What is On-Page SEO?

When you think of the most basic search engine optimization tactics like using keywords in your copy and optimizing the meta description, HTML code, title tags, and alt tags, that’s the foundation for on-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to all the measures that can be taken directly within your website to improve its position in the search rankings. This includes those basic tactics listed above but also takes into consideration things like overall content quality, page performance, and content structure.

On-page SEO factors:

Keywords

While keywords are less important than they were a few years ago, keyword optimization is still a cornerstone of SEO today. That said, the focus has shifted towards more long-tail keywords, which fit the search patterns of today’s internet users better. Think of your audience and the keywords they’re searching for, and try to create and optimize your website content around those keywords.

Backlinks

The number and quality of backlinks you have to your site is undoubtedly the biggest factor of off-page SEO. The more sites linking to your content, the more domain authority Google grants your site, boosting your ranking. This has led marketers to try questionable paid link-building tactics, but there are several organic approaches you can take that produce effective results, such as guest blogging, being featured in industry trade publications, and seeking out contacts in the industry who’d be happy to share your content.

What is Off-Page SEO?

While on-page SEO refers to the factors you can control on your own website, off-page SEO refers to the page ranking factors that occur off your website, like backlinks from another site. It also includes your promotion methods, taking into account the amount of exposure something gets on social media, for example.