The Difference Between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

Virtually every modern business knows the basics of SEO: you produce copywriting content – either for a blog, a webpage, or some other online purpose – and structure that content around various keywords with the goal of attracting search engine attention and boosting traffic. What many businesses don’t know, however, is that there are actually two different categories to search engine optimization, and both, much like a child, demand your attention. The first is on-page SEO, which is more or less the type of SEO defined above. The second type is off-page SEO, which uses similar practices, but employs them in different ways.

What is On-Page SEO?

Before we move on to exploring the lesser-known off-page SEO concept, let’s make sure we have a thorough understanding of what on-page SEO actually is, and why it benefits your bottom line. When you employ SEO, you are likely doing so in written content that you upload to your actual business webpage. Blogs, webpage content, product descriptions, and any other copywriting content that appears on your page can be executed using on-page SEO if you make a concentrated effort to use relevant keywords in a natural fashion. Search engines then ping these keywords and help potential customers find your page.

As you probably already know (or could have guessed, given the above description), on-page SEO is valuable for boosting your web traffic. However, traffic doesn’t always convert into leads or sales, so make sure your content isn’t just a Google-baiting mélange of keywords. Instead, incorporate the keywords naturally into content that is interesting, original, and worth reading. SEO may be a practice built on improving web traffic, but web traffic isn’t worth much if you’re not engaging your visitors, and strong textural content can do that.

What is Off-Page SEO?

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, has nothing to do with the copywriting content that appears on your page. In addition to simply catching keywords, search engines determine your page ranking – and therefore, your visibility on searches – based on off-page criteria. Mentions of your business on other sites, or links to your content from social media – all surrounded by keywords, of course – are the bread and butter of off-page SEO.

Perhaps the easiest way to build your off-page SEO is by being active on a variety of social streams. The more your business is mentioned on networks like Facebook and Twitter, the higher you will rank. Guest posts on other websites can also be valuable, especially with “About” sections that drop your business name and surround it with a bunch of keywords.

 

A Two-Pronged SEO Attack

Naturally, the most effective SEO campaigns will use both on-page and off-page SEO practices to attract web traffic. On-page keywords can ping search engines and get customers to read your page; off-page SEO can help build and expand your brand beyond your website, in turn making sure your business ranks higher on Google searches. In short, both SEO methods seek to direct more traffic to your website, but they both do it in different ways. You should be using both to build your presence online.