Great SEO, or search engine optimization, starts with on-page SEO: the optimization of a brand’s website.
But did you know that’s only half the battle when it comes to B2B SEO?
On-page SEO and off-page SEO are two different sides of the same coin. If you don’t have off-page SEO as well as on-page SEO, you’re missing enormous opportunities for your brand.
Off-page SEO is all about creating backlinks and mentions from other websites. The more high-quality links and mentions you have, the higher your website will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to tackle your brand’s off-page SEO optimization in 2022.
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO (also known as off-site SEO) is the term content marketers use to describe actions you can take outside of your website that result in better SERP rankings. Think of these actions like virtual endorsements. The goal of off-page SEO is to get other sites to link to your site, mention your brand, and reference your site.
This helps improve your site’s trustworthiness, relevance, and authority, thereby pushing your site higher up in the search results when people search for a keyword relevant to your brand. And what brand doesn’t want to be the top listing on Google?
But getting there is a long-term, strategic process that involves pairing good on-page SEO with robust off-page SEO. What’s more, it’s an ongoing process—you can’t let up even when you do break into those top five results on Google.
How Important is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO is one of the most important aspects of SEO and B2B marketing. It is the process of optimizing your website and its content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), and increasing your website’s visibility to attract more visitors. There are many factors that go into off-page SEO, including link building, social media, and PR.
One of the most important aspects of off-page SEO is link building. In order to rank higher in SERPs, your website must have links from high-quality websites. The more high-quality links your website has, the higher it will rank. In order to build high-quality links, you must create valuable content that other websites will want to link to.
You can also use social media and B2B PR to attract links from high-quality websites. Off-page SEO is important because it helps your website rank higher in SERPs, which means you will attract more visitors. If you want your website to succeed, you must focus on off-page SEO.
On-Page SEO vs. Off-Page SEO
On-page SEO is everything you can directly control on the site itself, including content, title tag, keyword usage, SEO optimized URLs, internal links, etc. Off-page SEO refers to actions that occur outside of your website, such as links pointing to your site, mentions on social media platforms, and citations in online directories.
The most important thing to remember about off-page SEO is that it takes longer to build up than on-page SEO. You don’t want to spend all your time optimizing your on-site SEO because once you’ve finished building out your on-page SEO, you’ll still have plenty of work to do on your off-page SEO.
Types of Links That Matter in SEO
Backlinks are one of the most important factors in determining where you rank on search engines. They help search engines determine what information is relevant to the searcher, and whether it matches the searcher’s intent. There are three different categories of links that matter in SEO:
Inbound links: These are links that come from outside sources such as social media sites, blogs, forums, etc.
Outbound links: These are internal links within a web page, usually pointing to another section of the same page.
Anchor text: This refers to the words used in a link. For example, “Click here to learn more about our products.”
Links can be categorized into three major types depending on how they’re earned:
Natural links: These are links found naturally throughout the web.
Paid links: These are links bought by businesses to boost rankings.
25 Off-Page SEO Techniques That Work:
How do you master off-page SEO? With planning, good execution, and intention, it can. And in this guide, we’ll look at 25 ways to master SEO off-page optimization in 2023.
1. Start With Basic On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. Common on-page optimization techniques include:
- Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions
- Adding alt text to images
- Internal linking to other relevant pages on the website
- Creating a clear website structure and navigation
- Ensuring the website is mobile-friendly and has a fast page load speed
- Writing unique and high-quality content that includes relevant keywords
- Use of h1 and h2 tags
- Optimizing URLs and using clean URL structure
- Use of schema markup
- Use of social meta tags
It’s important to note that on-page SEO is just one part of a larger strategy, as off-page factors such as backlinks also play a significant role in how search engines rank pages.
2. Update Your Internal Links
Internal links aren’t just an excellent way to keep people on your site (although there’s that too). They also feed Google and other search engines and help them understand how your website functions. They also give individual page value and help improve your SEO.
To set yourself up for great off-page optimization, you need to start within, and that means linking your own content on your site. For instance, does your brand blog have a three-part series on a certain topic? Then be sure each subsequent post links back to the original post and the second post and maybe to another similar topic. Content marketers generally shoot for at least three internal links per page.
