Types of SEO
The three core types of SEO are technical SEO, which lets search engines crawl and index a site; on-page SEO, which makes each page answer its search; and off-page SEO, which earns links and mentions from other sites. Local, e-commerce, international, video and AI-search optimisation are added when a business needs them.
For business owners and marketers in India sorting out which kinds of SEO work their site actually needs, and in what order.
knowledge
- Read time
- 3 min
- Sections
- 5
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
What are the main types of SEO?
The three core types are technical SEO (can search engines crawl and index the site), on-page SEO (does each page clearly answer its query) and off-page SEO (do other sites mention and link to you). Local, e-commerce, international, video and AI-search optimisation are specialisations added when a business needs them.
| Type | Main question | Typical work | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | Can Google fetch and store the right URLs? | Status codes, sitemaps, canonicals, speed | Every site |
| On-page | Does the page answer the search? | Titles, headings, copy, internal links, schema | Every site |
| Off-page | Do others vouch for you? | Earned links, mentions, digital PR, reviews | Competitive niches |
| Local | Do you appear for nearby searches? | Google Business Profile, citations, area pages | Shops, clinics, trades |
| E-commerce | Do category and product pages rank and sell? | Faceted navigation, product schema, category copy | Online stores |
| International / multilingual | Does each language or country get the right page? | hreflang, translated URLs | Hindi + English sites, exporters |
| Video and AI search | Are your videos and answers found and quoted? | Video metadata, extractable answers | Publishers, educators |
How do technical, on-page and off-page SEO work together?
Technical SEO gets pages into the index, on-page SEO makes them relevant to a query, and off-page SEO gives Google reasons to trust them over competitors. Weakness in one limits the others: a brilliant page that is blocked by robots.txt cannot rank, and links to a thin page earn little.
- Technical SEO
- Crawlability, indexing, redirects, duplicates, mobile rendering and Core Web Vitals. Detail: technical SEO guide.
- On-page SEO
- One intent per URL, a direct answer near the top, descriptive headings, internal links and matching structured data. Detail: on-page SEO checklist.
- Off-page SEO
- Editorial links from relevant sites, brand mentions, partnerships, reviews and PR. Detail: link building services.
When do you need local, national or e-commerce SEO?
Choose local SEO when customers visit you or search for a service in one city; national SEO when buyers can be anywhere in India; and e-commerce SEO when category and product pages must rank and convert. A business with a showroom and an online catalogue may need two of these at once.
- Local: Google Business Profile, consistent name-address-phone, reviews, genuine area pages; see the local SEO checklist.
- National: topic clusters, comparison and guide content, links from industry publications.
- E-commerce: crawlable categories, controlled filter URLs, unique product descriptions, Product schema with price and availability.
Where do voice, video and AI search fit?
They are formats built on the same foundations, not separate disciplines: voice and AI assistants quote pages that already give clear, direct answers, and video SEO applies when you publish video. Add them when you produce that kind of content.
- AI search (sometimes called GEO or AEO): short, factual answers under question-style headings, dated sources and consistent entity names make passages easy to quote.
- Voice: conversational questions answered in one or two sentences, plus accurate local details for "near me" queries.
- Video: a descriptive title, description, transcript and thumbnail, embedded on a page that explains the topic in text.
What are white-hat and black-hat SEO?
White-hat SEO follows search engine guidelines by improving content, structure and genuine reputation; black-hat SEO tries to manipulate rankings with tactics such as bought link networks, hidden text, cloaking or mass-produced doorway pages. Black-hat tactics risk manual actions and ranking drops that take months to recover.
Google's spam policies list the tactics it acts against, including link schemes, scaled content abuse and doorway pages. If an agency promises "page one in 30 days" or thousands of backlinks for a small fee, that is a warning sign; see how to choose an SEO company.
Which type of SEO should a new Indian business do first?
Start with technical basics and on-page work on the few pages that bring enquiries, add local SEO if customers visit or search by city, and build off-page reputation once those pages deserve to be cited. That order spends money where it has the most effect.
- Make the homepage and service or category pages crawlable, fast and indexed.
- Rewrite each of those pages to answer its main search clearly.
- Complete Google Business Profile and citations if location matters.
- Earn links through partners, associations, press and useful resources.
- Measure enquiries monthly in Search Console and your own call or form log.
A step-by-step plan for small firms is in SEO for small businesses in India.
What does each type of SEO cost at WebJi®?
WebJi®'s published SEO retainers run from ₹12,000 to ₹60,000 a month, local SEO from ₹26,000 a month, and a link audit and roadmap from ₹15,000 to ₹40,000 one-time, all before 18% GST. Checkout or the written quote confirms current figures and scope.
| Service | Published price |
|---|---|
| SEO retainer (technical + on-page + content) | ₹12,000–₹60,000 a month |
| Local SEO | ₹26,000, ₹39,000 or ₹52,500 a month |
| Link audit and roadmap | ₹15,000–₹40,000 one-time |
| Ongoing link-building campaign | ₹12,000–₹60,000 a month |
Wider market ranges are discussed in SEO cost in India.
Frequently asked questions
Which type of SEO is most important?
None works alone, but technical and on-page come first because they are fully in your control and every other type depends on them. Off-page and local work multiply the results of pages that are already sound.
Is content marketing a type of SEO?
It overlaps. Publishing guides and comparisons is on-page work when it targets searches, and it supports off-page SEO when other sites cite it. Content written without search demand in mind is marketing, not SEO.
Do I need separate agencies for each type?
Usually not. Most small and mid-sized businesses use one provider for technical, on-page and local work, and may add a specialist for link building or large e-commerce catalogues when needed.
How long does each type take to show results?
Technical fixes can show within weeks once Google recrawls. On-page improvements typically take one to three months. Off-page reputation and competitive rankings build over several months.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
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