Despite Google’s algorithm changes, off-page SEO factors still matter. They provide thumbs up, shares, mentions, and links across the web and thus influence your rankings.
There are two main ways to improve where your website ranks on search engine results pages (SERP): on-page SEO and off-page SEO. The latter involves strategies that you apply outside your own site, such as link-building and social media marketing.
1. Link Building
Link building is a major component of off-page SEO. It helps search engines determine the relevance and trustworthiness of your website.
However, it is important to keep in mind that not all backlinks are created equal. Low-quality backlinks can actually hurt your ranking.
Make sure you only get links from authoritative websites. You should also avoid getting links from spammy sites. Lastly, try to build links that lead to actual customers. For example, business directories, Yelp, Grubhub, and other listing sites are great ways to generate leads.
2. Keyword Research
Keyword research is one of the most important off-page SEO strategies. It helps marketers identify keywords that have a good search volume and match the interests of their target audience. Without it, marketing campaigns may be ineffective or fail to achieve their desired results.
There are many tools available to help marketers conduct keyword research. For example, Google’s autocomplete feature can provide a wide range of suggestions for searches people commonly type into the search bar.
3. Social Media
We spoke with SEO service experts to learn what off-page SEO strategies they most often employ to build domain authority, earn backlinks and drive traffic. We’ve grouped them into three categories:
Social media is one of the best off-page SEO strategies for building trust and awareness, as well as generating backlinks. For example, replying to customer reviews on Google can increase your business’s visibility and trustworthiness. You can also use social media to promote your content and attract new leads.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a broad off-page SEO strategy that includes tactics like guest blogging, social media engagement, and forum posting. These strategies can help your business attract more customers and increase your search engine rankings.
While on-page SEO can be implemented in ways that are under your control, off-page SEO involves boosting your website’s visibility through factors like backlinks, brand mentions and shares, and local listings. These factors signal to Google what other websites think of your website and its quality, which plays a significant role in determining page rank.
5. Video Marketing
Video marketing is a powerful way to build brand awareness and increase organic traffic. However, it requires a thorough understanding of your audience and the platforms they’re using to consume content.
Creating videos without first developing a buyer’s persona will result in a waste of time and money. Similarly, publishing videos on platforms where they won’t reach your target audience will yield minimal results.
6. Blog Commenting
If you want to rank organically in search engine results pages, you need more than just a fast, user-friendly website. You also need an ironclad off-page SEO strategy.
Blog commenting is one way to build links and boost your SEO ranking. However, you must use this tactic carefully to avoid being flagged by Google and losing your traffic. Avoid spamming or using black hat techniques, which can earn you penalties and even turn your visitors into enemies.
7. Forums
Using forums (Quora, Reddit, Yahoo Answers) to promote your client’s content and increase brand awareness is another off-page SEO strategy. Ideally, the content you share in these communities should be useful and authentic.
Although this isn’t a direct ranking factor, creating incredible products and services will lead to digital word of mouth that results in mentions on review sites, social media, and even major news publications. This is the best way to build trust and authority and ultimately rank higher in organic search.
8. Social Bookmarking
If there’s one thing that every SEO professional knows, it’s that backlinks are key. You need other sites to vouch for you in order to rank highly on Google.
Social bookmarking is a great way to build links by sharing your content on social media platforms. You can also find communities on niche-specific forums to share your content and get more branded searches.
Off-page SEO is important because it shows search engines that your content is relevant, trustworthy, and authoritative. And while it may take some time to achieve, well-done off-page SEO will bring long-term results.
9. Guest Posting
In this off-page SEO strategy, you write a guest post for another website in your industry and include a link back to your own website. This can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field and reach a new audience.
When writing guest posts, make sure they are valuable to readers. This can mean including lots of screenshots, links to further reading or tools you recommend, and sourcing experts in your field.