There are a few other key things to keep in mind when linking your own content:
- Internal linking helps to set up your site for great off-page optimization. When you link to your own content, you’re telling Google that the content is important and should be ranked higher
- Internal linking also helps visitors to navigate your site, and can keep them on your pages longer
- Internal linking is a great way to distribute link juice throughout your site. By linking to your own pages, you’re passing on some of the link authority to those pages
- Internal linking can help to improve your site’s SEO by providing keyword anchors that help to rank your pages higher
When you’re creating links, be sure to use keyword-rich titles and descriptions that will help to improve your site’s SEO. Also, be sure to use anchor text that accurately describes the content of the page you’re linking too. And, finally, make sure that your links are placed in a way that makes sense for visitors.
3. Tidy Up Your Site
Have broken landing pages? Users, who keep getting 404 Errors? Or just a wonky design? Tidy it all up. You need a smooth, easy to navigate site before you can earn excellent off-page SEO.
In today’s online world, your website is your business’s front door. It’s the first impression that potential customers have of your company, and it’s what they use to determine whether or not they want to do business with you. This is why it’s so important to have a well-designed, user-friendly website that accurately represents your business. If your website is cluttered, outdated, or difficult to navigate, you’re going to have a hard time attracting and retaining customers.
Try to keep your website’s layout simple and easy to follow. This will make it easier for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. Also, make sure your website’s visuals are up to date. Keep your branding consistent and use modern fonts and graphics. If your website looks dated, it will give potential customers the impression that your business is also outdated.
If you’re unhappy with your website’s design, don’t despair. There are plenty of things you can do to improve it. Follow the tips listed above and you’ll be on your way to a more user-friendly and SEO-friendly website.
4. Pick Relatable Keywords
Picking relevant keywords for on-page SEO involves identifying the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for, and incorporating them into your website’s content, meta tags, and URLs. Here are some tips for picking relevant keywords:
Start with brainstorming: Make a list of all the terms and phrases that are relevant to your business or website.
Use keyword research tools: These tools, such as Ubersuggest and SEMrush can help you identify the most popular and relevant keywords for your industry or niche.
Analyze your competitors: Look at the keywords that your competitors are using on their websites, and see if they can be useful to you.
Focus on long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific, and they usually have lower competition. They also tend to convert better as they are more specific to the user intent.
Consider user intent: Identify the goal of the user when searching for the keyword and make sure that the content of the page matches that intent.
Use a mix of primary and secondary keywords: Use primary keywords in the title tags, headings, and throughout the content, while using secondary keywords in the meta tags, alt tags and the body of the content.
Keep an eye on trends: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends in your industry, and make sure to adjust your keywords accordingly.
Monitor and track: Use analytics tools to track the performance of your keywords and see which ones are driving the most traffic and conversions. Use this data to optimize your keyword strategy over time.
It’s important to remember that keyword research is an ongoing process, and that you should regularly review and update your keywords to ensure that they are still relevant and useful.
Related Post: How to Optimize Your Content Using Keywords
5. Take a Look at Your Backlink Profile
What is a backlink profile? It’s a profile of all the sites that link back to your site. Just as you’d want reputable people to endorse your brand, the same rule applies to your backlinks.
A bad sign would be a backlink profile filled with spam sites. Search engine algorithms likely don’t find those sites trustworthy, which could diminish your SERP level. But if you have ample, reliable backlinks from legit sites, you’re in good shape.
To gauge where your brand stands, there are tools designed to excavate your backlink profile information. For instance:
You should not only check which sites are included in this list, but you should also look at how many times the link to your site and pages that get the most clicks.
6. Then check your competitor’s Backlink Profile
Smart content marketers know that the key to making intelligent insights is having all the data. So checking your own backlinks isn’t enough. You need to look at your competitors’ backlink profile information as well.
The best way to make intelligent insights is to have all the data. So checking your own backlinks isn’t enough. You need to look at your competitors’ backlink profile information as well. This will help you understand what strategies they are using to get links and how you can adapt and improve your own techniques.
So, how do you go about performing competitor backlink analysis for your off-page SEO strategy?
There are a few different ways to do this. You can use a tool like Ahrefs or Majestic to see a competitor’s backlink profile, or you can use Google Search Console to view a competitor’s backlinks.
Once you have the information from these tools, you can start analyzing it and looking for insights. Here are a few things to look for:
- The types of websites that are linking to your competitor
- The number of links from each type of website
- The authority of the websites that are linking to your competitor
- The types of content that your competitor is publishing that is getting links
- The strategies that your competitor is using to get links.
