Last Updated on February 12, 2024 by Colter Marcum
Suppose you have bought a vintage house with a huge living room, spacious bedrooms, a vast garden, etc. However, no one visits you as it’s in the countryside & haven’t heard the name of your place.
Off page SEO is the road that connects your house to the central city. A signboard that mentions the place you live in creates credibility.
In other words, people learn about your business, website & brand when you practice good off-page SEO techniques. Let’s dive in.
1– What is Off page SEO?
Off-page SEO describes the strategies and tactics used outside your website to raise its exposure and position on search engines.
It entails developing external signals and relationships that enhance your site’s authority & credibility in the eyes of search engines. In contrast, on-page SEO focuses on improving your website’s content and structure.
2– Why is off page SEO important?
Off-page SEO enhances your website’s visibility, credibility, and authority. Search engine results pages (SERPs) advocate websites with a strong off-page SEO profile. Search engines use ‘off page SEO factors‘ like backlinks, social signals, and online mentions to assess the credibility and relevance of a website. The objective is to establish a more notable online presence, ensuring that your services and products can reach the audience you believe would benefit from them.
3– Off-page SEO v/s On-page SEO: Know the Difference
On-page SEO optimizes elements within a website. Such as content, HTML code, & structure, to improve its visibility & relevance for search engines.
Off page SEO involves tactics implemented outside the website. Such as building backlinks and social signals to enhance the site’s authority and credibility.
When incorporating your off-page SEO plan, it is crucial to grasp the link-building process.
However, let’s first understand different types of links.
4– Types of Links
The categorization of links into types often revolves around the methods used to acquire them and their nature in the eyes of search engines. Here are explanations for the types of links in off page SEO
Natural Links:
- Natural links, or organic or editorial links, are voluntarily created by other websites, webmasters, or users without any direct influence from the linked website.
- These are earned links based on the quality and relevance of the content. They are seen as genuine endorsements or recommendations from other web entities.
Built Links:
- Built links refer to links that are intentionally acquired through deliberate efforts, strategies, and outreach campaigns. This involves active participation from the website owner or marketer to influence the link acquisition process.
- Built links can be obtained through outreach to other websites, partnerships, collaborations, or participation in relevant forums and communities.
Created Links:
- Created links are intentionally inserted or added to a website by the website owner or administrator. This can include links in user-generated content, comments, or profiles.
- While not all created links are inherently bad, certain practices like excessive link building within comments or forums solely for SEO purposes may be viewed negatively by search engines.
Also read: What Is SEO Skyscraper Technique: How to Get Quality Backlinks?
5– Factors that influence Link Quality
Anchor text taking to your site –
The text used as a hyperlink to your website is crucial to link quality. Relevant and descriptive anchor text contributes positively to the link’s value. As shown in the image below.
Image Source: Ahrefs
Age of the link to your website –
The longevity or freshness of the link leading to your website is a significant factor. Older, well-established links may be viewed more favorably by search engines.
Number of links on the linking page –
Another factor of off page SEO is the number of links on the page linking to your site can impact link quality. Links from pages with fewer outbound links may be more valuable.
Relation b/w the linking site’s subject & that of yours –
The thematic relevance between the content of the linking site and your website influences link quality. In general, links coming from websites that have content similar to yours are more beneficial.
Trustworthiness of the linking site –
The credibility and trustworthiness of the site providing the link are critical. Links from reputable and trustworthy sites are considered more valuable by search engines.
Authority of the linking site & page –
The authority of the overall linking site and the specific page containing the link matters. Links from authoritative sites and pages carry more weight regarding link quality.
6– Off Page SEO Factors that Work
Check Branded Search:
Assess and analyze how your brand appears in search engine results for branded queries. Review the search results for your brand name to ensure accurate and positive information is displayed.
Brand Tracking:
Implement tools and systems to monitor mentions and discussions about your brand online. Using listening tools to track brand mentions on social media platforms & online forums.
Content Quality:
Ensure your website has high-quality, relevant, valuable & scannable content for your target audience. Creating in-depth, well-researched blog posts or articles that address the needs of your audience.
Blogging:
Regularly create and publish informative and engaging blog posts on your website. Maintaining a company blog that covers industry trends, news, and helpful tips for your audience.
Also read, 10 Benefits Of Business Blogging & How To Start It
Promotion on Social media:
Leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn, X, Instagram etc. is one of the significant Off page SEO activities, to increase brand awareness, interact with your audience, & promote your content. You share blog posts, images, and updates on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Also read, 25 Tips – How To Increase Social Media Followers & Engagement
Influencer Marketing:
Work with influencers or people with a sizable fan base to market your items or business. Partnering with a famous social media influencer to review and endorse your product.
Influencer marketing involves a partnership between well-known individuals on social media platforms and brands to endorse the products or services offered by those brands.
Also read, 10 Ways Social Media Influencers Make Most Money
Writing for Publications:
Contribute articles or content to reputable publications in your industry or niche—guest posting on industry-related websites or writing articles for well-known magazines.
Link Building:
Get reputable and pertinent websites to link to your site with high-quality backlinks to increase its authority. Earning a link from a reputable industry association or a well-established news website. Link building involves acquiring links from other websites to direct traffic to pages on your website. The goal is to enhance the “authority” of your pages in Google’s perception, leading to higher rankings and increased search traffic.
Social Bookmarking:
Share and bookmark your website’s content on social bookmarking platforms for increased visibility. Posting links to your blog posts on platforms like Reddit or StumbleUpon.
Read more, What is Reddit? How Reddit Can Benefit Your Brand
According to Hubspot, “Social bookmarking works by clipping or tagging a web page using a platform or tool so that you can return to it later. We’re familiar with using bookmarks in our search browsers, but social bookmarking allows us to instead keep the collection of web pages accessible from any device online, as long as we have a connection to the internet. It’s like having your own highly curated search engine.”
