In my previous blog post, I tackled the question, "What is Search Engine Optimization?" In this post, I'd like to briefly address the two types of SEO--what's called "on-page" and "off-page."

"On-page" search engine optimization is exactly what it sounds like: what you do on the pages of your website in order to generate more traffic. On the other hand, "off-page" means what you're able to do elsewhere on the Internet in order to attract website visitors.

There are a number of different components involved with "on-page SEO," since they relate to the construction and design of your website pages. The goal, of course, is to create these components in such a way as to be search-engine friendly, so that your site is displayed first on relevant searches. The "on-page SEO" components are listed below:

1. Page title
2. Meta description
3. Headings
4. Cascading Style Sheets
5. Images and pictures
6. Domain information
7. URL structure

Conversely, “off-page” SEO is also exactly what it sounds like: what you’re able to accomplish on the rest of the Internet in order to drive traffic to your site. This is done primarily through linking—links on other websites to pages on your website. That’s because the search engine spiders assess not only how many links are pointing to your site, but also the quality of those links, as well. There are numerous strategies that you can employ for “off-page SEO,” all of them designed to generate interest in and traffic for your site.

When it comes to which is more important, “off-page” SEO gets the nod. In fact, it may be two to three times more important than “on-page” SEO. However, that doesn’t mean that “on-page” should be dismissed. It’s still an integral part of the search engine optimization process.

In my next blog post, I'll discuss the importance of developing a keyword strategy for SEO, no matter if it’s “on-page” or “off-page.”

Previous blog post in this series—"What is Search Engine Optimization?"

Next blog post in this series—"Choose Your Keywords Wisely"

(Todd Bossler is a writer for Top Echelon's Recruiter Training Blog.)