In part one of this series we covered on-page SEO, which is the sum of all actions taken directly on your website to improve its ranking in the SERPs. Conversely, off-page SEO is the practice of optimizing components outside of your website, connecting with other businesses and media outlets to improve its ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs). This includes, but isn’t limited to, link building, social media marketing, guest blogging and forum posting.
Off-page SEO provides a range of additional benefits that on-page SEO doesn’t, such as audience diversification. Furthermore, Google’s algorithm places a significant emphasis on off-page SEO factors when determining rankings.
What Off-page SEO Optimizations Should You Consider?
Various optimizations fall under the umbrella of off-page SEO, but below are some of the most effective of them to help your website outpace competitors.
Link Building
Link building is one of the most important off-page SEO factors. Google’s algorithm ascertains the authenticity of a website largely by the pages linking to it. If no pages are linking to yours, Google’s algorithm will struggle to comprehend its value and it will underperform in the SERPs.
A representative from the SEO platform BrightEdge explains the importance of link building and its benefits from an off-page SEO perspective:
“Creating and executing a strong backlinks strategy can provide your website with a wide range of benefits, including the ability to drive traffic, build up its online profile and reputation and help increase overall ranking of a particular page in the SERP. By calling up a robust, content-driven backlink strategy, you will earn high-quality backlinks through natural means that will enhance your website and help to grow your business. The Mindgruve team does a tremendous job of using the BrightEdge platform to help shape these backlink strategies, and then once the strategy has been executed, they are able to leverage the reporting capabilities in the platform to monitor overall performance and lift.”
Although building links may seem like a daunting task, there are a variety of straightforward methods to do so.
BrightEdge, for example, simplifies the process. Its “Backlinks Analysis” research tab provides users with a plethora of insightful tools, including the ability to track active backlinks and discover new ones. After investigating these opportunities and deciding if they relate to your website content, there are numerous steps you can take to obtain a backlink.
One of the most common actions to acquire backlinks is contacting the creator of a webpage relating to your website content and politely requesting they link to your website. Alternatively, you can make a guest appearance on a blog and attach a backlink within it. Not only does this give readers clear access to your website, but it also provides an engaging background into your company.
Additionally, posting helpful responses to questions on online forums such as Reddit and Quora is an easy way to establish backlinks and target a wider audience. If users find your answer informative, they may explore your website.
When link building, it is important to look for links with high domain authority scores. If pages linking to your website have low domain authority scores, they can drag down your ranking in the SERPs. Moz, an SEO monitoring tool, can tell you the domain authority score of a webpage.
Unbeknownst to you, some pages may link to your website. It is necessary to monitor all active backlinks–another beneficial BrightEdge feature–and disavow them via Google Search Console if they have a low domain authority score.
Social Media
Social media marketing is a crucial aspect of off-page SEO that cannot be overlooked. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can be effective platforms to market your brand and expand your audience.
The best way to garner a strong social media presence is by curating interesting content, which is relevant to your brand. Engrossing images, infographics and quick blurbs will attract users. By sharing exciting content, you have a chance of earning likes, shares and/or reposts, thereby increasing your visibility across platforms.
It may also be beneficial to collaborate with celebrities and influencers who can market your brand through paid partnerships. They can help your brand reach an audience of millions and encourage users to purchase your product.
You can also incorporate sharing options into your webpages. Allowing users on your website to share your content across social media platforms increases your chance of visibility.
All of these methods can help your website and, as a result, your business gain traction on increasingly popular platforms.
Establish a Positive Reputation
Encouraging your customers to leave product reviews on third party websites such as Facebook and Yelp is a great way to elevate your brand perception. A high star rating means your brand is reliable and users will be more inclined to visit your website and make purchases.
Wrap Up
By considering these off-page SEO optimizations and establishing a thorough plan of action, you can improve traffic to your website and elevate your ranking in the SERPs. Stay tuned for the final part of this blog series, which will cover technical SEO.
