Difference Between Off-Page and On-Page SEO – Everything You Need to Know
As Google continues to make changes to its algorithm, people are inclined towards oversimplifying SEO and focusing on one thing. However, a robust SEO strategy balances out on-page and off-page SEO so that the website can function properly and gain ranking on Google.
To explain the trends of Google ranking and retune your strategies to current market practices, I have shared the essentials of on-page and off-page SEO along with their differences.
What Is On-Page SEO?
On-Page SEO tactics are all the measures a business takes on its website to promote its ranking on Google. Moreover, On-Page SEO takes all content strategies under consideration, including meta description, meta titles, content quality, and content structure. Here are several factors that on-Page SEO addresses to help websites rank on top of search engine result pages.
Factors For on-Page SEO
1. Content
You need to consider all SEO strategies when writing content for your website. Best SEO strategies include using long-tail and short-tail keywords, including enough keyword usage to help Google bots understand your content. However, even if all SEO strategies are accurately executed, no one will visit your website if your content isn’t what your target audience wants. Remember, if you write content according to search engine result pages, you won’t find much value unless you start writing for your website visitors.
2. Keyword Optimization
Although keywords aren’t as important as they once used to be, keyword optimization is still the cornerstone for SEO-optimized content. That said, recent Google updates have highlighted the importance of long-tail keywords as opposed to short-tail keywords. This change has taken place because users are typing longer search queries in the form of questions, and if your content doesn’t address those queries, you won’t find your website anywhere on the 1st page of Google.
3. Title Tags
The title tag refers to your on-page content’s main heading and what you see in the results against your search on Google. It is one of the most critical factors of on-Page SEO as Google bots analyze your title and then move to the content beneath it. If your title doesn’t rhyme with the content below, Google bots will refrain from ranking your website against your keywords. Title tags should be kept at 65 words max and should entice the user to click on your link. Moreover, you should try to immerse your keywords in the title to help Google bots find your web –page faster than your competitors.
4. Meta Descriptions
Another aspect of on-Page SEO is the meta description. It is a brief description of the content on your website users can see below the URL on search engine result pages. It is written to help the user a glimpse of what’s behind the URL, but more importantly, meta descriptions are written to help your website stand out from the competition.
5. Alt Text
Since Google bots can’t decipher an image file, they need text to understand what the image is about. If you have used any graphics in your content, alt text will serve as a means for Google bots to understand the context of the picture you used. After the Google bots know what the image stands for, it will be indexed in Google and show up if users type a related query against the alt text you have given to your blog graphic.
6. SSL/HTTPS
Web page security has become more important than before due to countless cyber-attacks on well-known websites. SSL or Security Socket Layer certificate ensures third-party malware or hackers don’t get into your web server. These certificates, such as SSL or HTTPS, strengthen your website security and help boost your web page’s trustworthiness and search engine visibility. Moreover, Google prefers to rank SSL secure websites over those that aren’t safe for its users.
7. Structuring URL
In addition to the factors listed above URL, structuring is also a part of on-Page SEO. By organizing and shortening your URLs, you make your website easy to crawl for Google bots. Moreover, simple URLs are easier for users to understand, and it increases the click-through rate. Finally, a structured URL serves as a map, and making sure your URLs contain your primary keyword is an essential practice for on-page SEO.
8. Internal Linking
Internal linking is also one of the most critical factors for on-page SEO because it helps Google bots find relevant pages of your website and index them. Moreover, internal links help users navigate throughout your page, and they stay on your web-server longer. Remember, the more time a user spends on your website, the higher you will rank on Google. The key to excellent internal linking practice is to spread your internal links throughout your content. This practice ensures your users can find relevant information sources against words or phrases they don’t understand. Moreover, it shows Google that you are organized and care about your web visitors.
9. Page Speed
While most on-page SEO factors are connected to content optimization, some parts of on-page SEO are also linked with page performance. Page performance is also known as page speed, and Google recommends that it should be less than 2 seconds. There are plenty of online tools that can test your page speed on different servers. These tools also share a detailed report of what’s causing the lag and how you can fix these issues to make your page load faster.
Page speed is a critical factor in ranking on Google as search engines evaluate your page speed every time a user searches for your keywords. The most basic steps you can take to increase your page speed are using JPED image files and integrating the lazy loading feature on your website.
