What is Off-Page SEO? The Definitive Guide

Off-page SEO is a vital part of any successful digital marketing strategy. It focuses on activities outside your website to improve rankings, build authority, and increase visibility. While on-page SEO optimizes your site’s content and structure, off-page SEO enhances your site’s reputation through external efforts like link building, social engagement, and brand mentions. In this post, we’ll explore off-page SEO, why it’s essential, and how you can use various strategies to boost your online presence.

Contents

• What is Off-Page SEO?
• Why is Off-Page SEO Important?
• Off-Page SEO vs On-Page SEO
• Off-Page SEO Factors
  • Link Building
  • Content Marketing
  • Brand Signals
  • E-E-A-T
  • Local SEO
  • Events

What is Off-Page SEO?

Off-page SEO includes actions outside your website that affect search rankings & online visibility. These activities help increase organic traffic and improve rankings.

This does not cover tasks like:

• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• Writing content

Instead, it focuses on:

• Off-site work
• Link building
• Content promotion

Why is Off-Page SEO Important?

Off-page SEO is essential because it impacts your search rankings and online reputation. Although it involves work outside of on-page SEO, it still influences how search engines view your site.

Take link building as an example.

Reputable websites linking to your content signal authority to search engines, which often improves rankings and boosts organic traffic.

Other off-page activities that strengthen your online presence include:

• Social media engagement
• Online reviews
• Mentions in relevant online communities

These actions build trust in your brand and attract potential customers.

Off-page SEO also diversifies traffic sources. It brings visitors from platforms beyond search engines. This broader exposure can increase engagement and conversions.

Finally, strong off-page SEO provides a competitive edge in the digital marketplace.

In summary, off-page SEO is vital for:

• Greater competitiveness
• Higher rankings
• Enhanced reputation
• Increased traffic

Off-Page SEO vs On-Page SEO

Off-page SEO and on-page SEO are two key parts of a strong SEO strategy. Each focuses on different aspects of improving your website’s performance.

On-page SEO involves optimizing elements on your website, including:

• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• Headings
• Keyword use within content
• Internal links
• Schema markup

It also includes improving the user experience by:

• Speeding up loading times.
• Ensuring your website is mobile-responsive.

You can learn more about this in our on-page SEO guide.

Off-page SEO focuses on activities outside your website, such as:

• Acquiring backlinks
• Managing your online reputation through brand mentions and reviews
• Enhancing content using the E-E-A-T framework.

Off-page SEO builds credibility and authority with users and search engines.

Both are critical for success.

Off-Page SEO Ranking Factors

This section will explore the different off-page SEO ranking factors that all work together to improve your website’s standing from an off-site perspective. This will include established SEO practices like link building and things you may not have considered, like enhancing your brand’s presence.

Link Building

You may have noticed us discussing:

• Backlinks
• Link acquisition
• Link building

That’s because these are some of the most fundamental activities when it comes to off-page SEO.

This section will explore different methods of backlink acquisition. And how you can do them well.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is often criticized. Some even label it a ‘blackhat’ method of acquiring backlinks. However, when done well, guest blogging is one of the best ways to earn valuable backlinks.

The key is to focus on quality and relevance. Write for:

• High-quality, authoritative sites
• Sites that are relevant to your niche

Problems arise when guest blogging is not done well. Common mistakes include:

• Paying for guest post slots
• Publishing on low-quality or irrelevant sites
• Combining these issues into a single strategy

When executed correctly, guest blogging is a powerful tool. Publishing a well-written blog post on a reputable site is invaluable, and earning a backlink from high-quality sites makes it even better.

For example:

Our Marketing Manager (Ryan) recently wrote an article for Wix on SEO testing:

Wix is authoritative in the digital marketing community, with a Domain Rating of 95:

The guest article included a contextual backlink to our website, SEOTesting. This backlink gives our site significant authority (via PageRank), which benefits our rankings and organic traffic.

Broken Link Building

Broken link building is a popular strategy for earning backlinks. It involves finding broken links on other websites and replacing them with functioning links.

Here’s how it works:

• Find Broken Links:
  • Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to locate broken links on relevant websites.
  • You can also use a web crawler like ScreamingFrog. It’s more accurate, but it takes extra time.
• Match Content:
  • Identify content on your site that can replace the broken link.
  • If needed, create new content as a replacement.
  • Map broken links to your site’s content in a spreadsheet for organization.
• Reach Out to Site Owners:
  • Contact site owners and inform them about the broken link.
  • Suggest your content as a replacement.

Most website owners prefer to replace broken links with live ones, making broken link building an effective strategy.

This method boosts your off-page SEO by:

• Improving your search engine rankings
• Gaining more backlinks
• Increasing your website’s authority

Resource Page Link Building

Resource page link building is like broken link building but requires more time. And more effort.

