About 75% of search engine users never look beyond the first page of search results. Boosting your rankings can help you reach those consumers. Then, you can generate more brand awareness or traffic to your website.

You’ll need both on- and off-page SEO for an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. So if you are planning to hire someone to do your SEO, make sure they specialize in both, like this company that provides Phoenix SEO.

What is on-page vs. off-page SEO, and how can you optimize your strategy for both? Keep reading to find out!

On-Page SEO

What is on-page SEO, exactly? On-page SEO involves optimizing your website content and pages for search engines. When most people think of SEO, they’re thinking of on-page SEO.

A post that features the same target keyword could appear when a consumer completes a search using a specific keyword. Your content will appear on search engine result pages (SERPs). Then, the consumer can click on the link to your site to read the full blog post.

It’s essential to ensure you’re targeting keywords that suit your target audience’s search intent. Their search intent indicates what they expect to find during a search.

To better understand the user’s search intent, focus on keywords that feature four or more words. These longer phrases are more precise.

For example, a consumer might search “flower” and want to find:

• The meaning of flowers
• Local flower shops
• How to make a flower bouquet
• Best flowers for Mother’s Day

It’s difficult to determine the search intent based on a single word. Instead, target long-tail keywords.

When optimizing your content, the target keyword should appear in the:

• SEO title
• SEO description
• Page title and URL
• Opening and closing paragraphs
• An H1 header
• Body text
• Image alt text
• Image file name

The title and description will appear on SERPs. Ensure they’re engaging to generate more clicks and traffic to your site. 

Off-Page SEO

What is off-page SEO, then? Off-page SEO involves SEO ranking factors beyond your website. You’re not always in control of these ranking factors. 

For example, backlinks are links to your site that appear on other websites. Another website might link to your content if they like your post. You can also generate backlinks by guest blogging on other websites.

Backlinks are one of the top SEO ranking factors. 

Your domain authority is an off-page SEO ranking factor, too. Generating backlinks can help improve your domain authority.

The Difference

While on-page SEO involves SEO ranking factors on your site, off-page SEO involves factors off your site. You’ll need both, along with technical SEO and local link building tactics, to boost your rankings.

Develop a strong SEO marketing strategy that includes all four forms of SEO. You can learn more to start understanding SEO here.

On-Page vs Off-Page SEO: Your Guide to Stronger Rankings

To recap, what is the difference between on-page vs off-page SEO? On-page SEO is on your site, while off-page SEO involves factors off your site. You’ll need both forms of SEO to improve your rankings.

Understanding the top SEO ranking factors can help you reach more customers online.

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