What is Off-page SEO?
Off-page SEO (search engine optimisation) involves strategies to improve a website’s rankings without changing the website itself. This includes tactics like link building, guest posting, and promoting content through social media marketing.
The main goal of off-page SEO is to build the site’s trustworthiness and authority in the eyes of both search engines and users. By earning quality backlinks from authoritative websites and engaging with audiences beyond your own platform, your site becomes more credible and valuable.
Note: Off-page SEO is also referred to as off-site SEO or off-page optimisation.
Importance of Off-page SEO
Just like a home’s value is influenced by its structure and surroundings, such as the neighbourhood, a website’s value is shaped by factors beyond its content. Google evaluates off-page elements like backlinks and brand mentions to determine where your site should rank in search results.
These external signals indicate your site’s authority and trustworthiness, helping search engines understand its relevance. A strong off-page SEO strategy can significantly boost your site’s visibility and credibility, allowing it to compete for higher rankings.
Off-page SEO vs On-page SEO
While off-page SEO focuses on optimisation tactics outside your website, like building backlinks, social media engagement, and content marketing, on-page SEO involves improving elements directly on your webpages. This includes optimising your site’s content, using target keywords, refining title tags and meta descriptions, and ensuring fast loading speeds.
Off-page SEO Strategies & Tips
Here are some of the top tactics you can implement to improve your off-page SEO and keyword rankings.
1. Get More Backlinks
Backlinks, or links from one website to another, are one of Google’s key ranking factors. However, not all backlinks hold the same weight. Some can significantly boost your rankings, while others might have little impact – or worse, harm your rankings if seen as spammy by Google.
If you’re new to link building, consider starting with these three strategies:
- Competitor Link Building: Use tools like Ahrefs to identify and replicate your competitors’ best backlinks.
- Guest Posting: Write articles for other websites in exchange for a backlink to your own site.
- Resource Page Link Building: Find industry-related resource pages and pitch your content as a valuable addition.
When evaluating a potential backlink, ask yourself the following questions:
- Authority: Is the linking website reputable and trustworthy?
- Relevance: Is the linking site’s content related to your own?
- Placement: Will the link be prominently positioned on the page?
Recommended Read: What are backlinks & how do you build them?
2. Optimise Your Google Business Profile
If you operate a local business, such as a plumbing business or dental clinic, having a Google Business Profile is essential for appearing in local “map pack” search results. Creating a profile is free and can boost your local SEO performance.
To optimise your Google Business Profile:
- Be specific with your business category.
- Add your business hours, including holiday hours.
- Provide your address or service area.
- List your products and services.
- Upload high-quality photos of your business.
3. Ask for Reviews
Reviews are important for local SEO and appear to be gaining importance in Google’s ranking algorithm. They help signal your business’s Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) and play a role in map pack rankings.
Here’s how to get more reviews:
- Ask customers to leave feedback.
- Focus on collecting reviews on your Google Business Profile.
- Build trust by responding to reviews, both positive and negative.
Note: Avoid offering incentives for reviews, as it violates Google’s terms.
4. Get Brand Mentions
Brand mentions, or references to your business across the web, can also positively impact your SEO. While they might not carry as much weight as backlinks, they contribute to your site’s overall authority.
To earn more brand mentions:
- Get featured on podcasts or interviews.
- Respond to journalist requests through platforms like Connectively (formerly HARO).
- Consider an unlinked mention link-building campaign, where you reach out to sites that have mentioned your brand and ask them to include a link back to your site.
