Module 3

Search Engine Optimization Techniques

Three Types of SEO

• On-page SEO
• Technical SEO
• Off-page SEO
On-page SEO

• refers to both the content and HTML source code of

a page that can be optimized,
• help search engines understand the topic of the
content and see that the website is a valuable source
that people would want to find
On-page SEO includes:

• Keyword research: Finding the best keywords to

target on a page of content
• Content creation: Publishing high-quality content
focused on target keywords
• Keyword optimization: Using the target keyword in all
the right places and using good meta tag SEO
Why On-Page SEO Is Important?

• it helps search engines understand your website and

its content
• It identify whether it is relevant to a searcher’s query
• As search engines become more sophisticated, there
is a greater focus toward relevance and semantics in
search engine results pages (SERPs)
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

1. E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness,

and Trustworthiness
– the framework that Google raters use to assess
content creators, webpages, and websites as a
whole
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

2. Title Tag
– The title tag, an HTML tag that exists in the head
section of each webpage, provides an initial cue or
context as to what the topical subject matter is of
the respective page it is on.
– missing, duplicate, and poorly written title tags
can all negatively impact your SEO results.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

3. Meta Description
– meta tags that provide a description of what the page is
about, are often displayed in the SERPs underneath the
title of the page.
– Optimizing meta description correctly can help improve:
– Click-through rate (CTR).
– Perception of the quality of the result.
– Perception of what your website offers all change.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

4. Headlines
– start writing compelling headlines
– Your headlines need to spark interest for it to
stand out on the SERPs – enticing users to click
through and continue reading the rest of the
content.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

5. Header Tags
– Header tags are HTML elements (H1-H6) used to identify
headings and subheadings within your content from other
types of text (e.g., paragraph text)
– They can indirectly impact your rankings by:
• Making your content easier and more enjoyable for visitors to
read.
• Providing keyword-rich context about your content for the
search engines.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

6. SEO Writing
– SEO writing means writing content with both
search engines and users in mind.
– Remember that you’re writing content for people
therefore that content must be high-quality,
substantial, and relevant.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

7. Keyword Cannibalization
– True or false? The more pages you have targeting a keyword,
the better you’ll rank for that keyword.
False
– Targeting a specific term across multiple pages can cause
“keyword cannibalization” which has some potentially
disastrous consequences for your SEO.
– When you have multiple pages ranking for the same keyword,
you’re actually competing with yourself.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

8. Content Audit
– Most content creators are focused on creating new content that
they forget to audit their existing content.
– Auditing your existing content is crucial because it helps you:
• Evaluate whether your existing content is achieving its goals
and gaining ROI.
• Identify whether the information in your content is still
accurate or has become stale (or even outdated).
• Determine what types of content are working for you.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

9. Image Optimization
– Adding images is a good way to make your webpages more
appealing
– Some images can slow down your website.
– Image optimization has many advantages, such as:
• Additional ranking opportunities (show up on Google Image
Search).
• Better user experience.
• Faster page load times.
Ten areas to help improve content and authority

10. User Engagement

– Enhancing your website’s on-page SEO elements is only half
the battle. The other half lies in making sure that users will
not bounce – but instead, they’ll continue viewing your
content, interacting with it, and keep coming back for more.
– Retaining engaged users is a great challenge in itself, but it’s
certainly doable.
– To increase user engagement, focus on aspects such as site
speed, user experience, and content optimization, among
others.
Technical SEO

– Relates to non-content elements of your website.

– Includes strategies to improve a site’s backend
structure and foundation.
– A good user experience is also important for
readers, and can affect overall traffic and
engagement rates.
Types of SEO included in this category relate to:

– Site speed
– Mobile-friendliness
– Indexing
– Crawlability
– Site architecture
– Structured data
– Security
A Brief History of Technical SEO
Off-Site SEO

– refers to techniques you can use to improve the

position of a website in the search engine results
page (SERPs).
– Many people associate it with link building but it is
more than that.
– In general, Off-Page SEO has to do with promotion
methods – beyond website content –for the purpose
of ranking a website higher in the search results.
Why is Off-Page SEO important?

– A website that is high quality and useful is more

likely to have references (backlinks) from other
websites.
– It is more likely to have brand mentions on social
media (Facebook likes, tweets, Pins, etc.) and it is
more likely to be bookmarked and shared among
communities of like-minded users.
Off-page SEO Benefits

– Increase in rankings.
This is the most important advantage of off-page
SEO. The website will rank higher in the SERPs and
this also means more traffic.
Off-page SEO Benefits

– Increase in PageRank.
Page rank is a number between 0 and 10 which
indicates the importance of a website in the eyes of
Google. It is the system invented by Larry Page and
Sergey Brin (Google founders) and one of the reasons
that Google became so successful in showing the most
relevant results to the searcher. Page rank today is only
one out of the 250+ ranking factors that Google is using
to rank websites.
Off-page SEO Benefits

– Greater exposure.
Higher rankings also mean greater exposure
because when a website ranks in the top positions:
it gets more links, more visits, and more social
media mentions. It’s like a never-ending sequence
of events where one thing leads to another and
then to another etc.
Off-page SEO Benefits

– Establish Trustworthiness.
Google has recently introduced the concept of
Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T),
which plays an important role in rankings and is
directly related to off-page SEO.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– On-page SEO is about building content to improve

your rankings.
 Title Tag: The title tag on each page tells the
search engines what your page is about. This
should be 70 characters or less, including both
the keyword your content focuses on and your
business name.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– On-page SEO is about building content to improve your

rankings.
 Meta Description: The meta description on your
website tells search engines a little bit more about
what each page is about. This is also used by your
human visitors to better understand what the page
is about and if it’s relevant. This should include your
keyword and also provide enough details to tell the
reader what the content is about.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– On-page SEO is about building content to improve

your rankings.
 Sub-headings: Not only do sub-headings make
your content easier for visitors to read, but they
can also help improve your SEO. You can use
H1, H2, and H3 tags to help search engines
better understand what your content is about.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– On-page SEO is about building content to improve

your rankings.
 Internal Links: Building internal links or hyperlinks
to other content on your site can help search
engines learn more about your site. For example,
if you are writing a post about the value of a
specific product or service, you can link to the
product or service page in your blog post.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– On-page SEO is about building content to improve

your rankings.
 Image Name and ALT Tags: If you are using
images on your website or within your blog
content, you will also want to include your
keyword or phrase in the image name and alt
tag.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– Off-page SEO is the optimization happening off of

your website itself, such as earning backlinks.
 Trust: Trust is becoming an increasingly
important factor in a site’s Google ranking. This
is how Google determines whether you have a
legitimate site that visitors can trust. One of the
best ways to improve trust is by building quality
backlinks from sites that have authority.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– Off-page SEO is the optimization happening off of your

website itself, such as earning backlinks.
 Links: One of the most popular ways to build off-page
SEO is through backlinks. You want to be careful here
as spamming sites with your links is a quick and easy
way to get your site banned from the search engines.
Instead, take the time to build relationships with
influencers and fans who create quality content and
will link back to your site in their own content.
Core Elements of SEO: On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO

– Off-page SEO is the optimization happening off of

your website itself, such as earning backlinks.
 Social: Another important off-page SEO factor is
social signals, such as likes and shares. When it
comes to boosting SEO, you want to look for
quality shares from influencers. The more quality
content you publish, the more likely you will be to
get people to share your content with others.