Here’s how it works:

1. Find Resource Pages:
   1. Look for websites with resource pages. These pages link to other sites that explain specific topics.
   2. For example, Aleyda Solis’ learningseo.io features resource pages on SEO topics.
2. Create Valuable Content:
   1. Identify a gap in the resource page’s links.
   2. If a resource page about SEO doesn’t link to content on off-page SEO, create a guide on this topic.
3. Reach Out to Site Owners:
   1. Contact the site owner.
   2. Share your new content and ask them to add it to their resource page.

This approach helps you earn backlinks while providing value to the website owner. And their audience!

Press Request Responses

Press request responses are gaining popularity as a link building strategy. For good reason.

This method involves reaching out to journalists who need expert quotes. Platforms like:

• Help a B2B Writer
• ResponseSource
• Source Bottle

Make this process easier for journalists and sources alike.

For example:

• If you are an SEO expert, you could comment on keyword research.
• Your quote might get featured in an article about keyword research or a broader topic.

Here’s an example of a link we recently earned through a press request:

A contextual link back to our website was inserted in the article.

This type of link improves website authority and reinforces your expertise. It also aligns with E-E-A-T principles, which we’ll discuss later.

Unlinked Brand Mentions

An effective way to build backlinks is by addressing unlinked brand mentions.

This method involves finding instances where your website is mentioned but not linked to and requesting that the site owners add a link to your site.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find Unlinked Mentions:
   1. Use tools like Ahrefs to locate mentions of your brand that aren’t linked.
   2. Note down the websites with these mentions.
2. Reach Out to Site Owners:
   1. Contact the web admins of these sites.
   2. Ask them to link to your site where it’s already mentioned.

This approach works well because the mention already exists. Site owners are often more willing to add links since they’ve referenced your brand.

Skyscraper Link Building

Skyscraper link building is a proven off-page SEO technique that creates high-quality content to earn backlinks.

The strategy begins with researching popular content in your industry that has already gained significant attention. Then, make a better, more comprehensive version of that content. Add value by including updated statistics, visuals, or expert insights.

For example:

Imagine we published a comprehensive guide on “SEO Testing Examples.” This guide would include detailed case studies, actionable tips, and updated best practices for improving SEO strategies. It would build on existing industry content but add unique visuals, new data, and expert commentary.

Once our content is ready, we would contact websites linked to similar content. We would inform them about our improved version and suggest it as a resource for their audience. In this case, SEOTesting would contact blogs, forums, or industry websites previously linked to outdated or less detailed SEO testing guides. By offering a superior resource, we provide value to those site owners and their readers.

Skyscraper link building improves off-page SEO by driving more traffic to your site through high-authority backlinks. It positions your brand as a thought leader in your niche. As your content gains more links, it boosts your domain authority, making it easier to rank for competitive keywords. This strategy also builds relationships with other site owners, which can lead to future collaborations and additional SEO benefits.

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and distributing content to attract audiences to your platforms. These platforms can include your website, podcasts, and YouTube channels.

This section covers how to use content marketing to boost your off-page SEO. And how to drive more traffic to your website.

Social Media

Improving your social media presence can boost your off-site SEO in several ways.

Social media platforms allow you to share valuable content from your website. When reputable profiles share your content, it increases your website’s authority. Search engines like Google and Bing consider authority a key ranking factor.

Bing, the second-largest search engine, factors social signals into its ranking algorithm. These signals include:

• Shares, likes, and comments on your posts
• The number of accounts you follow
• The number of followers you have

Bing considers a strong social media presence a sign of authority and relevance. Engaging with your audience and sharing content can improve your rankings on Bing.

Sharing your content on social media also expands its reach. When reputable sources share your content, it can lead to backlinks. Backlinks from other authoritative websites boost your site’s authority even more.

For example:

After publishing a blog post, we saw shares from industry leaders like Aleyda Solis. Aleyda has 163,000 Twitter (X) followers and 83,000 LinkedIn followers. Her engagement led to our inclusion (with a backlink) on Search Ending Roundtable. An authoritative site in our industry.

Digital PR

According to the Digital Marketing Institute:

“Digital PR is a strategy used to increase awareness of your brand using online methods. Like traditional PR, it can reach a much broader audience. An audience that you cannot reach with only offline methods.”

Digital PR has grown so much that it’s now a dedicated profession. It also plays a key role in improving off-page SEO.

One significant benefit of digital PR for off-page SEO is earning high-quality backlinks. Successful PR campaigns often lead to:

• Coverage in news articles
• Guest posts
• Mentions on reputable websites

These backlinks signal to search engines that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. This helps boost your rankings.

