If you’re looking to master how search engine algorithms work and in turn leverage them, then getting familiar with on page vs off page SEO is non-negotiable.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is what we call the practice of including specific content on your website, and is designed to improve your site’s visibility to search engines and their users. Put simply, it helps your site show up more often in relevant searches, and ideally in front of more people.
While many brands and businesses now understand the importance of SEO, learning how it works is a whole different kettle of fish entirely. Between buzzwords like keywords, meta descriptions, H1s and more, it can be tricky to know where to start. However, a good launching pad is understanding the key points of difference between on page vs off page SEO, and how they work together.
How On Page vs Off Page SEO Differs
As Google seems to be a big fan of making constant updates and modifications to their search engine algorithm, one thing continues to stand true – SEO is the bread and butter of getting seen online.
When it comes to crafting a solid search engine optimisation strategy, there’s two sides of the fence to consider: on page vs off page SEO. In their most basic forms, on page SEO addresses what your website – or your web page – is all about, while off page SEO is linked to how authoritative or popular your website is.
Confused? Put simply, what you rank for is largely determined by on page SEO ranking factors, while how high you rank in the search results is largely determined by off page ranking factors – and both are crucial to finding success via search engines.
Also known as on site SEO, on page SEO involves some of the most basic and even old school optimization tactics, such as using keywords in your blog’s page titles and copy, writing well crafted meta descriptions, and using HTML codes and alt tags. Thankfully, these are all relatively easy to control, as they are personalised measures taken to purposefully improve your website’s position.
However, on page SEO also takes into consideration overall content quality, page performance, and content structure.You can beef up your blog with as many key words as you like, but if the quality of the content itself falls flat, then all the work usually doesn’t amount to much. If you’re unsure what qualifies as “good”, then it’s worth getting familiar with metrics like Google Page Experience and Core Web Vitals.
In contrast, good off page SEO is slightly more difficult to control. The process refers to the page ranking factors that occur off your website, such as backlinks from another site. In addition, off page SEO can also include your promotion methods, taking into account the amount of exposure something gets on social media, or even inbound traffic from other digital marketing tactics.
One thing brands can do to boost their off page SEO is do everything they can to master domain authority. Measured on a scale from 1-100, your domain authority is a number given to you by search engines to determine the strength of your website. Websites with a higher domain authority generally receive preference in the search results, as they’ve got several other outsiders who have “vouched” for them through things like external backlinks, good local SEO through Google reviews, and even a strong presence on social media.
Domain authority is measured by a few different factors, including how long you’ve had your domain name, the strength and history of the domain name, the number of backlinks, and the number of 404 error pages. By ensuring you have a technically sound website that follows all of the usual on page SEO best practices, maximising your domain authority and improving your ranking is very achievable.
Ultimately, the best way to nail both on page and off page SEO is to produce world class content. Not only will this help to generate new leads, but when repurposed through social media channels, it will help to keep your existing audiences engaged whilst boosting the strength of your off page SEO as well. Now that you know the key points of difference between on page vs off page SEO, you’re already well on your way.
However, producing content that’s both user friendly and SEO friendly is hard. Even the most gifted of in house marketers usually identify as either technical wizards, skilled visual gurus or natural born writers, but rarely ever is it all three. If your brand is struggling to produce top notch content that Google deems worthy enough to showcase, it might be time to consider outsourcing.
The Key To Good Marketing Is Great Content
Producing quality, consistent and on brand content takes time, effort, experience and resources, but avoiding these responsibilities altogether may actually be doing your brand a disservice. Thankfully, investing in a solid content marketing strategy has actually never been easier.
Here at Content Hive, your SEO Brisbane agency of choice we are all about producing top quality digital content is exactly what we do best. We have itemised a list of digital content services, and allocated credits next to each of these. This means that each month, you can use your credits with us to produce digital content such as blog articles, social media posts, videos and even animated Instagram stories. By using this model, we believe that it enables us to produce high quality content with faster delivery times.
If you aren’t quite sure where to start on your digital marketing journey and would like to speak to a professional, why not book in a free discovery call with us at Content Hive today to discuss how we can get your brand buzzing online.
