Types of SEO Tips for SEO Agencies and Web Designers

When you're pitching SEO services or building client strategies, you're actually working across three distinct types of SEO that serve different purposes and require different skill sets. Understanding which type applies to each client situation—and how they work together—separates agencies that deliver real results from those that overcomplicate things.

On-page SEO is what most people think of when they hear "SEO." It covers everything you control directly on the website: keyword optimization in titles and meta descriptions, content structure, internal linking strategy, page speed optimization, and technical elements like schema markup. For your agency, this is your easiest sell because clients can see the changes immediately. When you're designing a site, building on-page SEO into the initial architecture saves you from having to retrofit it later. Make sure your development process includes proper heading hierarchy, clean URL structures, and fast-loading pages built in from the start. This is where web designers add serious value—a beautifully designed site that's also fast and technically sound will outperform a poorly coded site every time. Document your on-page optimization process so you can show clients exactly what you did and why, turning it into a service lever you can upsell to existing clients.

Off-page SEO is primarily about earning authority through backlinks and brand mentions across the internet. This is where many agencies struggle because it requires relationship building, content that's actually worth linking to, and sometimes months to see movement. For your business model, this matters because it's hard for clients to do themselves, making it a legitimate ongoing service you can retainer. Your agency's strength here depends on having good content creation capabilities or relationships with publishers and influencers in your client's industry. If you're not building links or earning mentions, you're only doing half the job. Position this as the long-term leverage that actually sustains rankings, not just the quick wins of on-page optimization.

Technical SEO addresses how search engines crawl, index, and understand your site at a structural level. This includes site speed, mobile responsiveness, XML sitemaps, robots.txt configuration, fixing crawl errors, and ensuring proper redirects. For web designers specifically, technical SEO is embedded in every site you build. A mobile-first approach isn't optional anymore—it's baseline. For agencies managing sites you didn't build, technical audits reveal opportunities that usually surprise clients. Tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog help you identify issues quickly. This is the type of SEO that often gets overlooked because it's not as visible as keyword rankings, but it's foundational. A site with perfect on-page optimization but broken redirects and crawl errors will underperform.

The practical takeaway for your agency is that clients need all three types working together.