Know your SEO: What your website needs to be seen

In today’s digital landscape, your website is just one among countless others, many of which offer the exact same services, often in the same location. So, how can you ensure that potential clients find your site instead of a competitor’s? That’s where SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes into play.

But SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There are actually several different types of SEO, each playing a unique role in improving your site’s visibility.
Let’s dive into what they are, and how each can help your website stand out in a crowded online space.

There are 3 main categories which form the foundation of most SEO strategies.

1. On-page SEO – focuses on your website’s content, including the use of keywords, meta tags and headers.
2. Off-page SEO – is all about building your website’s authority and reputation through external efforts such as back links.
3. Technical SEO – ensures that search engines can crawl, index, and understand your site effectively. It covers things like site speed and mobile-friendliness.

Now let’s take a closer look at each…

1. On-page SEO

Optimising What You Control

On-page SEO is all about what happens on your website. Search engines favour easy to find and well-structured content. You can optimise individual pages so they can rank better in search results and offer a great user experience by taking these actions…
• Keywords: Using the right keywords in your titles, headings, and body content to match what your audience is searching for.
• Meta Tags: Crafting compelling meta titles and descriptions to improve click-through rates.
• Content Quality: Publishing valuable, original content that answers your audience’s questions and keeps them engaged.
• Internal Linking: Creating logical connections between pages to help users and search engines navigate your site.
• Images: Optimising file names, sizes, and alt text to improve load times and accessibility.

Think of on-page SEO as the groundwork. Without it, even the best marketing efforts won’t perform as well as they could.

2. Off-Page SEO

Building Trust and Authority

Off-page SEO focuses on how the rest of the internet views and connects with your site. The biggest player here is backlinks; links from other trusted websites that point to yours. These act like votes of confidence in your content and credibility.
Other key off-page strategies include:
• Guest Blogging: Writing content for other reputable sites to build authority and gain backlinks.
• Social Media: Building a strong social presence can indirectly impact SEO by increasing visibility and driving traffic.
• Online Reviews: Positive reviews on platforms like Google and Trustpilot help build trust and local visibility.
• Digital PR: Earning media coverage or mentions in industry publications.

Essentially, off-page SEO helps search engines and users see that your site is trustworthy and worth visiting.

3. Technical SEO

Making Your Site Search-Engine Friendly

You can have great content and lots of links, but if your website isn’t technically sound, it won’t perform well in search results. Technical SEO ensures your site is crawlable, fast, and user-friendly for both search engines and visitors.
Here’s what it includes:
• Site Speed: Slow-loading pages hurt rankings and user experience.
• Mobile-Friendliness: With mobile-first indexing, your site must work seamlessly on smaller screens.
• Secure Browsing (HTTPS): A secure site is a ranking factor and builds trust.
• Clean Site Structure: Proper use of headings, URL structure, and internal links improves crawlability.
• Fixing Errors: Identifying and correcting broken links, redirect issues, and crawl errors in tools like Google Search Console.

Technical SEO works behind the scenes but has a huge impact on your site’s performance in search.

Final Thoughts

Mastering SEO is essential if you want your website to rise above the noise, simply having a website isn’t enough. You need a strategy that covers all bases. By understanding and implementing on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, you’re giving your site the best chance to attract the right traffic and turn visitors into customers.

Rufus Design are a Digital Marketing Agency based in Hertfordshire, and we know that SEO can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re focused on running your business. That’s why we offer a free website audit to help you understand where your site stands and where improvements can be made. Whether you’re missing key on-page elements, need stronger backlinks, or your site is being held back by technical issues, we’ll give you clear, actionable insights.

Ready to see how your site stacks up? Request your free website audit today and let’s uncover the SEO opportunities that could take your business to the next level.

Contact us to see how we can help you level up in 2025.