What is Off-Page SEO?
Why is it important to have an Off-Page SEO strategy?
When people think of SEO, they often consider it a website-based concern. In reality, a lot of the behind the scenes work in SEO actually happens ‘off-page’ – that is, outside of your own website. But what is off-page SEO?
Search engines monitor off-page SEO strategies because the way your business presents itself online is not solely limited to what’s on your own website. Google and other engines rank websites by their domain authority – which involves working out factors such as local listings, user perception, reliability, and trustworthiness.
It’s these signals that show Google your brand is worth putting higher up on those results pages, so working on your off-page SEO strategy is vital if you want to get anywhere.
What is the difference between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO?
While on-page SEO remains crucial, off-page SEO can be just as instrumental. On-page SEO includes ranking factors such as keywords, content marketing (though this is involved in some off-page strategies too!), and technical SEO. It’s anything that involves your website directly, while off-page SEO concentrates on pulling everything outside of your site together.
Ranking Factors for Off Page SEO
Just as with on-page SEO, each ranking factor for off-page SEO carries a different weighting in determining where you’ll end up on Google. Here are some of the most authoritative ranking factors for off-page SEO:
Backlinks
Building a solid backlinking strategy is the key element to off-page SEO. While internal linking structure within your website is essential to on-page SEO, it’s also important to build up an off-page network of links that lead back to your site. This denotes authority and respect, especially when reputable sites and media outlets link to your pages.
Guest blogs
Releasing guest blogs are extremely effective for building backlinks between yourself and other brands, as you link to them, and they link to you. Posting across various sites willing to publish your content also builds trust, shares your expertise and gives potential for attracting a wider audience.
Brand mentions
A good off-page SEO strategy will track all brand mentions across the internet. This includes examples of where someone has mentioned your brand name, but not added a hyperlink that leads to your website. Brand mentions can increase or decrease your ‘authority’, so it’s important to measure whether they’re mentioning you in a positive or negative light – and to monitor the trustworthiness of the site that mentions you, too.
Reviews
Almost everyone is influenced by reviews, including Google – they scan terminology to figure out perception of your brand. Reviews are a trustworthy way to enhance your reputation as a brand. Showing up at the top of results pages when someone Googles your brand, they’re immediately visible to anyone. Make great impressions!
Local SEO
Local businesses also get mentioned as ‘citations’, where your brand name, address and contact number are listed. These need to remain accurate across the web, or search engines will pick up on the mistakes and you’ll also risk misdirecting potential customers.
Social media & influencer marketing
Social media doesn’t directly influence your ranking factors. But these platforms do act almost like social search engines, where consumers can find you, connect with you, and get the answers to their questions. Another key consideration is influencer marketing, where those with high followings and a good reputation within your industry can direct your target audience towards your brand or product.
Off Page SEO services
At Epic New Media, we offer both on and off-page SEO services for our clients. We’re a results-driven marketing agency that prioritises deliverables first. We’re clear in our approach to any client’s SEO strategy, and we’ll measure exactly what’s going on in order to steer your off-page SEO in the right direction, for the right results.