By analyzing this information, you can start to see what is working for your competitor and adapt and improve those marketing tactics for your own website. Understanding how competitors stand up to you will help inform how you improve your off-page SEO moving forward.
7. Diversify Your Backlinks
As important as backlinks themselves are, you don’t want all of them coming from the same general type of site. If all you’re getting is backlinks from blogs, or industry publications—both of which are certainly good on their own—it means it’s time to diversify. You’ve achieved success in one area, and can start to move on to others!
Why?
Because you need to give your site the best chance to rank for a variety of keywords. And if you only have a couple of links from high-quality sources, you might be limiting your potential. Plus, you never know when one of those sources might disappear. If all your links come from a single blog, for example, and that blog suddenly goes offline, your site could be in trouble.
So how can you go about diversifying your links?
- Write guest posts for popular blogs, and request a backlink for each post.
- Target your digital PR efforts at Tier 1 publications, requesting backlinks for any coverage that comes to fruition. (Do be prepared to be turned down, however, as this is earned coverage, not owned.)
- Submit your product to review sites for reviews
- If you’re a guest on a podcast, ask if the host will include a backlink to your site in the show notes.
- Get links from local businesses since they’re likely to be more relevant to your site than links from other websites
The key is to experiment until you find a tactic that works well for you and your site.
Diversifying your links is an important part of any SEO strategy. By using the off-page SEO tips above, you can give your site the best chance to rank for a variety of keywords.
8. Began Email Outreach
Email outreach can be an effective way to improve your on-page SEO by building backlinks to your website. The first step in email outreach for SEO is to research potential outreach targets. You should identify websites and blogs that are relevant to your industry or niche and have a high domain authority. Tools such as Ahrefs or Majestic can help you check the domain authority of a website. When reaching out to potential link partners, it is important to create a personalized message. Mention the name of the website or blog you are reaching out to and explain why you think your content would be a good fit for their audience.
To get someone to link to your website, you need to provide them with something of value. This could be a valuable resource, an expert quote, or an interesting piece of content that you’ve created. It is also important to follow up with potential link partners if you haven’t received a response. Sometimes people are busy and may have missed your initial message. To track your progress, use tools like Ahrefs or Majestic to track the number of backlinks you’ve acquired through your outreach efforts. This will help you gauge the success of your outreach and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.
Lastly, always be respectful, friendly and patient. Don’t use aggressive words or pushy language, be polite and always say thanks for the time, for the effort and for the consideration.
9. Create Amazing Content
It’s no secret that content is king in today’s online landscape. If you want to get links to your site from other reputable brands, thought leaders, or sites, you need to produce content they’ll want to share.
Good content is fascinating, entertaining, titillating, or informative that a person feels compelled to pass it on and give someone else a taste. It’s the kind of content that people can’t help but share, because it’s just that good.
If you want your B2B content marketing efforts to reach new heights, you need to make sure it’s something people will want to share. It should be interesting, informative, and entertaining, and it should appeal to a wide audience. You also need to make sure that it’s authentic to your brand and resonates with your audience.
If you can come up with something that people can’t help but share, you’ll be well on your way to success. However, remember that good content isn’t limited to the written word. It could be videos, images, or even music. No matter what type of content you choose, make sure it’s authentic to your brand and resonates with your audience. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to success.
10. Incorporate Infographics
Creating and distributing compelling infographics can be a great way to improve your on-page SEO. Choose a relevant and interesting topic for your infographic. Make sure it aligns with your overall SEO strategy and is something that your target audience will find engaging.
Use high-quality images and graphics to make your infographic visually appealing. This will help it stand out and get shared more on social media. Don’t forget to optimize your infographic for search engines by including relevant keywords in the title, description, and file name.
You can also use social media to promote your infographic and encourage others to share it. This will help increase backlinks to your website, which can improve your search engine rankings. Embedding your infographics on your website and including a transcript of the text in the description is also helpful. This will make your infographic more accessible to search engines.
Lastly, track and analyze the performance of your infographic to see how it is impacting your SEO. Use tools like Google Analytics to see how many people are viewing and interacting with your infographic, and use this information to improve future infographics.
11. Reach out to Influencers
There’s a reason marketers encourage brands to partner with influencers; backlinks from these powerful individuals can have a big impact on off-page SEO. Archive this by reaching out directly or finding that an influencer already uses your brand’s product, asking them to link back.
Why is B2B influencer marketing so valuable to off-page SEO?
