The 40 Types of SEO, A Complete Guide for 2025

Written By Oliver Allen

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, one thing remains clear: SEO is far from dead. However, it has transformed into a multifaceted discipline with numerous strategies tailored to different platforms, audiences, and business goals.

So, when someone says, "SEO is dead," the real question should be: "Which one?"

Let’s dive into the 40 types of SEO to understand how diverse and dynamic the SEO landscape has become.

The Core Pillars of SEO

At the foundation of every SEO strategy are three core pillars:

On-Page SEO: Optimizing Individual Web Pages for Higher Search Engine Rankings

On-Page SEO refers to the practice of optimizing elements within your website to improve search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. It’s all about making your content as search-engine-friendly as possible while providing value to your audience.

Key Components of On-Page SEO:

  1. Content Quality:
    High-quality, original content is the cornerstone of On-Page SEO. Your content should:

    • Provide value and answer user intent.

    • Be engaging, well-structured, and easy to read.

    • Include multimedia (images, videos, infographics) to enhance the user experience.

  2. Keyword Optimization:
    Strategically placing relevant keywords helps search engines understand what your content is about. Focus on:

    • Primary Keywords: Use in titles, headers, and the first 100 words.

    • LSI Keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing): Related terms that improve content context.

    • Natural Integration: Avoid keyword stuffing; aim for a conversational flow.

  3. Meta Tags:
    These are snippets of text that describe your page’s content to search engines:

    • Title Tags: The clickable headline in search results. Keep it under 60 characters and include your target keyword.

    • Meta Descriptions: A brief summary of the page (150–160 characters) that encourages clicks.

  4. Internal Linking:
    Linking to other pages on your site:

    • Helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently.

    • Spreads link equity, boosting the SEO value of individual pages.

    • Enhances user navigation, reducing bounce rates.

  5. URL Structure:
    Clean, descriptive URLs improve both SEO and user experience. Example:

    • Good: www.yoursite.com/seo-best-practices

    • Bad: www.yoursite.com/page123

  6. Mobile Responsiveness:
    Ensure your website performs well on mobile devices, as Google uses mobile-first indexing.

  7. User Experience (UX):
    Page speed, readability, and layout significantly impact rankings. A positive UX keeps users engaged longer, which signals relevance to search engines.

Why It Matters:
On-Page SEO is entirely within your control. By optimizing these elements, you can directly influence your search rankings and improve your site’s visibility.

Off-Page SEO: Boosting Your Website’s Authority Beyond Its Borders

While On-Page SEO focuses on optimizing elements within your website, Off-Page SEO involves strategies to improve your site’s authority and reputation through external activities.

Key Components of Off-Page SEO:

  1. Backlink Building:
    Backlinks (or inbound links) are one of Google’s top ranking factors. They act as "votes of confidence" from other websites.

    • High-Quality Backlinks: Links from authoritative, relevant websites carry more weight.

    • Natural Link Acquisition: Earn links through valuable content rather than manipulative tactics.

    • Guest Blogging: Contribute content to reputable sites with a backlink to your own.

  2. Social Signals:
    While social media activity isn’t a direct ranking factor, it indirectly influences SEO by:

    • Increasing content visibility and driving traffic.

    • Generating engagement that can lead to backlinks.

  3. Brand Mentions:
    Even without direct links, brand mentions (also known as “implied links”) in articles, forums, or news sites can boost your site’s credibility.

  4. Influencer Marketing:
    Collaborating with influencers can amplify your brand’s reach and result in high-authority backlinks.

  5. Local SEO (for Businesses):

    • Google My Business: Optimizing your listing improves local search visibility.

    • Citations: Ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across directories.

  6. Content Marketing:
    Publishing valuable content off-site (like on Medium, LinkedIn, or industry blogs) can attract traffic and backlinks to your site.

Why It Matters:
Off-Page SEO helps search engines determine how authoritative, trustworthy, and popular your website is. Strong Off-Page SEO can significantly boost your rankings, even if your On-Page SEO is already optimized.

Technical SEO: The Backbone of a High-Performing Website

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the backend structure of your website to help search engines crawl, index, and rank your pages effectively. It’s all about making your website fast, secure, and easy for search engines to understand.

Key Components of Technical SEO:

  1. Site Speed Optimization:
    Fast-loading pages improve user experience and are a confirmed ranking factor.

    • Compress images and files.

    • Use browser caching and content delivery networks (CDNs).

    • Minimize CSS, JavaScript, and HTML code.

