12 Types of SEO

There are a total of 12 types of SEO. A brief description and advantages of each are mentioned below.

1. White-Hat SEO

When you hear someone say white-hat SEO, that means the SEO practices that are in line with the terms and conditions of the major search engines, including Google. White-hat SEO improves your search engine ranking on the SERPs while regulating the integrity of your website with the search engine’s terms of service.

White-hat SEO practices are the best way to create a successful website. Here are a few white-SEO practices that you must follow strictly:

Use keyword-rich, descriptive meta-tags
Provide quality services and content to the website’s visitors
Make your website easy to navigate  

2. Black-Hat SEO

Black-hat SEO exploits weaknesses in Google's search algorithm to rank higher in its search results. Spammy or paid link-building strategies, keyword stuffing, cloaking, etc., are used to get ahead in search engine results. These practices give instant results, but they can impact your website negatively if detected by Google. Hence, it is advised to avoid black hat SEO.

3. Gray-Hat SEO

It’s an SEO practice that’s riskier than white-hat SEO. That’s because the gray-hat SEO practices belong neither to the white-hat nor black-hat category as the terms and conditions regarding the issue are unclear. However, using gray-hat SEO practices will not result in a site ban from search engines. In simpler terms, the material or content that you publish in accordance with the gray-hat SEO remains ill-defined. Knowing the gray-hat SEO practices can save your website from losing traffic as you will be well-aware of the negative consequences, which will help you adopt fair practices.

4. On-Page SEO (On-Site SEO):

On-site SEO refers to the practice of optimizing elements on a website, such as the content and HTML code, to improve its rankings in search engine results pages and attract more relevant traffic to the website. This is different from off-site SEO, which involves optimizing external factors like backlinks and social media signals.

SEO Keyword Research
It involves identifying relevant search terms (keywords) that users are searching for and incorporating those keywords strategically into website content to improve search engine visibility and relevance.

Quality SEO Content
Quality SEO content means creating content that is both user-friendly and search engine-friendly by focusing on the needs and interests of the target audience, using relevant keywords, and attracting links and shares to improve search engine rankings.

Internal Linking For SEO
Internal Linking For SEO involves placing links within a website to connect relevant pages together, in order to improve user experience and help search engines understand the website's hierarchy and content.

Metadata SEO Optimization
Metadata SEO Optimization involves optimizing the HTML elements such as title tags, header tags, and meta descriptions to accurately and briefly convey what the page is about to both search engines and users. In order to improve the visibility and relevance of the page in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Image SEO Optimization
Image SEO Optimization is the process of optimizing website images with descriptive file names, alt tags, and captions to improve both user experience and search engine visibility, with the goal of generating more traffic to a website from Google image search.

URL Structure
URL structure refers to the way a website's URLs are organized and designed, incorporating relevant keywords to help search engines understand website content and improve rankings, while also improving user experience and facilitating link-building efforts.

5. Off-Page SEO (Off-Site SEO):

Off-page SEO, also called off-site SEO, is the practice of improving a website's search engine ranking by optimizing factors outside of the website itself. This can be done by building high-quality backlinks, promoting the website on social media, and other forms of online marketing. The goal is to increase the website's authority, reputation, and relevance in the eyes of search engines, which can result in higher search engine rankings and more organic traffic to the website.

Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a common off-page SEO technique used for building backlinks.

It is when you write an article for another website and include a backlink to your own site in exchange. This can improve your website's visibility and authority, and attract more traffic to your site.

H.A.R.O
Responding to journalists and reporters' queries to gain media exposure and earn backlinks to improve SEO.

Competitor Research and Analysis
Examining competitors' backlinks, content, and keywords to gain insights and improve one's own SEO strategy.

Internet Ads
Placing paid ads on external websites and search engines to drive traffic and generate leads for a website or business, ultimately improving its online visibility.

Press Distribution
Sharing press releases with relevant media outlets to secure backlinks, attract potential customers, and increase brand recognition.

Brand Signals
Brand signals in SEO refer to the online presence and reputation of a brand, which is established through activities such as social media engagement, online directory listings, and mentions on other websites. These signals can help search engines determine the authority and credibility of a brand, and can positively impact search engine rankings.

