of off-site SEO continues to remain backlinks. A backlink is when you get another reputable website to link back to your website or a specific web page.

What Is the Golden Rule of SEO?

The golden rule of SEO is quite simple: content is king.

As you read earlier, high-quality content is the top-ranking factor for Google because Google wants to ensure its users receive the information they are seeking in an efficient manner.

And relevant, quality content is how Google provides its users with the best information.

When creating content, it should be relevant to the keywords you are optimizing for and engaging, informative, and valuable to readers.

Although you need to incorporate certain keywords and keyword phrases in the content, it is imperative that the content addresses the interests and needs of those who land on your site.

In the end, valuable and relevant content that is well-written and engaging will eventually result in a higher ranking and overall visibility of your website, helping to attract more organic traffic.

How Can I Improve My Site’s SEO?

Google has certain factors that they look for when ranking websites in the SERPs. High-quality content is by far the most important, as it accounts for 24% of your ranking score with Google. Here is a look at some of the other top factors:

• Keywords in Meta Title Tags – 15%
• Backlinks – 15%
• Niche Expertise – 14%
• User Engagement – 12%
• Trustworthiness – 5%
• Mobile-Friendliness – 4%
• Internal Links – 3%
• Page Speed – 3%

With 200 total ranking factors, even the smallest of the factors (keywords in the URL and H1 both at 1%) account for more than you realize.

To improve your website SEO, your first step is to perform keyword research. Before you are able to optimize your website for SEO, you must know what keywords are relevant to your business and are most likely to be typed into a search engine by internet users.

As you identify your keywords, remember that it is better to rank higher for a lower competition and lower volume keyword than it is to fail to rank for a high competition and high volume keyword.

Once your keywords have been identified, it’s time to develop first-rate content for the website, including the contact page, about us page, the home page, etc.

Ensure your content contains relevant keywords throughout the content while also reading naturally, being organized, and provides users with the information they’re seeking.

Insert your keywords into the meta title tag, meta description, page title (H1), H2 headings, image file name, image alt text, and URL structure.

The proper placement of your keywords will play a considerable role in your SEO marketing strategy.

To improve your website SEO with off-page SEO, find websites with a high credibility rating to ensure the backlinks are valuable.

You can request these websites post something about your offerings, allow a guest post from you, or even offer PR coverage related to your business.

Further, you should share your blog posts on your social media profiles and request that customers leave reviews, ratings, etc. about your business on review sites. The more positive press you gain, the higher you will rank.

Wrap-Up

Understanding the differences between on-site SEO vs off-site SEO is the first step towards optimizing your website and web pages properly for Google.

Generally, both types of SEO will need to be implemented at the same time in order to tap into the full potential of pushing your website to the top of the SERPs. Be sure you have all the tools you need on hand to improve your efforts, such as the magneto SEO guide, SEMrush, ahrefs, and more.

You will need to focus on the quality of your content and keyword use while maintaining your content (keeping it up-to-date).

Don’t forget to track and measure how your SEO efforts are working for you, which will allow you to adjust here and there as needed.

Finally, be patient. SEO is not an overnight miracle to boosting your SERP ranking. SEO can take several months before you actually see gains from your efforts, but once the benefits can be seen, they will continue to grow over time.

Now, if you don’t have the time to invest in SEO or creating quality SEO content, consider the WriterAccess free trial. WriterAccess is home to first-rate writers who have experience in search engine optimization, content marketing, keyword research, and more.