On-page SEO (also known as technical SEO) is about optimizing the coding and structure of your site. Unlike off-page SEO, it is completely within your Web developer’s or marketer’s control. At its most basic, on-page SEO tells search engines what your site is about, what the important things are, and how to interpret all of it. The more you help them understand, and the more relevant your content is, the more qualified leads you’ll get from search engines. This is known as organic traffic.

But it doesn’t stop there. For example, as a lawyer, clients won’t be able to find you by simply typing “lawyer” into Google. However, if you’re a lawyer in Downers Grove, Illinois, and customers type in “Downers Grove lawyer,” there is a much better chance they will find you. Telling search engines where you are is key to people in your market being able to find you. This is known as “local SEO,” and it’s something we do for all of our clients as part of our service.

Off-page SEO is made up of links to your site from other websites, as well as advertising campaigns and networking. It is absolutely critical for your business that this is done correctly. One slight mistake, one bad link, could cost you tons of traffic. More links aren’t necessarily better. And the wrong links can cause search engines to punish your site by burying it on results pages no one ever looks at.

Getting off-page SEO right takes time, and it isn’t cheap. Anyone who builds your rank quickly by creating lots of links is most likely going to do long term damage to your site.

That is why it’s important to work with people who stay current with changes in how search engines rank sites and use industry-leading best practices. You’d be surprised how many sites get penalized by Google for poor link building practices. Don’t let your site be one of them.