In our tech-driven, internet-dependent world, businesses have had to make radical adjustments to how they market their products and services. Instead of relying solely on print ads and TV spots, the majority of companies now devote a substantial portion of their promotional budgets to digital marketing — and specifically, search engine optimization. Also known as SEO, this type of marketing is comprised of numerous techniques that are used to increase web visibility and traffic. When SEO tactics are utilized effectively, they can help a given website improve its search ranking (meaning that its pages will show up more quickly and be featured more prominently when a web user conducts a relevant Google search).
Obviously, most business owners want their websites to appear early on in search results — and to be clicked by visitors. There are a number of adjustments that can be made to a particular website in order to increase these chances. But there are also other SEO strategies that can increase a site’s visibility and help its ranking that actually happen in places other than the website in question. Basically, we’re talking about onsite and offsite SEO. In today’s post, we’ll take a closer look at the differences between these two types of search engine optimization and illustrate the importance of including both types in the SEO strategy you develop with your online marketing company.
What is Onsite SEO?
Onsite SEO, as its name suggests, involves techniques that are executed on the website you’re trying to market. Sometimes referred to as “on-page SEO,” these tactics will make your website more easily understood by search engines. By making changes to page titles and descriptions, writing compelling web copy and blog content with relevant keywords, utilizing internal links, improving site speed and mobile friendliness, focusing on site security, and fixing navigation errors, you can help Google crawl your site more effectively and improve the user experience for visitors. By making your site as comprehensive, appealing, and relevant as possible, you may be rewarded by Google with an improved ranking in search results.
What is Offsite SEO?
As you may have guessed, offsite SEO refers to certain steps that can be taken away from a specific website that will then help that website. It might sound a bit complicated, but offsite SEO is basically an alternative to traditional advertising. In many cases, this type of SEO involves placements on other sites or other platforms that will then benefit your own site. For example, the use of link building or backlinks, guest blogs, and social media marketing can help to boost a site’s visibility and authority. When executed correctly, this type of strategy can add to a website’s ranking factors and allow the site to show up even more prominently when a search is conducted.
Is One Better Than the Other?
You might be surprised to learn that 75% of SEO actually takes place offsite, while only 25% occurs on the site itself. That illustrates the importance of having a diverse SEO strategy to ensure all of your bases are covered. That said, one type of SEO is not inherently better than the other. You need both offsite and onsite SEO to improve your search ranking in the long term. Without onsite SEO, your site won’t be easy to navigate or easy to find in search. But if you haven’t done offsite work, Google might question your authority in your industry and you’ll find it more difficult to build trust with potential customers. If you don’t have both types of SEO services, you’ll likely find it more difficult to obtain leads, traffic, and sales due to your incomplete strategy.
Now that you understand how offsite and onsite SEO work together, you’ll need help developing a strategy that can get your website seen. For more information on our services, please contact us today.