Is Technical SEO Inclusive of On-Site and Off-Site SEO Qualifiers?
When optimizing for Google, several qualifiers come into play:
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EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Although EEAT isn’t a direct ranking factor, it is a qualifier that can influence whether a site receives a Google Knowledge Panel.
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Physical Address: An essential qualifier for local search visibility and appearing on Google Maps.
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Business Social Media Pages: These pages can act as qualifier signals, differentiating business or brand sites from personal sites.
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Schema Markup: While schema indicates how a page prefers to be qualified, it has limited impact on rankings unless validated off-site.
This raises the question: Do these SEO qualifiers fall under the umbrella of Technical SEO, or do they bridge content management, off-site seo, and on-site seo?
It’s worth noting that it’s generally undesirable for a website to be recognized merely as a small personal site dependent on affiliate ads. In 2023, Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) was particularly hard on small personal websites, extending its reach to larger ones by March.
2 responses to “Are SEO qualifiers considered part of technical SEO?”
To understand whether SEO qualifiers are considered part of Technical SEO, it’s essential to first define the different components of SEO and where these qualifiers fit within them. seo (Search Engine Optimization) broadly consists of various practices aimed at enhancing a website’s visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs). These practices are typically categorized into:
Technical SEO: This involves optimizing the infrastructure of a website so that search engines can crawl and index it efficiently. It includes managing website architecture, enhancing mobile-friendliness, improving site speed, implementing structured data (schema markup), and ensuring secure connections (HTTPS).
On-page SEO: This encompasses strategies related to optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. It includes keyword optimization, content quality, meta tags, and internal linking.
Off-page SEO: This mainly involves improving a website’s authority and reputation by engaging in activities outside the website. Common strategies include link building, social media marketing, and managing online reputation.
Analysis of seo Qualifiers
Let’s consider the seo qualifiers mentioned in your question and determine their alignment with these categories:
EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): While EEAT is a concept pertaining to a website’s content quality and authoritiveness, which is primarily evaluated by Google’s algorithms, it can be indirectly influenced by both on-page and off-page practices. It is not strictly Technical SEO, but it can be supported by technical elements such as structured data to emphasize author credentials and organizational data.
Having an address for local search: This falls under local SEO, which is a subset of both on-page and off-page SEO. The technical aspect would involve ensuring that address details are represented using structured data (schema markup).
Business pages on social media: This is more in the realm of off-page SEO, as it involves external factors that influence a website’s perceived authority and relevance. Social media signals can enhance trust and authority indirectly, which are key concepts within EEAT.
Schema (Structured Data): Implementing schema is indeed a part of Technical SEO. It enables search engines to better understand the content of a webpage, which can improve the display of rich snippets in search results. However, its effect on actual rankings is contingent upon external validation, tying it slightly to off-page SEO.
Conclusion
SEO qualifiers are not strictly confined to any single category of SEO. Instead, they represent a mix of:
This post raises an important and often debated point in the SEO community regarding the intersection of technical SEO and various qualifiers like EEAT, physical addresses, and schema markup. While technical SEO traditionally focuses on the backend elements of a website, such as site speed, mobile optimization, and structured data, the qualifiers mentioned do indeed play a critical role in search visibility and user trust.
Incorporating qualifiers such as EEAT can be seen as an evolution of technical SEO—shifting towards a holistic approach where both backend elements and content credibility are essential. For instance, while schema markup might be categorized under Technical SEO, its influence on how Google interprets content relevance and authority aligns it closely with content strategy. This merger highlights the necessity of an integrated approach to seo where technical aspects support content quality and vice versa.
Furthermore, as Google’s algorithms continue to evolve, we see a greater emphasis on how these factors interrelate. The Helpful Content Update serves as a perfect example; it underscores the need for valuable, context-rich content that reflects a website’s authority. A website may have excellent Technical SEO, but if the content lacks authenticity and trustworthiness, its performance could suffer.
In conclusion, rather than viewing these qualifiers as strictly separate from Technical SEO, it might be beneficial to consider them as integral components of a comprehensive seo strategy that champions both technical foundation and content integrity. This perspective not only enhances understanding but also ensures we are well-prepared for the ongoing shifts in search engine algorithms.