What is off-page SEO
Off-page SEO or off-page search engine optimisation is just as important as on-page SEO. On-page SEO is the practice of optimising individual web pages to rank higher, this is the content and code specific to a page. Off-page SEO consists of any activity away from your website that improves your search engine rankings. This tells Google what others think about your website, and if it can see other websites pointing to a particular page of yours it will assume that your information is important.
The main factors to off-page SEO include on-page optimisation, link building, site structure and keywords.
Why does off-page SEO matter?
While search algorithms and ranking factors are constantly changing, the relevance, trustworthiness, and authority still play a major role in a page’s ability to rank. Off-page SEO is tremendously valuable because it tells search engines that your website is important to others on the web. Every link that you receive acts as an endorsement from another source that your website is quality.
On-Page Optimisation to prepare for off-page SEO
Effective off-page SEO also requires your on-page SEO to be optimised. On-Page elements such as meta tags, keywords, titles, and URLs all have an effect on your off-page SEO. Optimising these parts of your website should be your priority as they are the core of your website. Only after you make sure your pages are optimised can you really dive into your off-page SEO.
Link Building
Link BuildingLink building is when other websites link to your website. This comes in many forms such as direct linking, all the way to writing guest or featured blogs on other websites.
Although the link building algorithm was changed in 2013 as a ranking factor, it still plays a part in how your pages will be shown to users.
Link building requires quality links, such as linking to articles or tools in your pages that help your users. Spamming links and using paid links will have an effect negatively on how Google views your site. Link building and establishing authority takes time and effort, effective link building will give your site more authority and growth.
Site structure
Site structureSite structure is an important part of off-page SEO, internally linking pages help users and bots go through your website.
A website is made of 4 types of pages:
- first your home page,
- silo or main topic pages,
- sub-topic pages,
- and your blogs and posts that support your category pages.
None of your internal pages should stand alone, it is important to link pages together and to include seamless navigation throughout. Good user experience will boost your website traffic and also grow your SEO ranking.
Keywords
Although keywords are used as on-page SEO tactics, it also plays a big part in off-page SEO.
Off-page keyword tactics such as interlinking your pages with random keywords can make a difference in your ranking. Linking through keywords that best describe pages will add to your existing on-page keywords and give your pages a higher ranking. Branded keywords will also give search engines an idea of what you want to rank for. At the end of the day, your keywords will have little effect unless you are creating useful and high-quality content. Use your keywords efficiently and effectively throughout your site and you will see the growth.
Non-link-related off-site SEO
While earning links from external websites is the most commonly known off-page SEO strategy, almost any activity that a) occurs outside of your own website and b) helps to improve your search ranking position could be thought of as “off-page SEO.” These include things like:
- Social media marketing
- Guest blogging
- Brand mentions
- Influencer marketing
Conclusion
Your off-page SEO requires time and effort, but its rewards will highly benefit you.
Off-page SEO intertwines with your on-page SEO, working with each other to rank your website. So before you start on your off-page tactics, on-page optimisation should be first utilised. Link building is also another way to boost your authority, this will ensure users find your website easier amongst the crowd. Spamming tactics never work so keep that in mind when link building. Site structure and internally linking pages will make your content easier to access, allowing bots to frequently crawl your pages. The use of Keywords is also a major factor in off-page SEO. The most important aspect of off-page SEO is quality content, without good content it will be hard to grow your website.
Dorin
