What is Off-Page SEO? 8 Techniques That Actually Work
Businesses with websites or those that publish blogs tend to prioritize on-page SEO. After all, on-page SEO is something you can control.
Yet, that’s not the only thing that matters to Google and other search engines. External signals, like backlinks, play a crucial role in signaling the trustworthiness of your content.
To put it in perspective, the websites that show up at the very top of Google search results tend to have, on average, 3.8 times more backlinks compared to the ones that land in positions 2 to 10.
So, what exactly is off-page SEO? How does it function? What techniques can boost your search engine rankings? We’re here to address these questions.
What is Off-Page SEO? Definition
Off-page SEO (also known as, off-site SEO) refers to the actions and strategies implemented outside of a website to improve its online visibility and authority. This is typically done through activities such as link building, social media engagement, and media outlets.
Is Off-Page and Technical SEO the Same?
The simple answer is no, they aren’t the same.
Off-page SEO involves external factors like backlinks and social signals that enhance a site’s authority. Meanwhile, technical SEO focuses on optimizing website structure and performance for user-friendliness and search engine accessibility. Both are essential aspects of a comprehensive SEO strategy.
Examples of Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is primarily about backlink building. High-quality backlinks from authoritative sources signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
Other examples of off-page SEO include:
- Content marketing;
- Social media marketing;
- Local SEO;
- Externals reviews.
Benefits of Off-Page SEO
If you are truly committed to enhancing your business’s online visibility, it’s crucial to prioritize off-page SEO. High-quality backlinks have the power to propel your website to the top of Google’s first page, ultimately driving substantial traffic, and thereby potential customers, to your site.
According to a study by Backlinko, less than 1% of searchers go to the second page of Google search results. So, if your website isn’t on the first page, you won’t get much attention. Less traffic means fewer conversions.
Source: Backlinko
In addition, when other domains link back to your website, it signals to Google that your content is authoritative and trustworthy. In other words, it fulfills Google’s E-E-A-T criteria.
All in all, a strong off-page SEO profile that emphasizes expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness enhances your chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
8 Off-Page SEO Tactics to Help You Rank Higher
Off-page SEO fundamentals—checked. Let’s now go over the 8 off-page SEO strategies that can help you achieve success with SEO. Some are so simple that you can implement them right away (see number 6, for example).
1. Assess Your Current Backlink Profile
If your domain isn’t brand new, you probably already have some backlinks. However, this brings both good and bad news.
Not all backlinks are created equal; some are good, while others are spammy. If you have enough toxic links, Google may even penalize your website, resulting in a Google penalty.
With this in mind, begin your off-page SEO by analyzing your current backlink profile. For the job, you’ll need a backlink analysis tool. A tool like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Moz can crawl and collect data from the web and help you identify the number of backlinks as well as their quality.
Plug in your website’s URL and start digging into data.
Source: SEMRush
2. Optimize Internal Links Before Anything Else
Many businesses jump into advanced off-page SEO tactics without first addressing their internal linking strategy.
Effective internal linking can aid your off-page SEO strategy down the line because of:
- Content Relevance: Internal linking helps establish content relevance by connecting related pages, showcasing expertise, and improving the site’s overall content structure.
- Search Engine Crawling: This enables search engines to crawl and index your site more efficiently, ensuring that all valuable pages are discovered and ranked.
- Page Authority: Proper internal linking distributes authority evenly across pages, enhancing the ranking potential of important target pages.
3. Publish Research-Backed and Shareable Content
Here’s a deal: If your content isn’t of high quality, no one will want to reference it.
Take this guide, for example. So far, we’ve provided ‘backlinks’ to reputable websites like Backlinko and Ahrefs because we used some of their statistics and data to back our claims. They, in turn, received a natural backlink from us.
To naturally earn backlinks, you must create content that people want to share. This often includes first-hand experiences, original research, surveys, and case studies.
Jeremy Moser, a CEO of a link building agency, shares his take on shareable content:
Source: LinkedIn
4. Distribute Your Content to Boost Off-Page Signals
Creating content is one thing. You must also share and distribute it. And that’s where content marketing comes in—an important part of off-page SEO.
Sharing your content helps you build backlinks, increase brand visibility, and establish authority within your niche.
