In this comprehensive guide, we’ll discuss and define what on and off-page SEO are, highlight and explain the main differences between them and share tips to help your business reap the rewards of an effective SEO strategy.
Table of Contents
On-Page SEO Basics
If you’ve researched SEO or looked into the benefits of search engine optimisation, you may have come across the terms on-page and off-page SEO. These principles of SEO share the same goal but they achieve it in different ways. On-page SEO is all about optimising content and delivering positive user experiences on your website to enhance search rankings and visibility. Off-page SEO covers techniques you can use to optimise your search ranking outside of your website.
The primary objective of on-page SEO is to provide high-quality content for your customers or readers that ranks well on search engines. Off-page SEO is more focused on improving your website’s authority and reputation to boost your search ranking.
This is usually done, by attending to the following list making sure each point is included in your overall SEO strategy:
- Title and heading tags: Here’s an example from Ahrefs:
- Meta descriptions: This example from Yoast shows a snappy but detailed meta description:
- Keywords
- Internal linking
- Mobile-friendly pages
- URL slugs
- Image ALT text
- Content quality
- Page loading speed
- Website navigation
- Core web vitals (these are user experience metrics used by Google)
Off-Page SEO Basics
Off-page SEO describes the steps you can take to optimise your search ranking outside of your website. The aim is to promote your content outside of your personal website to make it more visible and accessible via search engines, other websites and social media. Examples of off-page SEO strategies include:
- Backlinks and link-building
- Social media interactions and impressions
- Local SEO including NAP (name, address, phone number) citations and online directories, such as Google Business Profile and Google Maps.
This example from Semrush shows optimised search results for local restaurants:
- Brand mentions, sponsored posts and influencer marketing
- Reviews and testimonials
- Guest blogs and blogging partnerships
- Social media content marketing
- Press releases and PR
Comparing On-Page and Off-Page SEO
On-page and off-page SEO form two of the three pillars of SEO. Technical SEO2, which facilitates search engine crawling and indexing to make content more visible, is the third. For the best results, it’s beneficial to invest time and energy in all three pillars, but it’s essential to understand the differences. Here’s a detailed comparison of on-page and off-page SEO:
Primary Goals
On-page SEO: Promote your content, enhance user experience and improve your search ranking on your website. On-page SEO covers factors that are under your control that you can alter and adjust on your site ensuring your website users are kept happy and have an enjoyable visiting experience.
Off-page SEO: Optimise your search ranking outside of your website by gaining authority and trust and enhancing your reputation via third-party websites, inbound links, reviews and mentions.
Examples
On-page SEO: Meta descriptions, title tags, headings, image ALT text, page speed, mobile-friendly content, page experience, keywords, content quality, URL structure and internal links.
Off-page SEO: Local SEO, citations and directories, high-quality backlinks, link building, social media content marketing, influencer marketing, guest blogging, PR and brand partnerships.
Key elements
On-page SEO: Quality content, natural keyword optimisation, page layout, usability and structure, internal links and meta tags.
Off-page SEO: Backlinks, social media marketing, reviews and brand/influencer mentions.
Links
On-page SEO: Internal links to related content or products and services.
Off-page SEO: Backlinks from external, high-authority domains. These are websites that link to you, that are already established and seen as trusted sources.
Establishing authority
On-page SEO: Providing useful, informative, accurate, well-written, optimised content on your website to position your brand as a credible business.
Off-page SEO: Building trust and authority via external sources, including backlinks from high-quality sites, social media marketing, brand mentions and reviews.
You can use a backlink analytics tool to track backlinks for any domain. If you enter the URL or domain name, you can access the relevant data, as shown in this example screenshot from Semrush:
Importance of On-Page Optimisation
On-page SEO is important because it helps you gain visibility and authority when web users conduct relevant searches. SEO can help you reach targeted audiences, encouraging people to click on your links, spend time on your website, read your content and buy your products and services. Studies show that almost 70% of all web experiences start with a search engine3. Google alone now processes over 3.5 billion searches per day. Being visible on search engine results pages (SERPs) can help you create leads, drive traffic to your website and boost conversion rates.
On-page optimisation is pivotal to SEO success because it helps search engines such as Google to find, understand and rank your pages. Another key reason to invest time and effort into on-page optimisation is to provide a positive experience for web users and prospective customers. Here are some key statistics to be aware of:
- Over 50% of users will leave a mobile site if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load (source4).
- Almost 40% of people will stop using a site if the layout is unattractive (source5).
- 94% of web users cite poor web design as the main reason to leave or reject a website (source6).
- 67% of customers are more likely to buy from mobile-friendly websites (source7).
- 59% of users cite poor grammar as a turn-off (source8).
Best practice guidelines for on-page SEO
Best practice guidelines for on-page SEO include:- Undertake thorough keyword research: You can use a range of free keyword generator tools to analyse popular terms and view search volume and difficulty, as demonstrated by these screenshots from Ahrefs9:
- Optimise titles, headings and tags.
- Provide an optimised meta description.
- Research content carefully and include relevant data and statistics from reputable sources.
- Add visual content.
- Avoid keyword stuffing.
- Add internal links to relevant pages, guides and products.
- Test your page speed regularly: You can check loading speeds at https://pagespeed.web.dev/
- Ensure every page is mobile-friendly.
- Make sure your website is easy to navigate.
- Test layouts, themes and page structures.
- Optimise your URL (less words, with the subject matter included).
Maximising Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO should go hand-in-hand with on-page SEO and technical SEO for the best results. Off-page SEO enables you to establish authority and enhance your reputation to boost your search ranking. The goal is to position your brand or business as a credible, trustworthy name from the outside using techniques such as backlinks and mentions. Here are some important statistics that underline the impact of off-page SEO:- 65% of web pages have no backlinks (source10).
