Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing practice extensively used to enhance a website’s visibility and improve its ranking on various search engines, primarily Google. This technique is divided into two main strategies: On-page SEO and Off-page SEO.
On-page SEO, also known as “on-site SEO”, targets and optimizes the individual pages of a website to earn higher rankings and increase relevant traffic. It encompasses both the content of a page and the HTML source code, both of which can be controlled and optimized by the site owner. The various aspects controlled under on-page SEO include title tags, headings, URL structure, alt texts for images, site speed, responsive design, keyword density, and internal linking. According to Moz, one of the leading SEO software companies, optimizing the on-page SEO is valuable because search engines are increasingly focusing on relevance and semantics in their search engine results pages (SERPs).
Off-page SEO, on the other hand, refers to activities taken outside of your website to influence your rankings within SERPs. Off-page SEO allows Google or other search engines to understand what others think about your product, service, or website. Techniques in off-page SEO revolve around enhancing the domain’s authority (the website’s overall importance), which relies heavily on the network of backlinks from other sites. These activities include creating high-quality backlinks, social bookmarking, and social media marketing. As noted by Search Engine Journal, a widely recognized SEO publication, off-page SEO techniques are crucial in building the website’s visibility, authority, and trustworthiness, extending far beyond the website’s boundaries.
Thus, both on-page and off-page SEO are vital in creating a balanced SEO strategy. While on-page SEO helps search engines understand your website and its content—as well as identify whether it is relevant to a searcher’s query—off-page SEO gives search engines a strong indication of how the world (other websites and users) perceive the website. A well-rounded website with high-quality content, an excellent user interface, and featuring references from other sites (backlinks) is likely to rank better in SERPs, largely due to a combination of robust on-page and off-page SEO strategies.
Sources:
Moz, “On-Page SEO Ranking Factors” (https://moz.com/learn/seo/on-page-factors)
Search Engine Journal, “Everything You Need to Know About SEO Off-Page Factors” (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/off-page-seo-factors/169627/)