Mentions and citations from PR coverage can help your off-page SEO. Even without backlinks! When your brand appears online, it strengthens your presence and authority. Search engines don’t confirm this impact. But anecdotal evidence suggests it can improve rankings.

Effective digital PR campaigns can also drive surges in online traffic. Viral campaigns or widespread media coverage bring visitors to your site. Search engines may view this increased traffic as a sign of relevance and engagement. Leading to higher rankings and more organic traffic.

Email Marketing

Email marketing does not directly impact off-page SEO. However, it can have indirect impacts that significantly boost it.

Successful email campaigns allow you to share links to your website. This includes blog posts or offer pages. If your content provides value, subscribers may share it on their websites. This can lead to:

• Natural backlinks to your site
• Increased visibility for your content

This method of earning backlinks is often underrated but effective.

Email marketing can also generate social shares. Communities often share valuable email content on social media. These social signals may influence SEO. Search engines like Google could consider social engagement a ranking factor.

The benefit for Bing is direct. Bing includes social signals in its ranking algorithm, so increased social engagement through email campaigns can impact rankings.

Brand Signals

Brand signals are factors search engines use to check a website’s:

• Credibility
• Authority
• Trustworthiness

These signals play a significant role in search rankings and online visibility. Search engines focus on high-quality, trustworthy content in their results.

Key brand signals include:

• Mentions of your brand name
• Your social media presence
• Your online reputation

Strong brand signals help establish trust and authority. This improves your site’s visibility in search results.

Consistent Branding

Consistent branding builds strong brand signals. It ensures your logo, colors, messaging, and design stay the same everywhere. This shows professionalism and builds trust with your audience and search engines.

Consistency makes your brand easy to recognize and remember. This boosts brand awareness and recall.

It also improves the user experience. When your website, social media, and other platforms match, users engage more efficiently, which increases satisfaction and sets you apart from competitors.

Search engines prefer cohesive branding. It helps them index your site and improves rankings. Consistent branding builds trust, authority, and a more substantial online presence.

Social Media Presence

A social media presence is a powerful brand signal. It boosts visibility and helps your brand reach a vast audience, improving recognition and familiarity.

Sharing valuable content builds authority. It positions your brand as an expert and fosters trust with your audience. This trust can lead to a better click-through rate when users see your site in search results.

Social media also creates backlink opportunities. Influencers may share high-quality content, which websites may link to. These backlinks tell search engines that your site is credible and can help improve rankings.

Reviews and Testimonials

Positive reviews and testimonials are strong brand signals. They act as social proof, showing the quality and credibility of your product or service. When people see positive feedback from others, they trust your brand more and are more likely to buy. This trust builds loyalty and encourages word-of-mouth referrals. Positive reviews also set your brand apart from competitors and influence customer decisions.

Community Engagement

Engaging with your community shows you care about your customers’ needs and opinions. This builds trust and loyalty, making people more likely to choose and recommend your brand to others.

Regular interaction also humanizes your brand. It shows that real people care about their customers, making your brand feel approachable and relatable, which customers appreciate.

Community engagement creates a feedback loop. Listening to feedback helps you improve your products or services, keeping current customers happy and attracting new ones. Better services and content can improve your SEO by performing well in search results.

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses this method to determine the quality of a website and its content. It’s worth noting that the “experience” factor was added in 2022.

E-E-A-T is not something you can impact yourself. However, there are things you can do to help improve Google’s perception of your site. As well as other search engines. This work pays off when search engines consider your site with E-E-A-T.

Write High-Quality Content

Showing E-E-A-T in your content takes a lot of work. However, one main point is to create high-quality material that serves your audience’s needs.

Show your experience by including the following:

• Case studies
• Screenshots
• Videos

That highlights your direct involvement with the topic.

For example:

We often use screenshots in blog posts to prove that our methods work.

These visuals add credibility and help readers trust your content.

Demonstrating expertise requires up-to-date, well-researched, and relevant content. Cite reliable sources and back up your claims with evidence. Expert content should leave readers confident in your knowledge of the subject.

To establish authority, publish strong, informative content. Over time, this builds your reputation as a trusted voice in your niche. Support your ideas with data & examples to show your understanding of the industry.

Building trust is also important. Write transparently and focus on solving your audience’s problems. When appropriate, share your company’s credentials, certifications, or affiliations. Avoid turning your content into an advertisement. Don’t mention your products or services too much. Ensure your main goal is to provide value.

You create content that aligns with E-E-A-T principles by focusing on these elements. This builds credibility with both your audience and search engines.

Conduct Regular Content Updates

Regular content audits improve E-E-A-T by keeping your content accurate, relevant, and trustworthy.

Start by reviewing and updating older content. This will keep it aligned with current trends and standards. Updated content also shows expertise and builds authority as a reliable source.

