Is off-page SEO more important than on-page SEO?

Thomas
3 min readJan 4, 2023

Let’s start with a definition

Why? It is good to understand what we are talking about. On-page SEO and off-page SEO are two important components of search engine optimization (SEO) that can help improve the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). In this article, we will take a closer look at each of these strategies and how they can be used to optimize a website for search engines.

On page SEO is rather more technical

Are you ready for some technical talk? Don’t worry — it is not that hard. On-page SEO refers to the techniques and strategies used to optimize individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. This includes optimizing the content and HTML source code of a web page, as well as ensuring that the website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.

Some of the key elements of on-page SEO include:

Title tags: The title tag of a web page is the text that appears in the browser tab and is also used as the title in search engine results pages. It is important to include relevant keywords in the title tag, as this can help improve the ranking of the page for those keywords.

Meta descriptions: The meta description is a short summary of the content of a web page that is displayed in search engine results pages. Including relevant keywords in the meta description can help improve the ranking of the page for those keywords.

Headings: Headings, or H tags, are used to structure the content of a web page and indicate the hierarchy of the information. It is important to include relevant keywords in headings, as this can help improve the ranking of the page for those keywords.

Images: Including relevant images on a web page can help improve the user experience and can also be optimized for search engines by using alt tags to describe the images and including relevant keywords.

Internal links: Internal links, or links that point to other pages on the same website, can help improve the ranking of a web page by passing along link equity and helping search engines understand the structure and content of the website.

Why is on page SEO important?

Imagine you are building websites. It makes a huge difference if you optimize your website to key phrases “I will make a website” or “website development”. The first mentioned has a search volume close to zero, while the second phrase is a lucrative one. That means — titles, headings, images should not be random — at least if you are serious about your business.

Off site SEO can be done by anybody

Or not? Sure! If you decide to do link building on your own without any experiences, be ready for some hard lesson. How hard? You will most likely spend lots of money on links that might potentially kill your web.

Off-page SEO refers to the techniques and strategies used to improve the ranking of a website in search engine results pages through the use of external signals, such as links from other websites.

Some of the key elements of off-page SEO include:

Backlinks: Backlinks, or links from other websites to your website, are a key factor in determining the ranking of a website in search engine results pages. The more high-quality backlinks a website has, the higher it will rank in the search results.

Social media: Social media can also be used to improve the ranking of a website in search engines. By sharing content and engaging with users on social media platforms, a website can gain more visibility and attract more backlinks. In this case one can consider starting with influencer marketing.

Guest blogging: Writing articles for other websites and blogs, or guest blogging, can be an effective way to build backlinks and improve the ranking of a website in search engines.

Why is off page SEO important?

Imagine you have a great website. Imagine you run the website through Google lighthouse and all the indicators show 100%. Now imagine being in the position of not understanding the close-to-zero traffic you are receiving. No backlinks means no traffic — simple as that.

Overall, a comprehensive SEO strategy should include both on-page and off-page techniques in order to effectively improve the ranking and visibility of a website in search engine results pages. By optimizing the content and structure of a website and building high-quality backlinks, a website can increase its chances of ranking higher and attracting more relevant traffic.

--

--