  2. Mobile-Friendliness:
    With mobile-first indexing, your site’s mobile performance is critical.

    • Use responsive design.

    • Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

  3. Secure Connections (HTTPS):
    Websites with HTTPS encryption (SSL certificates) are prioritized by Google.

    • Protects user data.

    • Increases trust and credibility.

  4. Structured Data (Schema Markup):
    Helps search engines understand your content better.

    • Enables rich snippets (like star ratings, FAQs, and event details) in search results.

    • Improves click-through rates.

  5. XML Sitemap Optimization:
    An XML sitemap lists all your website’s important pages, helping search engines crawl them more efficiently.

  6. Robots.txt File:
    Directs search engine crawlers on which pages to index and which to ignore.

  7. Canonical Tags:
    Prevents duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a webpage.

  8. Core Web Vitals:
    A set of metrics Google uses to measure real-world user experience, including:

    • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance.

    • First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity.

    • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability.

  9. Crawlability & Indexability:
    Ensuring search engine bots can easily crawl and index your site. Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor indexing status.

  10. Fixing Technical Errors:
    Regular audits help identify:

    • Broken links (404 errors)

    • Redirect issues (301/302 redirects)

    • Duplicate content problems

Why It Matters:
Without proper Technical SEO, even the best content can struggle to rank. It ensures that your website is not only accessible to users but also optimized for search engine algorithms.

Bringing It All Together: The SEO Trifecta

Think of SEO as a three-legged stool:

  • On-Page SEO ensures your content is relevant and optimized.

  • Off-Page SEO builds authority and trustworthiness through external signals.

  • Technical SEO lays the foundation that supports everything else.

For maximum results, these three pillars must work together seamlessly. Whether you're aiming to dominate search rankings, improve user experience, or boost conversions, mastering these aspects of SEO is key to long-term success.

SEO by Search Type

SEO isn’t limited to just Google anymore. Here are some specialized search types:

Mobile SEO: Optimizing for Mobile Devices to Ensure a Seamless User Experience

With more than half of global web traffic coming from mobile devices, Mobile SEO is no longer optional—it's essential. This practice focuses on optimizing your website so that it loads quickly, functions smoothly, and provides an excellent user experience on smartphones and tablets.

Key elements of Mobile SEO include:

  • Responsive Design: Ensuring your site adapts to different screen sizes.

  • Fast Loading Speeds: Compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code to improve load times.

  • Mobile-Friendly Content: Using concise headlines, readable fonts, and easily clickable buttons.

  • Optimized Navigation: Simplified menus and intuitive touch controls.

Why it matters: Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily considers the mobile version of your site for ranking. Without Mobile SEO, you risk losing both rankings and conversions.

Voice SEO: Tailoring Content for Voice Searches Through Smart Devices

As smart devices like Alexa, Google Home, and Siri become household staples, Voice SEO is rapidly growing in importance. Unlike traditional text searches, voice searches are conversational, longer, and often posed as questions.

Key strategies for Voice SEO:

  • Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on natural, question-based phrases like “What’s the best coffee shop near me?”

  • Structured Data Markup: Help search engines understand your content better through schema markup.

  • Featured Snippets Optimization: Aim for position zero by providing concise, informative answers.

  • Local SEO Integration: Many voice searches are local—“Find a gym near me”—so local optimization is crucial.

Why it matters: Voice searches are expected to account for a significant share of all online searches. Optimizing for voice means capturing traffic others might miss.

Video SEO: Enhancing Video Content Visibility on Platforms Like YouTube

Video SEO ensures your videos are easily discoverable on search engines and platforms like YouTube. Considering YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google, this is a huge opportunity.

Core elements of Video SEO include:

  • Keyword-Optimized Titles and Descriptions: Use relevant keywords naturally to improve visibility.

  • Engaging Thumbnails: A compelling thumbnail boosts click-through rates.

  • Transcripts and Closed Captions: Improve accessibility and allow search engines to "read" your video content.

  • Video Sitemaps: Help search engines find and index your video content effectively.

Why it matters: Videos are more engaging than text and often rank higher in search results, making them a powerful tool for driving traffic.

Image SEO: Optimizing Images for Search Engines Through Alt Text, Compression, and Metadata

Image SEO is about making your images accessible to both users and search engines. This can significantly improve your website’s load speed, accessibility, and rankings—especially in Google Image Search.

Best practices for Image SEO:

  • Descriptive Alt Text: Helps search engines understand image content and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.