Audits also check content quality and author qualifications. Compare your content to E-E-A-T guidelines. Fix gaps in expertise or authority. Update author bios, highlight credentials, or involve experts to strengthen the content.

Audits can fix issues with user-generated content. Comments or reviews that harm trust should be responded to. To boost credibility, align all content with E-E-A-T principles.

Regular audits keep your content accurate and authoritative, helping your site gain the trust of users and search engines.

Add Author Details

Adding author details to all your content is crucial for E-E-A-T.

Author details show the content creator’s expertise. Include qualifications, certifications, and relevant experience. Readers trust content more when they see it comes from a knowledgeable person. This builds the perception of accuracy and authority. It also supports E-E-A-T’s “experience” and “authoritativeness” aspects.

Transparency about the author fosters trust. Content without clear authorship can seem unreliable, especially with the rise of AI-generated content. Including professional bios and contact information reassures readers. It allows them to verify the source or ask questions if needed.

Adding these details strengthens trust and credibility for your content and website.

Collaborate with Expert Contributors

Consider collaborating with experts if you want to publish content without qualified authors.

Expert contributors add credibility to your content. Their experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness strengthen the quality of your site. This approach ensures your content meets E-E-A-T standards.

Transparency is key—state when external experts write content. Ensure the material remains high-quality and relevant.

This strategy is common in journalism. Writers often bring in experts to cover topics outside their knowledge, improving the accuracy and visibility of their articles. You can apply the same approach to enhance your content and online presence.

Local SEO

Improving your local visibility will have a very positive impact on your off-page SEO. Local SEO focuses on helping your business appear in location-based searches. This is especially important for businesses that serve specific geographic areas.

Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a powerful tool for off-page SEO. It helps your business appear in local search results and on Google Maps. Start by claiming your GMB profile. Ensure all your details are accurate. This includes your address, phone number, and business hours.

Optimize your profile by adding photos, responding to reviews, and updating your posts regularly. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. These steps improve your local ranking and make your business more trustworthy. An optimized GMB profile also signals to search engines that your business is active and reliable. This increases the likelihood of appearing in the local 3-pack results, which can drive significant traffic.

Local Directories

Listing your business in local directories boosts your off-page SEO. These directories act as an online hub for businesses in your area. Popular examples include Yelp and Yellow Pages. Ensure your information is consistent across all platforms. This builds trust with search engines and reinforces your brand’s credibility.

Add your business to niche directories if they apply to your industry. For example, a restaurant might benefit from being listed on TripAdvisor. These local citations strengthen your online presence and help customers find you easily. Consistent listings also increase the chances of earning backlinks, which enhance your domain authority and improve your overall SEO performance.

Events

Events are another effective strategy for off-page SEO. They help you connect with your community and increase your brand’s visibility. Events can generate backlinks, social mentions, and local buzz.

Organize Events

Hosting events is a great way to boost off-page SEO. Create an event that aligns with your brand’s mission. This could be a workshop, fundraiser, or product launch. Promote the event through your website and social media channels. Share event details with local news outlets to earn backlinks.

Organizing events improve your brand presence by showcasing your expertise and involvement in the community. It also provides an opportunity to network with influencers and local businesses, which can lead to more backlinks and partnerships. The buzz generated from events encourages attendees to share their experiences online, creating user-generated content that boosts SEO. Photos, videos, and social tags from the event can increase your visibility across multiple platforms, further solidifying your online presence.

Sponsor Events

Sponsoring local events is another effective off-page SEO tactic. Partner with organizations or events that match your values to build goodwill and increase exposure to your target audience.

When you sponsor an event, your business often appears on promotional materials, such as the event’s website, flyers, and social media posts. These mentions act as backlinks to your site and improve your local SEO. Sponsoring events also help you reach a larger audience, increasing brand awareness and trust. Associating your business with well-regarded events or organizations enhances your reputation within the community. The backlinks and mentions from event promotions strengthen your domain authority, making your website more competitive in search results.

These strategies can enhance your off-page SEO and strengthen your local presence. These efforts will help drive more traffic and grow your business.

Wrapping Things Up

Mastering off-page SEO takes time and consistent effort, but the rewards are worth it. Building quality backlinks, promoting your content, and engaging with your community strengthens your online presence and improves your search rankings. Incorporating strategies like social media engagement, guest blogging, and digital PR can provide a competitive edge in today’s digital landscape. Off-page SEO doesn’t just drive traffic—it builds trust, authority, and lasting connections with your audience. Start implementing these techniques today to achieve long-term success.

If you want to test how improvements to your off-page SEO increase clicks on your website, SEOTesting is the tool for you. We are offering a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. So sign up today and start testing.