You must have probably heard about SEO or Search Engine Optimization. But many people might not know that there are two types: On-page SEO and Off-page SEO. In this article, we will talk about off-page SEO strategies, what they are, and how to implement them in your marketing plan.
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO is exactly what it sounds like off-page search engine optimization. To clarify, off-page SEO refers to all activities that take place outside the website to increase ranking.Optimizing off-site ranking factors involves improving the search engine and user experience of these factors: popularity, relevance, credibility and authority of the site.
This means link-building, social media engagement or branded search. These are all actions taken specifically by an external source, such as a customer or blogger. All of these lead to the breadcrumb trail on your website.
What is a backlink?
Simply put, a backlink, or link-building, is a link from one website to another. For example, a blogger is writing an article about where to buy the best flannel. They have a top 10 list of the best flannels money can buy, and #1 is your company. So, to citate their point of view and also give credit where it is due, that blogger will reference your company by embedding a link in your post. When customers click on that link, they will be redirected directly to your website, and will hopefully purchase it because they decided to read a quick article on flannel.
Essentially, backlinks are like a digital version of word-of-mouth marketing.
Social Media Engagement:
Social media is a powerful advertising tool. There are 1.4 billion people on Instagram alone. 1.9 billion people use Facebook every day. If you’re not using social media marketing to advertise your business, you’re doing it all wrong. But social media aside, it’s also a great off-page SEO strategy.
It uses a subcategory of tactics such as influencer marketing, mentions, guest-blogging, and more. Plus, with the introduction of shopping platforms like Instacart and Facebook Marketplace, online shopping has never been easier.
Links or promotions on social media that lead to your website act like a funnel: a user sees your ad on Instagram, reads it, is curious and therefore clicks on your profile to take you to your homepage. and decides that they like your brand. They follow you and may even click on the link in your bio that takes you to your website.
It’s a snowball effect of verbs, but a valuable one at that. Having a network of links to your website on the Internet is very important, and increases your site’s popularity, relevance as well as domain authority while getting quality off-page source leads.
Branded Searches
A branded keyword, or a branded search, is any query through a search engine that includes the name of your company, business, or brand, such as “Target River.” This could be anything that Target River owns, such as “TargetWeb” or “Target Solutions.”
So, if people are searching for your brand or products by name, they are probably deep within the sales funnel. Google has found that branded keywords have twice the conversion rate than words that are not branded.
Think about it. Are you looking for a Bandage or a Band-Aid? Cotton ball or Q-tip?
Branded keywords are absorbed into us without realizing it. That’s why they are so valuable in SEO.
Ranking Factors for Off-Page SEO
Google uses over 200 ranking factors to rank sites. Often, content alone is not enough. This is why off-page optimization is so important. With off-page SEO, you are telling Google what others think of your site, using backlinks, social media engagement, and your keywords as evidence.A good way to think about it is to imagine that you’re asking Google for a pay raise. You want to give them proof that you’re doing well, hoping they’ll reward you with a higher ranking.
We told you about our top 3, but here is a list of the overall best ranking factors to increase your off-page SEO.
- Link building
- Customer reviews
- Blog posting
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
Importance of Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is an important part of your overall SEO strategy. By not making use of the above-ranking factors, you may miss out on opportunities to increase your ranking. Hopefully, with this guide on our best practices for off-page SEO, you have a better understanding of off-page SEO tactics and strategies and will apply these to your marketing plan.
