There are many types of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, which can be used individually or to greater effect used in combination. We’ll list down the top eleven types of SEO available to businesses and content writers.

Search Engine Optimization is basically being able to insert the right keywords and content within your website and its pages, in order for your site or page to emerge on top of search results. It also includes being able to follow a set of rules imposed by search engines.  In practice it can be a little complex with several different approaches.

The list of the top eleven types of SEO will include what we call white hat (legal), gray hat (semi-legal) and black hat (illegal) SEO techniques. It will be up to you if you will use the black hat techniques that dishonest agencies or SEO companies use.  This is because they are faced with pressure for results or with intention.  But overall, you want to stay away from companies like that and focus more on honest and legitimate online and digital marketing businesses.  Basically, white hat SEO comes as a more organic approach, while gray hat and black hat are more manipulative.

On-Page SEO

Is the most popular among the top eleven types of SEO. It’s simply the ability to organically optimize the content within your web page in order to rank higher in search results. By completely adhering and understanding the rules imposed by search engines, any business can grow organically over time. Often the bar to be followed is Google.

These rules include:

• Including the keyword in the first paragraph of the content
• Correct use of headings as well as using the keyword/s in the main heading
• Including the keyword in the page’s permalink
• Using short sentences and paragraphs
• Breaking text with some images. A large wall of text can be seen as manipulative, not to mention uninteresting.
• Also include ALT-tags within images
• Using transitional phrases per paragraph
• Engaging the reader with questions as well writing in a conversational approach

Off Site SEO (or Off-page SEO)

This is basically giving quality to your content in order for external websites to link to, or point to it. Basically, the website or the webpage ranks in the search results due to the number of other sites that point to it. Backlinks can also be done or influenced through social media. The more quality, trusted or trending the content, the greater the rank.

Technical SEO

Is the more technical aspect of On-page SEO, mostly invisible to normal users.

Some of the rules here are:

• Inclusion of keywords in the site or page’s URL.
• Mobile-friendliness of the website
• Having an SSL certificate
• Site speed. The amount of the site or page takes to load. The faster the better
• Site architecture – a three-tier website structure is ideal. Home Page, category pages and content pages.
• Having an XML sitemap

Local SEO

Mostly applicable to small businesses or businesses with multiple locations. This involves the inclusion of the business location among the content keywords as well as doing the following;

• Creating citations or business listings that include the business name, address and phone number by registering in sites like Google Mybusiness
• Including location or contact pages in the website
• Listing in local directories
• Creating local content or content highlighting the business area or branch name.
• Facebook Group Activity

Content SEO

Simply means creating as much content as possible with keywords adhering to the rules. These content will include, articles, blog posts, list, product pages, videos, information sheets, information graphics and guides.

Image SEO

This mostly applies to websites that deal in a great amount of imagery. Sites are effectively found through image searches. Image SEO deals with the religious use of ALT tags in all images and more descriptive filenames. Also as per Google, they prioritize the use of JPEG instead of PNG. There are other rules in Image SEO which makes this approach very useful among the top eleven types of SEO.

Mobile SEO

Google announced that in 2015, they would be prioritizing sites that look good when seen in mobile devices like phones and tablets. If your website is more desktop-centric, it may be unlikely to star in search results made using mobile devices. This means, your site should be mobile friendly, which should not only look good in mobile but responsive as well.

eCommerce SEO

Means the optimization of online stores such as creating plenty of information about products and services sold, making sure the product pages aren’t too deeply accessible from the home page, that the webpages load fast and that one or more of the previous top eleven types of SEO are followed.

Parasite SEO

Parasite SEO means that your site and pages are mostly dependent on backlinks from other major or reputable sites and social media. Example is that your site or product is promoted on Amazon, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Quora, Tumblr, Pinterest and a host of other major sites.

Black and Grey Hat SEO

Are basically illegal techniques or ones that take advantage of loopholes in the SEO rules. These include:

• Purchasing old domains
• Spinning Content
• Keyword Stuffing
• Fake Reviews
• Purchasing Backlinks

White Hat SEO

Refers to the use of optimization techniques, strategies, and tactics that improve your search rankings for your target market. And at the time time, maintaining the integrity of your website and business, and following the search engines’ terms of service (usually defined by Google).

Some techniques that are popular white hat tactics include an analysis of existing keywords, researching competition, rewriting meta tags to make them more relevant, link building, backlinking, and leveraging keywords within the content of your website.