  • Proper File Names: Use descriptive file names like “organic-coffee-beans.jpg” instead of “IMG1234.jpg.”

  • Image Compression: Reduces file size without sacrificing quality to improve page speed.

  • Structured Data for Images: Enhances how images appear in rich results.

Why it matters: Optimized images improve user experience, load times, and can drive additional traffic from image search engines.

Content SEO: Crafting High-Quality, Keyword-Rich Content That Ranks Well

At the heart of every SEO strategy is Content SEO. This involves creating content that not only resonates with your audience but also ranks well in search engines.

Key components of Content SEO:

  • Keyword Research: Identifying what your audience is searching for.

  • On-Page Optimization: Using keywords naturally in titles, headers, and throughout the content.

  • Content Depth and Value: Google loves in-depth, informative content that answers user queries.

  • Internal Linking: Helps search engines crawl your site and keeps users engaged.

Why it matters: Content drives organic traffic, builds authority, and improves engagement—all critical for SEO success.

News SEO: Targeting Google News and Other Platforms with Timely, Relevant Content

News SEO is designed for websites that publish timely content, such as news outlets, blogs, and industry publications. The goal is to optimize content so it appears in Google News and similar aggregators.

Strategies for News SEO:

  • Timeliness: Publish breaking news quickly to stay ahead of competitors.

  • Optimized Headlines: Use clear, concise, and keyword-rich titles that grab attention.

  • Structured Data (Schema): Helps Google recognize your content as newsworthy.

  • AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): Improves loading speed for mobile users, a key factor in news rankings.

Why it matters: Being featured in Google News can drive massive spikes in traffic and visibility in a short time frame.

AI Chatbot SEO: Emerging with AI-Driven Platforms Like ChatGPT and Voice Assistants

AI Chatbot SEO is an emerging field that focuses on optimizing content for AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, virtual assistants, and advanced search engines that rely on AI algorithms.

Key considerations for AI Chatbot SEO:

  • Conversational Content: Write in a natural, conversational tone to align with AI-generated responses.

  • Semantic Search Optimization: Focus on context and intent rather than just keywords.

  • FAQ Pages: Provide clear, concise answers that AI tools can easily extract and present to users.

  • Structured Data: Helps AI understand relationships between content elements.

Why it matters: As AI-driven search tools become more integrated into everyday life, optimizing for them ensures your content stays relevant in the evolving SEO landscape.SEO by Business Type

Different businesses require different SEO strategies:

  • Local SEO: Optimizing for local search results, including Google Maps.

  • International SEO: Targeting audiences in multiple countries with localized content.

  • Multilingual SEO: Optimizing content in different languages to reach diverse demographics.

  • Enterprise SEO: Managing large-scale SEO for corporations with complex websites.

  • Ecommerce SEO: Driving organic traffic to online stores with product optimization.

  • Affiliate SEO: Enhancing visibility for affiliate marketing websites.

SEO Tactics: The Good, the Bad, and the Innovative

When it comes to tactics, SEO has a wide spectrum:

  • White Hat SEO: Ethical strategies focused on long-term growth.

  • Gray Hat SEO: A mix of ethical and risky techniques.

  • Black Hat SEO: Aggressive tactics that violate search engine guidelines (not recommended!).

  • Parasite SEO: Leveraging high-authority platforms to rank content quickly.

  • Brand SEO: Optimizing brand mentions and reputation online.

  • Accessibility SEO: Ensuring websites are accessible to all, including people with disabilities.

  • Programmatic SEO: Using automation to create large-scale, data-driven content.

Platform-Specific SEO

With the rise of specialized platforms, SEO now extends beyond traditional search engines:

  • Google Discover SEO & Google SGE SEO: For personalized content discovery.

  • Amazon SEO, Etsy SEO, eBay SEO: Optimizing product listings for marketplace visibility.

  • Shopify SEO: Tailoring SEO for Shopify-powered ecommerce sites.

  • App Store SEO: Also known as App Store Optimization (ASO) for mobile apps.

  • Podcast SEO: Making podcasts discoverable through optimized metadata.

Social Media & Directory SEO:

Final Thoughts

The world of SEO is more complex and exciting than ever before. Whether you're running a local business, managing an ecommerce empire, or building your personal brand, there’s an SEO strategy tailored just for you.

Instead of asking, “Is SEO dead?”, start asking, “Which type of SEO should I focus on?”

After all, with 40 types to choose from, SEO is alive, thriving, and full of opportunities.

Oliver Allen https://bladecommerce.com/
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