4 Types of SEO: A Beginner’s Guide to Boosting Rankings

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) involves techniques that optimize your website’s content in a way that is friendly to search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.

SEO tactics help your page rank higher. This means that when your potential customers are online, your site is the first one they see.

When you deep dive into digital marketing, you’ll come across several types of SEO. Knowing which one is right for your business may be slightly confusing.

First step is to understand what are the types of SEO services, and then identify which ones can benefit your website the most.

In this blog, we break down all the major types of SEO, discuss their importance, and how they can help make your website more visible online.

1. Technical SEO

To put it simply, technical SEO is perfecting the website’s technical elements to attain a higher ranking on SERPs. Beyond on page SEO, which predominantly optimizes on the basis of keywords, technical SEO goes deeper into the server and code aspects. It ensures that your website has better crawlability and indexability.

Important Parameters of Technical SEO

1. Page Speed 

Page speed means the time it takes for a site to load. It directly affects user experience and search rankings. According to Google’s own testimony, a 2-second increase  (from 1 second to 3) in load time results in a 32% increase in bounce rate. 

2. Mobile Optimization 

In 2025, about 63% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. Therefore, it is quite important that your website is mobile-friendly. This falls under the domain of technical SEO. Search engines prefer sites that offer a seamless user experience and actively promote their rankings. 

3. Structured Data Markup 

Also known as schema markup, structured data lays out the content of your page in an organised, easy-to-access manner. This helps familiarize Google with the content of your page. This, in turn, increases click-through rates and improves visibility. 

4. Secure Sites 

Ensuring the safety and accessibility of the website is a key function of technical SEO. It is done by using HTTPS, which means that information exchange between the site and the user is encrypted. This safeguards customers’ personal data, like passwords and payment information. Google, too, prefers secure websites, so having HTTPS is a must. 

How can Technical SEO help? 

Technical SEO is the compilation of the back-end actions you take to ensure search engines crawl, index, and rank your site. Technical SEO, combined with other types of SEO services like on page (content-focused) and off page SEO (authority-focused), can elevate your site’s performance significantly. 

• Easy for the search engine to understand and rank 
• Reduces crawl errors and ensures important pages are indexed correctly 
• Prevents duplicate content issues 
• Improves site architecture 
• Gives the user a seamless and safe experience

2. On-Page SEO

Your way to the top of SERPs begins at home. By home, we mean that very page you’re trying to rank. On page SEO is one of the types of SEO services thatinvolves optimizing the elements on the site itself.

This can include tweaking the content and/or HTML source code of a page. These small changes can go a long way in improving your page’s search performance.

Important Parameters of On Page SEO 

1. Keyword Research 

Google frequently updates its algorithm, but you’ll notice that its emphasis on keywords is unchanging. Using the right types of keywords in SEO is a strategy that remains fruitful and is never outdated. 

Choosing the primary keyword based on search intent (informational, navigational, or transactional) and backing it up with related secondary keywords is a fundamental aspect of on page SEO.

2. Unique and Helpful Content  

Featuring new, enriching, and value-adding content on your webpage is a must in on-page SEO. Content that abides by Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) framework is a plus. 

3. Metadata SEO optimization 

This step involves optimizing title tags, header tags, and meta descriptions in a way that correctly conveys what the page is about to the search engine and the readers.  This helps in improving the rankings, relevance, and visibility of the page. 

4. URL structure 

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is your site’s unique web address. Search engines love a crisp, clean, and keyword-rich URL, for it helps them understand the website content. This, in turn, leads to your page being successfully indexed for ranking.    

5. Internal Linking  

Internal linking involves using links that lead to another page on the same website. This ensures visitors stay longer on your site. The search engine, too, understands your website’s hierarchy and content better. 

6. Image Description 

Adding relevant, high-quality images or diagrams to your website can make it more engaging and appealing to users. Optimizing images for SEO would mean giving them descriptive file names, sizes, alt tags, etc. 

How Can On-Page SEO help? 

After all, search engines rely so much on keywords to understand the content and worth of your page. That makes on page SEO an absolute non-negotiable. It allows you to show the search engines that your page provides the answer to what the users are searching for. 

Here are the many ways in which on-page SEO makes your page more visible online:   

• Improves Ranking
• Increases Click-Through Rate
• Improves User Experience 
• Increases Chances of Indexing 
• Improves Crawlability

3. Off-Page SEO

Off Page SEO involves the steps you take outside of your website to improve its search engine performance. On page SEO focuses on optimizing the page itself, while off page SEO involves building page authority through external factors. This is generally done by building high-quality backlinks, sharing the website, and promoting it on social media. When combined with on page and technical SEO,  off page efforts can show remarkable results.

Important Parameters of Off Page SEO

1. Guest Blogging 

One of the most effective techniques of off page SEO is guest blogging. This happens when you write an article or a blog for another website. Here, you add external links that take the reader to your website, hence increasing organic traffic to the site. 

2. Studying the competitor  

Mapping out the backlinks, keywords, and topics of your top competitor’s website or blogs is a key action taken in multiple types of SEO, including Off-page SEO.  

3. Paid Advertising  

Running strategic ads also falls under off page SEO strategy. Even though paid advertising doesn’t directly influence search rankings, it can influence factors that do affect rankings. It can help create a brand identity, improve traffic, and generate quality leads. 

4. Sending Social Signals  

Paid or organic promotions on social platforms such as Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube can drive shares, comments, engagement, and follower growth. These signals can bring in organic traffic and also contribute to EEAT. 

How Can Off Page SEO help? 

More than 90% content on Google does not get organic traffic at all, due to a lack of backlinks. Generating high-quality backlinks through guest posting and answering queries on the internet goes a long way in bolstering your off page SEO, which in turn helps you in the following ways: 

• Boosts domain and page authority 
• Build brand credibility and trust  
• Drives referral traffic from external sources 
• Strengthens your EEAT 
• Increases chances of getting noticed

 4. Local SEO

Most SEO agencies offer local SEO services, which increase your visibility in local searches. It is extremely necessary for local businesses, doctors, service providers, restaurants, hotels, and professionals who rely on nearby customers. 
For example, if you search “seo services near me”, you’ll likely see agencies like Apex Infotech, providing SEO services in Mumbai, listed in the top results. This makes it much easier for potential clients in the area to find and reach out to us quickly.

As per Google’s own  data,

• 30% of all mobile searches are related to location. 
• 78% of people who search for anything “nearby” visit the business that very day.

Your local SEO strategy helps Google identify the following things about your business:

• Where is it located? 
• What does it offer? 
• How credible and trusted is it?

How can Local SEO help?

Local SEO is incredibly helpful for any business that has a physical location (like restaurants, clinics, salons, gyms) or that serves a local area (such as plumbers, electricians, real estate agents, and tutors).  This is how it positively impacts your website:

• Improves your ranking in local search results 
• Improves your position in Google Maps 
• Any business with a physical location or that serves a local area 
• Helps the business become more visible in local search results on Google

Final Thoughts

Off page, on page, local, and technical SEO are the 4 major types of SEO in digital marketing. While more forms exist, practicing these can sufficiently bring you the results you have been aiming for. If you have a local business/practice and you’re seeking SEO services in Mumbai, just keep in mind that it is often the combination of all these types of SEO that brings in the best results. On-page cannot work to its full potential without off-page and vice versa, and the same applies for technical SEO.

Apex Infotech, the top SEO company in Mumbai, specializes in all-around and affordable SEO services, helping businesses build a strong digital foothold. We have dedicated teams that specialize in each SEO vertical. With their dedicated effort and your trust, we deliver long-term growth and measurable success.

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