Different Types of SEO – Search Engine Optimisation Explained

Search Engine Optimisation, or ‘SEO’, is a vast and varied discipline. SEO work is continually evolving in line with new research and the advancing ‘artificial intelligence’ of the major search engines. Here are some of the most common current types of SEO work.

Check our post here on SEO and how it should work.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is fundamental to any website which wants to have a chance of appearing high in the search rankings. Technical SEO work ensures that your site is secure, can be correctly indexed, that it loads as fast as possible and that it works well on different sized devices. If search engines have trouble with any of these, your site will be restricted in its reach. There’s an excellent recent article on Technical SEO here on Search Engine Land, plus a superb Case Study here.

A Technical SEO report can be run using tools such as Screaming Frog or SEMrush. This should always be done before any other SEO work is planned.

Content SEO

Content SEO work looks at the most popular search terms and phrases used by your customer base. We then produce (or advise on) specific original and well-written content to generate high search engine rankings. Great keyword research and analysis is crucial to this. When done correctly, many new opportunities and income streams will be discovered. Our guide to ‘Quality Content’ is here.

Linkbuilding SEO

High-quality links coming into your website are a significant ranking factor. Google sees incoming links as ‘recommendations’. But, beware of ‘spam-links’, links bought from link-farms or any links you are asked to pay for directly. Irrelevant links or paid links, and those from low-quality websites are a waste of time and effort which will harm your SEO score. Our work builds high-quality links from reputable websites through the creation of high quality and unique content on your site. Earning links from trusted websites can result in significant boosts.

Social Media SEO

Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more are all essential generators of traffic for your website. We work to integrate these free resources into your website and SEO content plan. ‘Social Signals’ around a page or product on your site will help search engines to rank it higher on search.

White Hat SEO

All the above are ‘white-hat’ SEO disciplines, in line with the guidelines provided by the major search engines. Our White Hat SEO work will produce steady, gradual and lasting growth in rankings.

Black Hat SEO

Black Hat SEO (or ‘cheating’) seeks to exploit any perceived weaknesses in search engine algorithms to gain fast, unpredictable and short-stay growth in rankings. Techniques such as ‘link spam’, ‘keyword stuffing’ and ‘doorway pages’ are commonly used, which are in direct conflict with search engine webmaster guidelines. Google, in particular, has a vast and well-funded department dedicated to fighting Black Hat SEO. As search algorithms advance, more and more loopholes are being closed for good. This is excellent news for our clients and us!