10. Mobile Friendliness
Mobile searches have gained popularity over the years because of their convenience and usability. Google users are inclined to search from their mobile devices rather than opening their computers. According to Canonicalized, 24% of 1 million top-ranked websites have a mobile-friendly interface. There are two excellent reasons to have a mobile-friendly website:
- Non-mobile-friendly websites force the user to zoom in and out to read your content.
- Google uses a mobile-friendly version of your website to show against searches made on mobile devices.
These two reasons should be enough to convince you to shift to a mobile-friendly website. Moreover, mobile websites can be saved on the user’s mobile device and act as an app that launches without typing your web address. This is an additional convenience that users enjoy when surfing from their cell phones.
What Is Off-Page SEO?
While on-page SEO practices involve directly working on your website, off-page SEO is a set of page ranking factors that occur outside your website, such as backlinking. There are plenty of other factors aside from backlinking, and I have shared them below.
Factors For off-page SEO
1. Backlinks
Backlinks are the heart and soul of your off-page SEO practices, and they serve as a testimonial of your services. For instance, how likely are you to trust a person you just met compared to someone your friend endorsed for? The same scenario applies to Google rankings. Google values websites that have backlinks from credible sources. These links ensure Google that your website is a trusted platform and not a scam.
Backlinks can be attained either organically or through paid tactics. Some high-authority websites charge other platforms for backlinks because they know their backlinks are worth hundreds and thousands of dollars. However, there are plenty of authoritative websites that share backlinks or free such as medium.com. Here are some ways you can generate backlinks for your website, and ironically, content strategy has a vital role to play in this as well.
- Guest Blogging
- Guest Podcasting
- Hosting Virtual Events
- Being featured in a publication
- Social Media Exposure
- Press Releases
Most of these above-mentioned strategies, excluding virtual events, are interlinked with content strategies. By now, I am sure you have understood the importance of content marketing in SEO, but there is more to off-page SEO than backlinking.
2. Domain Authority
Domain authority is a number given to your website by search engines that determine your website’s credibility. This number ranges from 0 – to 100, with 100 being the highest number. It’s off-page SEO’s responsibility to increase the domain authority of your website. Why? Because Google gives more preference to websites with high Domain Authority (DA) and low Domain Authority websites will often be ranked lower in Google search results.
3. Social Exposure and Promotion
Social media plays an integral role in your website ranking and increases its backlinks. There are more than 60 million businesses on social media, and most of them have a website. These businesses connect social media with their website to target customers from all directions. Moreover, sharing your content on social media increases its click-through rates, and if your blog post goes viral, you will receive tremendous web-traffic that will surge your Google rankings. It’s the job of the off-page SEO team to promote your content on all social media platforms and make sure it receives attention by using relevant “hashtags.”
4. Reviews and Local SEO
Over the past few years, local SEO has grown in popularity. Review SEO is the art of promoting your website on platforms like Google my business and Yelp. These are basically websites that collect customer reviews regarding a product or service. Enterprises are leveraging these websites by registering and asking their customers to share their thoughts on these platforms. When a website receives positive customer feedbacks, Google automatically improves its ranking.
These accumulated reviews support local SEO practices that revolve around targeting customers in your locality. If you have a product or service that can be used in your locality, local SEO will make sure your services rank high in these areas. Local SEO is done y targeting long-tail keywords that mention your business’s location. For instance, “Best barber in Queens, New York.”
5. Pay Per Click Campaigns
One of the fastest ways to improve your Google rankings is through pay-per-click. Pay per click or PPC is a paid campaign that allows website owners to bid on specific keywords. Once a website bids on its relevant keywords, Google will show your URL against its search regardless of your Domain Authority or your number of backlinks. However, PPC is not as easy as it might sound. To rank against your keyword in a PPC campaign, you need to improve your website’s quality score (you can find this in the Google Keyword planner next to CPC in the keyword list)
Your website score depends on keyword optimization and content strategy. You might be wondering why someone would pay to rank on Google if it all goes back to the same organic SEO strategies? The answer is straightforward. PPC campaigns can rank your website higher even if you have low backlinks and inadequate domain authority as long as you have the relevant content URL against the keyword you are biding. For example, if your URL against “best shoes in LA” refers to a page about making smoothies, you won’t find much ROI through PPC campaigns.
Concluding Thoughts
SEO is crucial to garner web-traffic and increase your online sales. However, you cannot accomplish your SEO goals if you don’t understand what’s on-page and off-page SEO. By now, you must have understood the difference between both SOE techniques and how content strategies play an important role in ranking your website. If you enjoyed reading my blog post, you could learn more about SEO and other digital marketing techniques by staying updated with my website.
