Top 15 Types of SEO: White-Hat, Technical, Mobile, & More

According to a recent study, SEO drives 1000% more traffic than organic social media. It highlights the increasing importance of SEO for businesses who wish to enhance their brand awareness. But what is SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique to increase the visibility of a site using specific keywords and phrases. Businesses utilize different SEO types to optimize their website for better search engine rankings. This blog explores the types of SEO that help optimize a website or an application.

Overview of the Types of SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial strategy for improving website visibility and ranking on search engines. However, SEO is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It consists of various types, each serving a different purpose in enhancing online presence. From ethical white-hat techniques to location-specific optimizations, understanding the following SEO types helps businesses and individuals implement effective strategies tailored to their goals. 

The table Here provides an overview of the types of SEO, their definitions, and how they contribute to search engine rankings.

Type of SEO	Definition
White-Hat SEO	White-hat SEO refers to ethical tactics based on search engine rules used to raise website rankings. These strategies focus on producing valuable material, enhancing user experience, and naturally obtaining backlinks.
Black-Hat SEO	Black-hat SEO uses manipulative techniques to boost website rankings quickly, often in violation of search engine guidelines. These techniques can lead to penalties or exclusion from search engine results.
Gray-Hat SEO	Gray-hat SEO combines both black-hat and white-hat strategies in which the methods applied could be dangerous but not forbidden. These techniques run the risk of penalties even if they yield temporary benefits.
On-Page SEO	To raise rankings, on-page SEO concentrates on maximizing the content, HTML elements, and structure of individual web pages. This covers making sure the content is relevant and user-friendly and optimizes meta descriptions and headings.
Off-Page SEO	Off-page SEO is techniques applied outside the website, including brand references, social media promotion, and link-building. The objective is to raise the search engine view of the site’s authority and reputation.
Technical SEO	Technical SEO guarantees the website’s technical architecture, search engine crawling, and indexing compatibility. It includes enhancing site speed, mobile optimization, and technical resolution of any problems that may influence ranking.
International SEO	International SEO is maximizing a website to target particular nations and languages, hence improving search visibility all around. It calls for customizing things like regional keyword targeting and tags.
Local SEO	Local SEO helps companies rank better in location-specific searches, targeting consumers in a given geographic area. This entails maximizing local keywords, Google My Business, and references on nearby websites.
E-commerce SEO	E-commerce SEO is mostly concerned with optimizing online stores to raise visibility, generate natural traffic, and increase sales. Optimizing product sites and category pages, and guaranteeing seamless navigation helps to improve user experience.
Content SEO	Content SEO focuses on the production of excellent, relevant material fit for search engines as well as users. It covers keyword optimization, content organization, and ensuring the material benefits the readers.
Mobile SEO	By guaranteeing websites are mobile device compatible, mobile SEO guarantees a flawless and responsive user experience. This covers enhancing mobile page speed, mobile-friendly designs, and device-wide usability testing.
Negative SEO	Negative SEO is the malicious practice of employing unethical methods to lower the ranking of a rival. To set penalties, these strategies can be spamming backlinks, copying material, or hacking a competitor’s website.
YouTube SEO	YouTube SEO maximizes videos and channels or increases visibility and interaction on YouTube search results. It calls for titles rich in keywords, descriptions, and tags and ensures video material speaks to viewers.
Voice Search SEO	Usually, more conversational, voice search SEO concentrates on optimizing content for voice-activated queries. It entails focusing on natural language searches and streamlining material for simple reading aloud.
App Store Optimization SEO	App Store Optimization SEO (ASO) enhances app visibility and ranking in platforms like Google Play and Apple App Store. This covers improving app titles, descriptions, keywords, and gathering favorable user comments.

Types Of SEO

SEO encompasses various strategies tailored to different goals, from improving website rankings to enhancing user experience. Understanding these types helps businesses and individuals implement effective optimization techniques. The following are the top 15 types of SEO, each playing a crucial role in digital success. To comprehensively learn about SEO and its important tools, opt for an online digital marketing course.

1. White-Hat SEO

White-Hat SEO refers to SEO practices in line with the major search engines and improves search engine results page (SERP) rankings. It regulates the website’s integrity with the search engine’s terms of service. It also makes the websites more user-friendly. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that white-hat SEO works on:

• Utilizes keywords and meta descriptions strategically while maintaining relevance.
• Prioritizes high-quality, valuable content for users.
• Enhances website navigation for a seamless user experience.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are the benefits of white-hat SEO:

• It leads to long-term results and is, therefore, sustainable.
• It provides a positive user experience.
• It improves website rankings without the risk of Google penalties.
• It helps increase website traffic and enhances brand credibility.