The key is to distribute content via various channels, not only those you own (your blog or social media accounts).
Here are some common channels for content distribution:
- PR;
- Guest posting;
- Podcasts;
- Content syndication platforms such as Medium, LinkedIn, or Outbrain;
- Online communities and forums;
- Content aggregation sites;
- Influencer partnerships;
- Webinars.
5. Get Your Content Found with Active Outreach
Outreach is a strategy where you reach out to another organization and request a backlink to your website. It’s not something you do just for fun, and websites don’t usually hand out backlinks easily.
To start, you should identify high-quality websites and decide on the best outreach approach. Websites may be willing to link to your content for various reasons, including:
- Content Relevance: If your content complements or enhances what they already have, website owners might see the benefit of linking to it as a useful resource.
- Building Relationships: Building positive relationships with website owners and bloggers can open doors to collaboration opportunities like guest posts and reciprocal links.
- Link Building Strategies: Some websites actively engage in link-building for SEO purposes, making them more likely to link to your content in exchange for similar links or as part of their SEO strategy.
In short, you need to figure out how your content or product can add value to the audience of the website you’re targeting. Once you understand this, you can reach out to them by crafting a convincing outreach email or message.
6. Set up a Google Business Profile
Another off-page SEO tip is getting a Google Business Profile set up. It works especially well if you’re a local business, like a clinic or a beauty salon.
Creating a Google Business Profile is free. The best part—it comes with a ton of benefits, such as:
- Increasing visibility on Google;
- Boosting local SEO rankings by appearing in the Local Pack and Google Maps;
- Ensuring NAP consistency since Google Business Profile provides accurate and consistent Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) information online, a vital factor for SEO, helping search engines understand and rank your business effectively.
7. Get Positive Reviews Online
Google cares about business reviews. Facts.
Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines specify that customer reviews are an important ranking factor to assess a company’s level of trustworthiness. Positive reviews are a great signal for Google, while negative ones can have the opposite effect.
Enable reviews if you haven’t already done so, encourage your customers to leave reviews, and try to respond to them promptly. Good effort on your part will help you establish trust and credibility with Google and your customers. Double win, really.
8. Steal Competition’s Links with Broken Link Building
For the last strategy, we left something a bit more technical which involves snatching competitors’ broken links.
Stealing a competitor’s broken backlink refers to identifying and acquiring a hyperlink on another website that was previously linked to one of your competitors but is no longer functioning or pointing to a valid web page.
Head to your favorite SEO tool to find broken links in your niche. If using SEMRush, enter your URL into the search bar of Backlinks Analytics. Then, navigate to the Competitor’s tab.
Source: SEMRush
After compiling a list of rivals, your next step is to perform a domain query on each competitor’s website within the report. Once done, proceed to access the indexed pages report and apply a filter to identify Broken Page errors.
Source: SEMRush
Next, examine the broken link in its context by visiting the source URL. Determine if you can provide a similar resource on your website and assess the likelihood of the target website’s webmaster giving you a backlink.
Once you’ve considered these factors, identify the appropriate contact via the company’s website or social media (LinkedIn) and send a personalized pitch.
Off-Page SEO Checklist
Which Off-Page SEO Technique is the Most Effective?
There isn’t a single most effective off-page SEO technique, as effectiveness can vary depending on the specific goals and circumstances of a website. However, according to a Databox survey of 98 SEOs, backlinks, guest blogging, and social media engagement are the top three most effective off-page SEO tactics.
Source: Databox
How Can I Secure Backlinks from High-Authority Websites?
To secure backlinks from high-authority websites, focus on:
- Creating high-quality, shareable content that offers value to their audience;
- Reaching out with personalized pitches that highlight the relevance of your content;
- Building relationships through networking and guest posting;
- Avoiding spammy tactics.
Above all, be patient in your outreach efforts.
Conclusion
Off-page SEO can significantly impact your website’s rankings, so it’s crucial to get it right and avoid toxic backlinks that could harm your rankings. Follow our off-page SEO guide to get started. But, if time is not on your side, get in touch with us.
At Salteq, we’re here to help you craft and implement a robust off-page and local SEO strategy to ensure your business achieves the search engine rankings it deserves. Find out how we can help your business today.
