A lot of SEO gurus endorse the concept of organic traffic accumulation by emphasizing that on-page SEO is all you need to focus on in order to get ahead. This would be possible in an ideal world, but SEO has a lot of code-level and off-page factors that must also be considered.
To put it simply, a well-rounded strategy incorporates elements of technical and off-page SEO in addition to on-page SEO. These elements are critical for a well-rounded SEO strategy to help draw organic traffic from hundreds of web locations.
Understanding On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is the work done from the inside. Take the example of a cappella group singing in perfect sync to generate a harmonious melody that lends them their special identity. In this analogy, every singer can be thought of as an individual element of on-page SEO, such as:
- Content — information that meets user intent and eliminates information gaps.
- Meta Titles — clickable headlines in the SERP listings.
- Meta Description — a snippet of the page or summary of content.
- URL structure — web address that is short, readable, and keyword-rich.
- Internal linking — linking to relevant pages on the same site to let the user find relevant pieces of information.
- Image Title, Alt Text, Description, & Captions — elaborate overview of all the elements of an image.
Does On-Page SEO Work?
On-page SEO involves applying a series of strategies to optimize web pages and content — with the objective to push your website to the top of the SERP. But does it actually work?
Yes, it is a key component in the grand scheme of things — SEO-wise. The technique is to focus on organic growth by identifying and addressing reader queries, redirecting links to relevant pages, and improving the website & content structure to provide a seamless UX.
So, yes, on-page SEO is helpful, but is it all you need to lead in the SEO landscape? Unlikely. Let’s discover why off-page and technical SEO might also be important.
The Missing Pieces
Even after mastering and applying all existing on-page strategies, the SEO puzzle will still remain unsolved. Here is all you need to solve the puzzle.
Off-Page SEO
In layman’s words, off-page SEO is what we do outside the website to build authority and improve search engine rankings. Let’s go back to the a cappella example.
Now, suppose the audience joins in on the song, and it sounds a whole lot better. The combined singing shows that you are liked and appreciated outside of the group as well, which is what off-page SEO is all about — having a vote of confidence from sources outside the website. Here are the fundamental pillars of success in this realm.
Guest Posting — Collaborate with high authority, niche-relevant websites to publish articles and blog posts on their site.
Directory Listings — Business listings on web directories and online catalogs like Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, and Angi to get your business in front of the potential audience.
Press Release — Sharing newsworthy content about your business to spread the word and simultaneously improve brand visibility.
Images — Images linking to your page count as a vote of confidence.
Social Media Mentions — Links coming from social channels improve referrals, strengthening the business’s market position while potentially generating traffic and sales.
Other Linking Formats: Video sites, Data, E-books, PDFs, presentations, etc.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO works in the background to improve/maintain the website’s health and retain usability. Combining this with on-page and off-page SEO provides a holistic approach to search engine optimization. Here are the technical aspects of SEO that you should master in order to maximize your site’s functionality and SEO performance.
Site Structure/XML Sitemap — Comprehensively organized pages and text, presenting a clear access point for search engine bots.
Schema Markup — Special codes are added to the webpages so it is displayed as rich snippets, delivering better UX & search visibility on the SERPs.
Redirects & Crawl Errors — Sorting out crawl and indexing issues and placing redirects in response to 404 errors for content location management and value transfers.
Canonical Tags — Resolves content duplication errors by redirecting traffic to specific locations.
Speed — Tapping into the need for a good user experience with faster site speed, established by CWV (Core Web Vitals) tests.
UX/UI — A visually appealing interface that allows straightforward navigation and accessible browsing.
Image — Image dimensions and file type conversion to SVG or WEBP to optimize page load speed.
What Is The Holistic Approach To Cover All Bases?
Let’s be clear about one thing: on-page SEO cannot deliver promising results on its own. While it’s a core aspect of search engine optimization, it must be paired with other techniques to unlock its full potential. So, next time someone mentions the good ol’ myth that on-page SEO is the only important thing that matters, you’ll know it’s far from the truth.
