If you haven’t heard the term before, off-page SEO refers to strategies you can use to increase your own rankings away from your actual website.
This is opposed to on-page SEO, which utilizes optimization techniques on your site. This includes adding keywords to landing pages, writing alt tags for images, and including H1 headings that reflect your content.
Some off-page SEO is outside of our control, but there are steps you can take to build a foundation that works for you. Consider that these tasks, while time-consuming, can do a lot to raise your standing with Google. Below we will show you how to better your off-page SEO strategies.
Quality Backlinking
Some off page SEO techniques may include acquiring backlinks from websites that have a good reputation with just the right anchor text. It’s important that the content you choose for backlinking should be valuable to your target audience. When done correctly this can be very beneficial in attaining link popularity. This is because any inbound link acts as an individual “vote”, telling Google that you are a website worth visiting.
However, be careful which sites you choose. Every website has a DA, or Domain Authority, which determines your relevance to a user. If you have backlinks with a low DA, they can drag you down. On the other side of the coin, high DA sites can boost you back up again.
If you have spent time and money on poor quality backlinks, be sure to visit Google’s Disavow tool. This will disassociate you from low DA sites so that you can start ranking again. Sit with your digital marketing team and create a plan together to build up quality backlinking for better off-page SEO.
Media Sharing
Articles and blog posts are just one type of content. If you are not the “writing” kind, you can submit all types of media for sharing to your market. This includes videos, images and photos, infographics, memes, Q&A sessions, GIFs, events, video games, timelines, tools, quizzes, apps, polls, and more. For example, you can post a YouTube video of a product demonstration.
Posting a diverse amount of content to a diverse amount of sources means more relevant links back to your website. Any type of original content can be used as a tool for sharing and creating valuable off-page SEO. If your business does not create original content on a regular basis, consider assigning this task to your marketing team so that you can have a set list to choose from. This is the perfect project for any creative team within your company!
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing can also play a large role in off-page SEO. For example, if you have a Facebook Page and a Twitter account, you can regularly send people to different pages of your website, such as your blog posts. Having these accounts also establishes your company as a brand worth trusting.
When it comes to social media, it is best to contribute and participate, so be sure to share from other sources, too! Users notice when you only link back to your own website, and doing this too often means you can potentially lose credibility. Posting a diverse amount of trusted links will enhance your social media presence and boost your trustworthiness.
Forums
Another off-page SEO technique is posting on relevant forums within your industry. Act as an expert and have real-time conversations directly with your users. An added bonus to this tactic is that you hear directly from your consumers what their needs are and exactly how you can fulfill them.
Your business can create your own online discussion board or participate in an existing discussion. Be sure to respect and follow the rules any existing forum has set up. This is because some forums will not allow the promotion of products and services, so if this is the case, it is best to not be “sales-y”, or direct your attention to other areas.
To get started, make a list of all the forums where you believe will get a lot of traffic. You should be able to check off this list, one by one, as part of your off-page SEO strategies.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page optimization should be just as much of a priority as on-page. Off-page SEO has to do with your reputation as a company and how you present yourself to the world. When potential customers link back to your website, will they find what they need? Or will they click out and find what they are looking for elsewhere?
It is true that off-page optimization has a great impact on search engine rankings, and it takes a lot of work to get it right. For more information about how SEO Brand can improve your off-page SEO, contact one of our specialists today.
