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If you’re a business owner with a website, you probably often hear the term “search engine optimization (SEO)” every other day. While there are dozens of tactics to drive traffic to your website, SEO remains one of the most effective. SEO is less expensive than running paid ads, and when you engage in a comprehensive strategy, you can capture a large amount of organic traffic on your website.
Content SEO vs. Technical SEO
There are two basic types of SEO that you need to know: technical and content. In this article, we’ll explain the difference between each approach:
The Basics: Technical SEO
Technical SEO helps optimize your site for search engines to scan. All search engines use crawl bots to comb through your website; they’ll examine your site’s speed, display, indexing scheme, and efficiency. It’s essentially measuring the nuts and bolts of your website: does your website work the way it should?
Sites with good technical SEO often rank well because the search engine bots see that the site provides a seamless user experience. Even the smallest things, like creating a clear site structure and updating broken links, can make a difference. Furthermore, a website with excellent technical SEO will load quickly on all devices, and visitors will be able to find what they need quickly.
How to Find Technical SEO Errors
To determine if your site meets the technical SEO standards, start with Google Search Console. Site administrators can submit their website’s sitemap to Google and other search engines, like Bing, to encourage the search engines to rank their pages.
Lucky for you, Google Search Console will regularly check your website for updates. In the process, it will highlight any errors within your site’s pages. For instance, it can inform you of links that don’t work and poor load speeds.
Other industry software can further analyze your page to find errors you’re unaware of. For instance, SEMrush and Ahrefs both have helpful technical SEO tools you can use. And if you don’t feel comfortable performing a technical SEO audit yourself, consider hiring an expert to generate this report for you.
The Basics: Content SEO
The other side of the SEO coin is content SEO, a strategy that drives organic traffic through media. A thorough content SEO strategy starts with market research. Examine your competitors’ content strategy and look for hidden opportunities to reach clients they might have missed.
Then, identify keywords and topics likely to attract those consumers and embed them into your content. For instance, a website focusing on personal finance may generate lots of content about budgeting, saving money, and investing. And in each of those articles, marketers will target specific keywords related to finance topics.
How to Maximize Your Content SEO Strategy
If your website is new or you’re experiencing difficulties attracting organic traffic, despite publishing many articles, you may benefit from working with a content SEO specialist. An experienced content marketer can recommend specific strategies to improve your rankings on search engines through content. Instead of spending hours on content that doesn’t rank, you can turn the task over to a marketing expert who already knows the ropes.
If you’re determined to handle content SEO independently, you’ll want to learn how SEO works and which factors impact your rankings. Simply placing keywords in an article isn’t enough for your website to rank. Search engines consider many other factors, like backlinks to your content, social media profiles, and visibility on other platforms.
Content SEO Vs. Technical SEO: Combine Both for Best Results
To make the most of your SEO efforts, developing a holistic strategy that considers technical and content SEO should be your first priority. Try not to emphasize one over the other, since they’re both essential to your overall ranking. And if you need some guidance with your SEO strategy, 10x Digital is the answer. Contact us today to find out how we can help you increase traffic to your website.