If you want to rank your site on Google and increase your brand’s visibility and organic search traffic in 2020, you need to be looking beyond your own site. Off-page SEO is one of the most important parts of a successful strategy. This guide will help you understand what it is, why it is so important, and the tactics that you should be using to drive growth for your site.
Authority
The goal of link building should be to earn links from sites with a high Authority Score
- You can find the authority of any website using SEMrush
- Authority Score is a compound domain score that grades the overall quality of a website and tells you how impactful a backlink from a site can be
- It is based on the following data: the domain’s quantity and quality of backlinks, the quantity of referring domains, the number of users, and organic search traffic
Why You Need Off-Page SEO
Without off-page SEO, you will struggle to rank for competitive search terms
- It is all about increasing your site’s authority, something that often goes alongside building a brand
- Links are one of Google’s top three ranking factors, so focusing solely on link building is a mistake
Off-Page SEO Tactic #1: Link Building
The #1 goal of link building is to earn quality links from authority sites.
- Three primary factors you should be considering with link building: quality, quantity, and quality over the number of links you link to.
Off-Page SEO Tactic #7: Forums
When used as part of a wider strategy, forums can add real value to your marketing mix.
- Get directly involved in conversations that relate to your expertise, to position yourself as an expert, and quickly rise up to be seen as a specialist.
Social Media
97% of digital consumers have used social media in the past month
- Social media platforms are used as a type of search engine
- Your presence across social media can put you in front of potential clients and customers who are looking for answers to their questions or to engage with the right brands
Unique Domains
Number of linking root domains that point to your site, even above the number of backlinks
Podcasts
44% of Americans have listened to a podcast at least once in their life
- 73mm Americans listen to podcasts monthly
- Many businesses still aren’t using podcasts as part of their strategy
- They are a great way to reach new audiences, share your expertise, and gain visibility on search engines that aren’t Google
Topical Relevance
Aim to land links from sites that topically align with your own.
- Diversify your link profile by using strategies such as Digital PR, Unlinked Brand Mentions, Resource Link Building, Newsjacking, etc. to build and earn authority links.
On-Page vs. Off-Page SEO vs. Technical SEO
On-page SEO covers the tactics that you use on your site that help search engines to better understand and rank your content.
- In addition, you can include tactics that relate to activities carried out away from your own website such as content marketing, social media, landing reviews, etc. – e.g. SEO tactics such as landing pages, blogs, and landing pages.
- Technical SEO covers those things that directly impact the indexing and crawling of your site.
Content Syndication
Sometimes, a publication will look to syndicate content from other sources to supplement their own original articles
- Syndicated content often isn’t indexed by Google, for obvious reasons that relate to it being a duplicate of the original
- It is helpful to ensure that each site on which your content is syndicated includes a link back to your original article
What Is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO covers all SEO tactics that take place outside of your own website
- These signals help both search engines and users to gain a perception of your site’s authority and are also used as key trust and relevance factors
- It is often thought of as link building, but there are also off-page strategies as well
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can be a phenomenal way to build your brand, amplify your content, and reach new audiences
- Don’t start using influencer marketing unless you are nofollowed
- Links within sponsored content violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines
Guest Posting
Write as a guest for someone else’s website and provide value and information to their audience.
- The objective of guest posting is to reach a new audience, get in front of a related site’s traffic, and build your brand. When executed properly, this can be a valuable marketing strategy.
Off-Page SEO Tactic #3: Content Marketing
Content marketing encompasses both on-page and off-page tactics
- Publishing great content on your own site is only one part of content marketing
- Publish an infographic that gets linked to from a top-tier newspaper
- Blog posts
- Infographics
- Surveys, studies & research papers
- Whitepapers & eBooks
PR
Digital PR is the perfect way to earn authority links at scale
- PR can increase brand awareness and resultant brand searches
- Drives referral traffic
- Positions you as a thought leader in your industry and helps to build trust signals
- Helps to grow your business
Make Sure Your Off-Page SEO Is in Order
SEO success comes from building a brand.
- Think brand-first, and you will go into off-page SEO with the right mindset to achieve the results that will truly make a real difference upon your brand’s online presence.
Off-Page SEO Tactic #12: Reviews
Reviews are a big deal and a massively underrated off-page SEO tactic
- Google uses reviews to understand your site better
- Build your brand and create signals that portray you as a brand
- Great reviews increase conversions and trust
Google My Business
It is easy to forget that optimizing your page and getting it to rank on the map pack is actually off-page SEO
- GMB isn’t your own website, and any efforts that focus on anything but your own site counts as off-Page SEO
Citations
A citation is a mention of your business online that typically references not just your business name but also your NAP (name, address, and phone number).
- Think of them as business listings.
- Inconsistent citations demonstrate a lack of coherency, and, for that reason, it is important that you take the time to ensure that all the NAP references match up.
Off-Page SEO Tactic #9: Events
Events are making a comeback within marketing strategies
- Now more than ever, the number of online events such as webinars is significant, and they can go a long way to help build your brand
- Not only can they help to engage your audience, but you will also benefit from a real buzz around your business
Off-Page SEO Tactic #2: Brand Building
Brand building activities should form a key part of not just your wider SEO and marketing strategy but also part of your approach to off-page SEO.
- It all hooks back to build your online authority, both for users and search engines.
Brand Searches
Increase in brand searches as brand becomes better known
- Search queries in the SERPs for your brand name are vital touch points for both people and machines and are therefore absolutely essential to your business. You should be tracking, evaluating, and improving them consistently.
