SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is often misunderstood, even by business owners and marketers. I have heard many folks claim they can “do SEO “when really, they aren’t hitting the overall strategy, but rather adding some keywords to pages. Yes, you are definitely doing a part of SEO when you do keyword research and on page optimization. But the strategy of SEO is super important and a holistic approach is key to seeing results.
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Why is Holistic SEO Important?
96% of websites do not get any website traffic from Google. If you build it, it doesn’t mean they will come.
What is Holistic SEO
Holistic SEO is an approach that goes beyond just keywords—it focuses on the overall health, authority, experience, and success of a website by considering all of the factors that impact visibility AND usability. Instead of chasing short-term SEO tricks, holistic SEO aligns with delivering the best possible user experience, which is also what search engines are looking for now.
In other words, Holistic SEO is the well-rounded framework that pulls from multiple schools of thought within SEO in order to build the most efficient strategy possible for your business.
To understand what I mean, you need to understand the different types of SEO – all of which impact your business and if it shows up on Google and other search engines.
Elements of a Holistic Strategy: Types of SEO
I talk about this in my SEO Kickstart workshop (you can grab the recording or sign up for the next workshop on my Worskhops page), but I want to briefly discuss the types of SEO as they are part of a holistic strategy. Every type of SEO covered in this article is important – and your traffic and rankings are impacted by all of them.
Technical SEO
This is the foundation. Technical SEO ensures that your website is crawlable, indexable, and optimized for performance. I always start folks out with an audit if they have an existing website and need help with SEO. You site has both a robots.txt file which tells bots what is allowed to be crawled and you should also have a sitemap which tells Google (and other search engines) what is allowed to be indexed. If your site isn’t crawlable or indexable for any reason, it won’t matter how good your content is or what keywords you use. This is why technical SEO should be the foundation of your work.
Technical SEO includes:
- Site speed optimization
- Mobile-friendliness
- Clear and efficient site architecture
- Secure connections (HTTPS)
- Structured data markup (Schema)
- Hosting, crawling, and indexing
- Fixing broken links and redirects, response codes and more
On-Page SEO Optimization
This is what most folks think of when they think of SEO. It involved keywords and optimizing the content and front end of the pages on your site. Optimizing the pages on your website for both search engines and users is key. You can do this by improving:
- Title tags & meta descriptions (adding keywords, making compelling, influencing Click Through Rate/CTR, staying within best practices)
- Maintaining a clear header structure (H1, H2, H3) – these are a hierarchy. Those header types are not just pretty font families, but rather a way of ensuring semantic HTML and accessibility. This is important because screen readers use semantic elements to provide better navigation for visually impaired users. So having the proper header structure helps not only search engines, but also users.
- Keyword placement (naturally within content and in the right places)
- Internal linking for better page discoverability and passing equity to priority pages
- Content depth (FAQs, questions, unique voice and viewpoint, depth of information compared to competitors)
Off-Page SEO & Brand Authority
I’m putting these together because off-page SEO and brand visibility go hand in hand. Off-page SEO is one of the more difficult aspects of SEO because there are clear guidelines from Google on how to approach backlinks. Or rather, how not to approach them. Quality, natural backlinks is how Google wants you to get links. This takes time and content.
- High-quality backlinks from reputable sites
- Brand mentions and citations
- Social proof and online reputation management
- Guest posting and digital PR
Content Strategy & Search Intent
If you’ve ever thought, “Really? Blog posts? Are people still doing that?”
The answer is yes. Blogging is VERY much alive and well and it’s a critical part of content strategy.
Your website is your home base. This is where you drive folks in order to build trust, get them on your newsletter, sell services or products, and let them learn about you. This is your machine to build and nurture relationships online. This is why content needs to live on your website.
An effective content strategy on ANY channel can be led by SEO, ensuring that all content is built around topics and keywords that align with what your customers are actively searching for.
By starting with keyword research on your customer journey, you can create SEO-driven content and evergreen, high-value assets that attract organic traffic over time. Once established, this content can be repurposed across multiple marketing channels to maximize reach and engagement. A single blog post optimized for search can be broken down into social media posts, email campaigns, podcast discussion points, or even video content, each tailored to fit the platform while reinforcing the core message. This approach not only enhances visibility but also creates a cohesive brand presence, driving traffic and engagement across multiple touchpoints without reinventing the wheel. This is all driven by SEO!
- High-quality, well-researched content
- Answering user questions effectively
- Optimizing for featured snippets and rich results
- Using a mix of content formats (blogs, videos, infographics)
- Updating and refreshing old content
- Hitting all parts of your customer journey from awareness to decision
- Distributed and repurposed throughout multiple channels
Local SEO
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more business from local searches on Google and other search engines. It’s essential for businesses that serve a specific geographic area or have physical locations, such as restaurants, law firms, gyms, and home service providers.
When people search for businesses “near me” or include a city or region in their query (e.g., best coffee shop in Denver), Google prioritizes results based on relevance, proximity, and prominence. A strong local SEO strategy ensures your business appears in these local searches, helping you attract nearby customers.
Many strategies can be implemented for more local visibility and customers. Here are a few examples:
- Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization
- NAP (name, address, phone) consistency & citations across the web
- Local keywords
- On-Page SEO for local search
- Reviews & Reputation Management
- Mobile Optimization
Why is Holistic SEO Important?
A website with a holistic SEO approach is more resilient to algorithm changes because it focuses on user experience rather than chasing ranking hacks. It also ensures that your site:
✔ Attracts relevant traffic, not just any traffic
✔ Builds long-term organic visibility
✔ Improves conversion rates by aligning with user needs
✔ Enhances brand credibility and trust
Instead of thinking of SEO as just “ranking on Google,” holistic SEO treats it as a well rounded strategy that improves every aspect of your online presence.
Do You Have a Holistic SEO Strategy?
SEO is about helping people find the right service or solution at the right time. It’s an ongoing, strategic effort that prioritizes user experience, relevance, and credibility. If someone tells you SEO is a quick fix or a magic bullet, it’s not. But it is a highly effective long term strategy to get you quality customers and leads.
Remember that SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A holistic strategy ensures that content is repurposed and distributed across different channels. And it includes multiple schools of thought, methods, and tactics that focus on a quality user experience. Make your website helpful and easy to find is what we do best at Well Optimized SEO. If you need help, reach out for a free consult call or check out our SEO Workshops for Small Businesses to learn more.