Profile Creation:
Create and optimize online profiles to establish a consistent presence. Setting up and optimizing profiles on social media, business directories, and professional networks.
Profile creation allows you to create and register your profile on different platforms to leverage its advantages. Understanding the concept and process of profile creation is essential in today’s context, as it can enhance the website’s ranking in Google search results.
Image Submission:
As an off-page activity, image submission involves placing images associated with your content on a website to attract and engage the audience. Share and submit images related to your brand on image-sharing platforms. Uploading infographics or visual content to platforms like Pinterest or Instagram.
It aids in establishing trustworthy and valuable backlinks for the website, generating a more extensive customer base. Scientifically proven, visuals have a more profound and enduring impact, often conveying more than written content.
This practice facilitates the association of a brand with images that highlight its features. Additionally, it plays a role in attracting an organic audience to your website, thereby enhancing the credibility of the brand and business. Utilizing relevant images can also improve your website’s ranking in search engine results.
Business Listing:
A business directory, whether a website or a printed document, provides information that categorizes businesses based on specific niches. These categories may include niche, location, activity, or size. Business listings can be compiled manually or through automated online search software.
List your business/store on online directories to improve local search visibility. Create a GMB (Google My Business) profile and ensure accurate business information.
Local SEO (GMB and Citations):
Image Source: Wordstream
Use techniques like Google My Business and local citations to optimize your web presence for local searches. Ensuring the accuracy of the information about your company on different websites and directories.
Forum & Press Release:
An online platform created for discussions where individuals engage to inquire, resolve queries, and exchange information related to a specific topic. For instance, users might discuss pet foods, care practices, habits, and other relevant subjects in a pet forum.
Engaging in conversations within different forums centered on a particular subject is called forum posting. The objective is to drive traffic to your website by incorporating a link in your forum signature.
So, participate in relevant forums and distribute press releases to increase brand visibility. Discuss industry forums or publish press releases about new product launches.
Blog Commenting:
Engage with other blogs in your industry by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts and providing insightful comments on blog posts related to your niche.
YouTube Investment:
Create and invest in video content for YouTube to reach a broader audience. Develop and publish tutorial videos, product reviews, or industry insights on your YouTube channel.
Also read, What Is YouTube SEO? 12 YouTube SEO Tips To Outrank Competitors
Podcasts:
Host or participate in podcasts to share industry knowledge and reach a targeted audience. Starting a podcast series featuring interviews with industry experts or discussions on relevant topics.
Tip: You can create a podcast YouTube channel.
Event Submission:
Event submission in the context of off page SEO refers to submitting details about events, such as conferences, workshops, or gatherings, to online platforms or event directories. This can include information about the event’s date, time, venue, and a brief description.
It helps build connections and attract a broader audience & makes it easier for them to discover and engage with you.
Get Brand mentions on Authority Sites:
Image source: searchengineland.com
Strive to have your brand mentioned on authoritative websites within your industry. Being featured in industry reports or recognized by well-known publications for your achievements. Brand mention isn’t necessarily an SEO factor but it helps your business earn credibility and trustworthiness from the online audience.
Positive Reviews:
Encourage and gather positive reviews from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility. Requesting customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google My Business or Yelp. As per a survey by Brighlocal, in 2022, 87% of consumers employed Google to assess local businesses, marking an increase from the 81% recorded in 2021.
7– Wrapping Up – Off page SEO Strategies
In conclusion, off-page SEO is the driving force behind establishing your website’s credibility & authority. The efforts invested in generating links, social media shares, and positive mentions across the web contribute significantly to your site’s ranking and reputation.
Your website’s endorsement through quality backlinks from reputable sources speaks volumes to search engines, affirming that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
This distinction becomes particularly evident when comparing similar websites with comparable on-page strategies; off-page SEO can be the determining factor in securing a higher position in search results.
In essence, off-page SEO is a vital aspect of optimizing your online presence, akin to sending invitations to your home—it ensures that your website doesn’t miss the opportunity to be part of the digital world, drawing the attention and trust of search engines and users alike.
Get in touch with us right now to hire our off page SEO services to grow your company!
8– FAQs
Q1. Is off page SEO hard?
Ans. Off page SEO can be challenging due to its reliance on external factors like link-building and social signals.
Q2. Where can we start off site SEO for a new website?
Ans. Start off site SEO for a new website by creating quality content, optimizing Google My Business, and building reputable backlinks.
Q3. Is it better to start an off-site blog or an on-site blog for SEO?
Ans. Both off-site and on-site blogs benefit SEO; a balanced approach incorporating both is ideal.
Q4. How to do off-page SEO for WordPress websites?
Ans. For WordPress, focus on quality content creation, effective link building, and social media engagement.
Q5. What activity should I do first in off site SEO?
Ans. Prioritize building quality backlinks from reputable sources as the first activity.
Q6. What are offline SEO submission types?
Ans. Offline SEO submission types include local directory listings and print publication submissions.
Q7. How to do an off site SEO of Google My Business?
Ans. Optimize Google My Business for off page SEO by ensuring accurate business information, obtaining positive reviews, and engaging with customers.
Q8. How to track competitors’ external SEO activities?
Ans. Track competitors’ external SEO activities using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze their backlink profiles and strategies.
Q9. How to measure the success of your off-site SEO efforts?
Ans. Measure off page SEO success through metrics such as the quality & quantity of backlinks, social media engagement, & improved search rankings.
Q10. What is technical SEO vs off-page vs on-page?
Ans. Technical SEO deals with website structure, on-page SEO focuses on content optimization, and external SEO involves building external credibility through link building.