- Over 96% of web pages get no traffic from Google (source11).
- Almost 80% of marketers cite link-building as a ‘crucial’ element of their marketing strategy (source12).
- 88% of consumers will call or visit a business within 24 hours of doing a local search (source13).
- Over 40% of UK consumers bought products after seeing them on social media in 2023 (source14).
- Over 90% of people now check reviews before buying products or contacting businesses (source15).
Best practice guidelines for effective off-page SEO
Top tips for effective off-page SEO include:- Including high-quality backlinks from authoritative domains.
- Managing your online reputation.
- Using targeted social media marketing.
- Publishing reviews and testimonials.
- Teaming up with relevant, reputable brands and influencers.
- Adding guest posts to your website and social media feeds.
- Creating and managing directories.
- Ensuring all information on directories and social media is up to date.
- Monitoring your backlinks.
On-page SEO can help you take control over what you rank for while off-page SEO can help you achieve a high ranking and stay in the top spot. Monitoring both will ensure you enjoy consistent results.
Choosing Between On-Page and Off-Page SEO
You may be wondering whether to focus on on-page or off-page SEO, but in many cases, it’s not a matter of on-page SEO vs off-page SEO. To deliver the best results for your business, it’s important to prioritise both on-page and off-page SEO. If you have an excellent on-page SEO strategy but you neglect off-page and technical SEO, it’s difficult to achieve the desired outcomes.
It’s wise to focus on on-page SEO and make sure everything is in check before turning your attention to off-page SEO activities but all the pillars must be strong and stable to achieve objectives. If you have fantastic content and a brilliant website in terms of design and customer experience, but your brand doesn’t have any visibility or authority externally, people won’t be able to find you. Likewise, if you’re garnering attention on social media or getting traction via backlinks from other sites but your website is slow to load or hard to navigate, or the content is packed with spelling mistakes or keywords that don’t fit the context, your ranking will suffer.
On-page SEO can help you take control over what you rank for while off-page SEO can help you achieve a high ranking and stay in the top spot. Monitoring both will ensure you enjoy consistent results.
1.
Carry Out a Website Audit
A website audit enables you to see what’s wrong with your website and identify pain points or issues that could be hampering your search ranking or impacting customer experience and usability. You can get a free website audit by clicking here.
2.
Analyse and Evaluate Your Content
3.
Create Useful, Interesting and Compelling Content
Creating good-quality, informative and compelling content can help you boost your search ranking while providing a better experience for web users, readers and customers. Include relevant, accurate data, add images, tables or video clips and use a clear structure.
4.
Optimise Titles, Tags, Images and Headings
Optimising your content makes it more visible to search engines and search engine users.
5.
Include Internal Links
Internal links help users to navigate your website and find related products, articles or information.
6.
Use High-Quality Backlinks to Establish Authority
Using high-quality backlinks is one of the best ways to enhance your reputation externally. Look for reputable, high-authority domains.
7.
Prioritise Keyword Research
Keyword research is critical for effective SEO campaigns. The ultimate goal is to rank in the top spot for searches that are relevant to your brand and the products and services you sell. Undertaking thorough research will help you identify relevant keywords that are used commonly by your target customers and analyse competition and search volume.
8.
Refresh Your Content
Old content is a turn-off for readers and it also affects search rankings. Freshen up old articles and update posts and pages to include accurate, up-to-date information.
9.
Collect and Analyse Data Using Analytics
Analytics provides valuable information to track SEO strategies, monitor progress in line with key metrics and identify strengths and weaknesses.
10.
Seek Expert Advice
Conclusion
On-page and off-page SEO are cornerstones of an effective search engine optimisation strategy. On-page SEO covers all the steps you can take on your website to optimise search engine rankings and deliver positive customer experiences. Examples include creating high-quality content, ensuring fast loading speeds, mobile accessibility and adding internal links, natural, relevant keywords and optimised titles, tags and meta descriptions. Off-page SEO relates to the activities you undertake externally to promote your website and build trust and authority. Examples of off-page activities include social media and influencer marketing, reviews, securing backlinks from authoritative domains and using directories, citations and mentions.
For the best results, it’s important to prioritise both on-page SEO and off-page SEO. Following best practice guidelines for all pillars of SEO can help your business enjoy the far-reaching rewards of digital marketing and harness the power and popularity of search engines.
If you’re looking for advice about SEO, or you need help to climb the search rankings, contact our friendly team today. You can also check out our podcast, ‘SEO Made Easy’ here.
Sources
1. Exploding Topics – 130 SEO Statistics Every Marketer Must Know in 2025
2. Ahrefs – The Beginner’s Guide to Technical SEO
3. Ahrefs – 124 SEO Statistics for 2024
4. Think with Google – Consumer Insights
5. SWEOR – 27 Eye-Opening Website Statistics: Is Your Website Costing You Clients?
6. WebFX – 45+ Website Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2025
7. WebFX – 45+ Website Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2025
8. Medium – Poor grammar on websites scares away 59% of customers. This is what you can do about it
9. Ahrefs – Free Keyword Generator
10. Ahrefs – 96.55% of Content Gets No Traffic From Google. Here’s How to Be in the Other 3.45% [New Research for 2023]
11. Ahrefs – 96.55% of Content Gets No Traffic From Google. Here’s How to Be in the Other 3.45% [New Research for 2023]
12. Exploding Topics – 130 SEO Statistics Every Marketer Must Know in 2025
13. HubSpot – 16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO
14. Statista – Share of shoppers that purchased a product after seeing it on social media in selected countries worldwide in 2nd quarter 2023
15. inc – 84 Percent of People Trust Online Reviews As Much As Friends. Here’s How to Manage What They See