2. Black-Hat SEO

Black-hat SEO is the opposite of white-hat SEO. It exploits weaknesses in the Google Search algorithm. It uses methods like keyword stuffing, spamming, paid link strategies, and cloaking to rank the website higher and get ahead in search engine results. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that white-hat SEO works on:

• Concentrates on producing relevant material for users 
• Employs ethical link-building techniques that include outreach and guest posting. 
• Enhances user experience by raising website performance and mobile friendliness. 
• Follows search engine rules for optimal long-term performance. 
• Maximizes website material using natural, keyword-rich language without cramming.

 ii. Benefits 

The following are some of the benefits of black-hat SEO: 

• Harms the brand’s credibility and authority.
• Affects your online presence and damages your business’s reputation.
• Leads to deindexing and penalties by search engines.
• Leads to a loss of traffic and revenue. 

Explore the best digital marketing placement guarantee course to master all the concepts of digital marketing.

3. Gray-Hat SEO

Gray-hat SEO falls in between white-hat SEO and black-hat SEO. It is slightly riskier than white-hat SEO but less harmful than black-hat SEO. It manipulates the search engines to get a higher ranking, leading to negative consequences. The content published under gray-hat SEO is ill-defined but the awareness of the consequences motivates you to adopt fair practices. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that gray-hat SEO works on:

• Makes use of techniques that pose some risk but are not exactly against search engine policies. 
• Might call for borderline strategies like purchased link-building or buying old domains. 
• Emphasizes obtaining rapid outcomes while juggling ethical and manipulative strategies. 
• Usually does not cause immediate action. However, may result in fines should search engines discover it. 

 ii. Benefits 

The following are some of the benefits of gray-hat SEO: 

• Produces faster than conventional white-hat search engine optimization. 
• Combines ethical and forceful strategies to give flexibility. 
• Provides chances for more visibility free from constraints. 
• Allows companies to compete in a tough marketplace successfully.

4. On-Page SEO

The process of optimizing on-page elements, like title tags, internal links, and HTML code, to improve rankings is known as on-page SEO. It ensures web pages are structured in a way that search engines can easily understand and index. Additionally, on-page SEO enhances user experience by making content more relevant, engaging, and easy to navigate.

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that on-page SEO works on:

• Creates high-quality content tailored to the needs of the target audience.
• Conducts thorough keyword research to identify terms the audience actively searches for.
• Optimizes metadata using HTML elements like header tags, title tags, and meta descriptions.
• Enhances website visibility by optimizing images with descriptive file names, captions, and alt tags.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of on-page SEO:

• Improves user experience using better content arrangement and navigation of websites. 
• Enables search engines to index website material more precisely. 
• By adjusting relevant keywords and meta tags, improves website visibility and ranking. 
• Increases site performance by accelerating mobile responsiveness and site speed.

5. Off-Page SEO

There are various types of SEO in digital marketing; one of them is off-page SEO. Off-page SEO consists of everything that happens outside the web page to rank it higher in the search results. It includes social media advertising, building good client relations for reviews and forums, and generating links from credible websites.

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that off-page SEO works on:

• Examine competitors’ content, keywords, and backlinks to gain insights and refine optimization strategies.
• Leverages guest blogging by contributing content to other websites while securing valuable backlinks.
• Strengthens brand presence through social media marketing on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Boosts domain authority by acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of off-page SEO:

• Using excellent backlinks helps to strengthen website authority and credibility. 
• Improves online presence by raising search engine results and website visibility. 
• Content marketing and social media help establish brand trust and awareness. 
• Increases reach by driving more natural traffic from outside sources. 

Know the difference between on page and off page SEO to understand them better.

6. Technical SEO

Technical SEO assists Google bots in interpreting, accessing, crawling, and indexing the website’s pages. It is known as technical SEO because it has nothing to do with the content directly. Its primary function is to optimize the website infrastructure. The practices followed in technical search engine optimization are XML sitemap optimization, website speed, and mobile friendliness.

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that technical SEO works on:

• Enhances website speed to reduce load times and improve overall user experience.
• Ensures responsiveness across all devices, making the website mobile-friendly.
• Fixes crawl errors and optimizes site architecture for efficient search engine indexing.
• Implements SSL certificates to boost website credibility and strengthen security measures.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of technical SEO:

• Speeds a website, therefore improving user experience and reducing bounce rates. 
• Guarantees the website is mobile-friendly, therefore enhancing access for a larger audience. 
• Improves search engine crawl and index of the website, hence improving rankings. 
• Improves website security, therefore fostering user confidence and search engine trust.