Learn About the Purdue Digital Marketing Bootcamp
Free Webinar | Watch the WebcastEXPLORE NOW! Learn About the Purdue Digital Marketing Bootcamp

6. Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves making website optimizations that help search engines crawl and index a website more easily, thereby improving its search engine ranking. This includes tasks such as optimizing site load time, ensuring that robot.txt files are properly configured, and setting up redirects correctly. The goal of technical SEO is to make a website more accessible and user-friendly for both search engines and website visitors.

Site Load Time
Site load time optimization involves improving website speed and performance to provide a better user experience and achieve higher search engine rankings.

Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile-friendliness refers to the design and functionality of a website that is optimized for viewing on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It ensures that the website is responsive to different screen sizes, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate on mobile devices.

Crawl Error Identification
Crawl error identification is the process of finding and resolving errors that prevent search engines from accessing website content. These errors can include broken links, missing pages, and other issues that can negatively impact search engine visibility. By fixing crawl errors, website owners can improve their website's search engine rankings and overall visibility.

Keyword Cannibalization Audit
A keyword cannibalization audit is a process of identifying and fixing instances where multiple pages on a website are competing for the same or similar keywords, which can result in a dilution of search engine visibility and a decrease in overall organic performance.

Duplicate Content Audit
A duplicate content audit involves identifying and fixing instances of duplicate content on a website that can negatively impact search engine rankings.

Site Structure
Site structure refers to the process of creating a clear and organized website structure that makes it easy for users and search engines to navigate and understand website content. A clear site structure can also improve user experience by making it easier for visitors to find the information they are looking for.

7. International SEO

International SEO improves your website's organic traffic from different areas and languages. If you want to succeed at international SEO, you must cater to your target market's cultural context and allow them to make transactions in their currency and language. Use the right format for dates and times based on the place they are listed. If they have any worries, converse in their native tongue. International SEO aims to create a good online experience for your target audience.

8. Local SEO

Local SEO strategy for local businesses is one of the most important types of SEO as it helps the business become more visible in local search results on Google. Local SEO helps businesses reach the local audience by analyzing their behavior through trillions of searches. If you use local SEO practices, then your local business has the opportunity to rank higher in the search results and the local map pack at the same time. This, in turn, helps grow your business and increase traffic to your website.

9. E-commerce SEO

E-commerce SEO is one of the best ways to get traffic by paid search, but the SEO costs are much less. It helps create your online store website to rank higher whenever someone searches for a product or service.

It’s important to have your website appear in the SERPs; else, you’ll lose critical access to potential and qualified ecommerce customers. If the competitors' research, focus on homepage SEO, and website architecturing is done right, then ecommerce SEO can optimize your website to bring traffic and increase search volumes.

10. Content SEO

Another name in the list of types of SEO is Content SEO. It refers to creating unique content, be it writing, graphics, or videos, to structure your website, ranking it higher in SERPs. Three things must be considered while working with content SEOs - copywriting, site structure, and keyword strategy. It’s very important to balance all three, as, without quality content, your website cannot stand in the search results.

Moreover, it’s equally important to check the content after publishing as that before publishing. Keep track of how your content is performing. Make necessary changes, add new products, and apply several strategies to broaden the reach of your website.


11. Mobile SEO

Mobile SEO is a term used to describe optimizing a site for search engines while simultaneously ensuring that it is viewable properly on devices like mobiles and tablets. If a customer has a bad experience with a brand on their mobile phone, they may never return. If you want your clients to have the best possible experience, you need to apply this type of search engine optimization. It's important to ensure that your site's style, structure, and page speed don't make mobile users change their minds.

12. Negative SEO

Negative SEO is an abhorrent and unethical sort of SEO practiced today. The goal of negative SEO is to lower your competitors' search rankings so that you can overtake them or gain an advantage over them. Bad SEO techniques include breaking into someone's site and creating a suspiciously large number of low-quality links to it and publishing negative feedback or reviews about them on numerous internet forums and discussion boards, etc. A person caught doing bad SEO can lead to a variety of legal issues.

FAQs

1. What type of marketing is involved with SEO?
One way to improve your website's visibility in Google's search results is search engine optimization (SEO). It is a major part of Digital Marketing. SEO is used in all Digital Marketing strategies.

2. Is it possible to do SEO on our own?
Yes, it is easy to do SEO on your own.

You can sign up for an online course and learn the basics of SEO. Our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training Course is a perfect blend of technical SEO and growth hacking. It will transform you into a full-stack SEO professional driving sustained growth in your website’s most critical marketing channel