7. International SEO

International SEO brings natural traffic to the website from different languages and areas. The target market’s cultural context is set accurately. It also allows users to make transactions in their currency and languages. The overall structure of international SEO increases reliability and is best known for creating a good online presence for targeted audiences. It is mostly beneficial for multinational corporations, travel and tourism businesses, e-commerce companies, and content creators.

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that international SEO works on:

• Translates website content to enable users to engage in their preferred language.
• Ensures proper crawling and indexing for multiple languages and regions.
• Builds backlinks from reputable international sources to enhance global reach.
• Localizes content to align with the cultural and contextual needs of different audiences.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of international SEO:

• Boosts your worldwide reach by increasing visibility and traffic from other nations. 
• Increases relevance for local viewers by helping target several languages and areas. 
• Provides translated information to improve user experience, hence increasing engagement and conversions. 
• Guarantees improved search engine results for many nations and languages.

8. Local SEO

It is useful for local businesses as it helps increase their website’s visibility and create awareness. It also helps businesses reach their local audiences and rank themselves higher in the search results. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that local SEO works on:

• Develop a Google Business Profile to improve local search visibility.
• Optimizes website content with location-specific keywords for better local rankings.
• Maintains accurate online citations to enhance business credibility.
• Leverages local partnerships and backlinks to strengthen regional presence.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of local SEO:

• Raises local search results’ exposure for companies. Therefore, drawing in surrounding businesses. 
• Improves internet reputation using local ratings and reviews. Therefore, fostering community trust. 
• Drives foot traffic to physical stores by optimizing for location-based searches
• Increases brand awareness in particular geographical locations. Thereby, enabling companies to be unique locally.

9. E-commerce SEO

E-commerce SEO helps online stores rank higher in the search results whenever a user searches for a relevant product or service. It is the best method for a paid SEO, as the costs are much less compared to the profit the stores receive. 

i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that e-commerce SEO works on:

• Conducts keyword research to enhance category and product page visibility.
• Optimizes the homepage for an appealing and user-friendly shopping experience across diverse audiences.
• Creates informative blog content to promote products and address common customer concerns.
• Enhances visual elements like images and videos to improve user engagement and experience.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of e-commerce SEO:

• Improves search engine result visibility, hence increasing natural traffic to product sites. 
• Maximizing site layout and navigation for simpler product discovery leads to improved user experience. 
• Focusing on the appropriate keywords and improving product descriptions, helps to raise conversion rates. 
• Using quality backlinks and positive reviews strengthens brand authority and confidence.

10. Content SEO

It is the most important type of all. The creation of unique content involving writing, graphics, and videos helps the website maintain its structure and stay on top of the search results. Three things are crucial while working with content SEO: copywriting, site structure, and keyword strategy. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that content SEO works on:

• Concentrates on producing relevant, high-quality, value content fit for user intention. 
• Includes keyword research and optimization to guarantee material ranks for pertinent search queries. 
• Guarantees correct content organization for simple navigation including headers, subheadings, and internal links. 
• Frequent updates and refreshes help to keep materials topical and raise search engine results.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of content SEO:

• Ranks content higher for relevant searches, therefore increasing organic traffic. 
• Improves user involvement by offering worthwhile and educational materials. 
• Builds authority and trust with both search engines and users by using constant and excellent content. 
• Matching content with user intent and properly addressing their issues, helps in increasing website conversions.

11. Mobile SEO

It includes the optimization of the site while ensuring that it can simultaneously work on devices other than the laptop, i.e., mobile and tablets. The style of the site, page speed, and structure are the main factors that should be addressed in Mobile SEO. It is important because if a user has a bad experience with a website on their mobile phone, there is a possibility that they might never visit the site again.

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that mobile SEO works on:

• Guarantees that the website is mobile-friendly, adjusting to several screen widths and resolutions. 
• Maximizes site speed to enhance mobile device load times. 
• Employs responsive design principles to guarantee consistent device performance. 
• Enhances mobile navigation and usability, therefore facilitating user interaction with the site.

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of mobile SEO:

• Guarantees the site’s simplicity of use on mobile devices, therefore improving user experience. 
• Improves the mobile search result ranking, which leads to increases mobile traffic.  
• Reduces bounce rates as users can access and navigate the site efficiently on their mobile devices
• Offers a flawless mobile buying or browsing experience, to increases conversion rates.

Also Read: Types of Digital Marketing

12. Negative SEO

It is an unethical SEO practice, extensively used to lower the rank of competitors. No one wants their competitors to win, no matter how open and free-minded they are. Hence, this technique is used to overtake and gain an advantage over other competitor websites. 

Negative SEO can be practiced by spreading negative reviews or words about the competitor’s website. It can also happen by breaking into their website and adding large amounts of low-quality links. It is not advisable to follow negative SEO as it can lead to various legal issues. 

i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that negative SEO works on:

• Includes building artificial backlinks capable of damaging the rating of a rival website. 
• Uses strategies like duplicate material or content scraping to obscure the view of a rival. 
• Tweaks technical details, including hacking or crawling problems, to cause problems on a rival site. 
• Spreads negative reviews or damaging remarks online to sour the reputation of a competitor brand. 

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of negative SEO:

• Quickly impacts a competitor’s ranking or reputation, potentially reducing their website traffic.
• Diminishes a competitor’s credibility and authority in the eyes of search engines.
• Disrupts the business operations of a competitor, potentially leading to financial setbacks.
• Creates an unfair competitive edge by sabotaging rival SEO efforts in highly competitive markets.

13. YouTube SEO

This SEO type enables YouTube to boost its exposure and ranking on the platform’s search results pages by increasing the YouTube channel’s views, engagement, and subscribers. This search engine optimization technique increases the accessibility and discoverability of videos, through the video title, description, tags, video length, view duration, engagement (likes, comments, shares), etc.

i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that YouTube SEO works on:

• Enhances search exposure by optimizing video titles, descriptions, and tags using pertinent keywords. 
• Encouragement of likes, comments, and shares helps to increase user involvement and so improving video rating. 
• Produces perfect and relevant content that keeps visitors viewing for more. Attracts viewers and raises click-through rates using video thumbnails and metadata. 

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of YouTube SEO:

• Enhances video visibility and ranking in YouTube search results, leading to higher organic views.
• Supports channel growth by improving video discoverability through well-optimized content.
• Boosts audience engagement, increasing likes, shares, and comments that contribute to overall channel performance.
• Attracts more subscribers by delivering high-quality, relevant videos that resonate with the target audience.

14. Voice Search SEO

Voice search SEO allows users to access the internet using spoken commands rather than prompts. Voice assistants, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant engage natural language processing (NLP) to understand the intent of the user’s inquiry and provide the best relevant response. 

It is essential to focus on long-tail keywords, question-based searches, and conversational content that mirrors how people talk to optimize content for voice search. Furthermore, as many voice searches are based on location, optimizing for local SEO is critical for voice searches.

i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that voice search SEO works on:

• Polishes material for conversational, natural language used in voice searches. 
• Focuses on explicitly responding to certain questions since voice search queries are generally question-based. 
• Applies local SEO strategies to guarantee the material is best suited for location-based voice searches. 
• Structured data and scheme markup help search engines grasp and provide pertinent results. 

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of voice search SEO:

• Boosts exposure in voice search results, generating more natural traffic from speech-activated devices. 
• Provides timely and accurate responses to voice inquiries, therefore enhancing user experience. 
• Increases local company visibility by enabling more easily available content in location-based voice searches. 
• Improves search engine results by tailoring material to fit voice search engines’ needs.

15. App Store Optimization SEO

This is the process of optimizing mobile apps to rank higher in app store search results. The aim is to increase the app’s exposure and downloads. 

It includes analyzing user behavior and making data-driven decisions to improve the app’s performance through app titles, app descriptions, app icons, screenshots, ratings, reviews, and user engagement. 

 i. Properties 

Here are a few properties that App Store optimization SEO works on:

• Optimize app titles, descriptions, and keywords to raise search engine results in app stores. 
• Focuses on getting good evaluations and ratings to boost credibility and confidence. 
• Increases click-through rates by using excellent app screenshots and striking images. 
• Frequently updates the software to guarantee it functions properly and satisfies user expectations, thereby helping to maintain good rankings. 

 ii. Benefits 

Here are a few benefits of app store optimization SEO:

• Improves app exposure to result in more user downloads and installations. 
• Increases app rankings in app stores, therefore facilitating user discovery. 
• Positive ratings and reviews help to build user reputation and confidence. Provides an excellent app experience that satisfies expectations and offers value, hence improving user retention.

Explore the difference between SEO vs SEM and explore which is better for your business.

Conclusion

The process of optimizing online content is known as search engine optimization. It helps increase the traffic of a website. We have covered various types of SEO used for different purposes to improve the appearance of web pages. These range from content SEO to technical SEO and cover a vast scope of optimization one can employ for their website. Businesses benefit greatly as they get a higher return on investment, enhancing their online presence and solidifying their brand reputation. 
Which one of these strategies do you think is the most effective? Share your opinion with us in the comments section below. Also, refer to these top SEO interview questions to further brush up on your SEO-related knowledge.

FAQs