There are a few reasons. For example when an influencer links to your site, it sends a signal to Google that your site is authoritative and trustworthy. This can help your site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Also, when an influencer links to your site, it can result in more referral traffic. This is because people who follow the influencer are likely to check out the link they’ve shared, which can result in more leads and conversions for your business.
It’s important to make sure that you’re providing the influencers with valuable content that they can use to inform their followers. This will help increase the chances that they will link to your site.
If you’re looking for more ways to improve your SEO, check out our guide on B2B SEO.
12. Put Your Experts Out There
Expert authors are a great way to increase off-page SEO and it only requires that you have a staffer volunteer to guest blog on another site. In almost all cases, these arrangements result in backlinks, with the host blog linking back to the brand’s site.
There are a few things to keep in mind when arranging a guest blogging campaign:
- Make sure the site you’re guest blogging on is reputable and has high Domain Authority (DA)
- When pitching a guest blog post, make sure to pitch a topic that’s relevant to the host blog’s audience
- Include a link to your site in the author bio, and make sure that the link is nofollowed
- Make sure that the guest blog post is high quality, and proofread it before submission
- Make sure that the guest blog post includes images, infographics, and other multimedia content.
These are all great ways to build authority both with the blog’s audience and within search engine algorithms.
13. Talk It Up on Social Media
So you have a Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok brand account. Great. That’s step one. Step two is using those platforms to engage with your audience to build your brand and your off-page SEO.
When you provide valuable, shareable content and a great user experience, your audience will be more likely to link to your content from their own websites. Additionally, you can assign one staffer to do so – this will help you to focus on creating quality content and growing your backlinks.
14. Customer Reviews
Reviews make up a huge chunk of reputation management and are a massively underrated off-page SEO strategy. Google uses reviews to derive brand signals that can influence your ranking in search results.
Online reviews have a significant impact on consumer behavior. In fact, 88 percent of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Not only do online reviews influence buying decisions, but they also have a direct impact on a company’s bottom line. Given the importance of online reviews, it’s no wonder that reputation management has become such an essential part of SEO.
Here are a few tips for optimizing your online reviews:
- Claim your business listings on review sites
- Monitor your online reputation
- Respond to reviews
- Include positive reviews on your website, social media pages, and marketing materials.
Online reviews are an essential part of reputation management and SEO. By following these off-page SEO strategies, you can optimize your online reviews and improve your online reputation.
15. Become a columnist
Many CEOs and business owners write op-eds to get their name and business in front of a wider audience. And, it’s not a bad idea – writing a column for a local, regional, or national paper often includes an online edition that will almost always include a short bio of the author with a backlink to their business.
But, before you start writing your own op-ed, there are a few things you should keep in mind.:
- Have a strong opinion on the topic. Authority figure will take your opinion more seriously if you’re writing about something you’re passionate about
- Make sure your argument is well-reasoned and well-written. This is your opportunity to make a good impression on your audience, so make sure your argument is clear and easy to follow
- Personalize it! Your audience is more likely to pay attention if they feel like you’re talking directly to them.
This is a great opportunity not just to get a backlink to a reputable paper, but an opportunity for the content to be shared to a wider audience who may not know of your brand or business.
16. Submit Your Images
Why does Pinterest turn up so high in searches for images? Because it’s a great way to increase backlinks. Optimizing your images with the proper URL and title tag, then submit them to sites like Pinterest, flickr.com, or imgur.com
Pinterest is a great way to increase backlinks because it is a visual site that allows users to share images. When you upload an image to Pinterest, you can include a link to your website in the description. You can also add a title and description to your image. When someone pins your image, they will include the title and description you provided. This will help to increase traffic to your website. Additionally, you can submit your images to other sites like flickr.com and imgur.com. When someone clicks on the image, they will be taken to your website.
17. Make Use of Online Directories
Submitting your website to online directories and listings is an important part of off-page SEO. These directories and listings provide a backlink to your website, which can help improve your visibility and authority in search engine results pages. Additionally, online directories and listings can help you reach a larger audience. Make sure to list your website in all relevant directories and listings. Some examples include Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yelp. It’s also worth noting that directories that are specific to your industry or niche can be especially valuable.
When submitting your website to online directories and listings, it’s important to ensure that the information you provide is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date. Make sure to include your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and a brief description of your business. Also, make sure to include relevant keywords in your listing’s title and description.
18. Test Content Partnerships
Want to double your content promotion? Team up with a partner to share the love. When either of you publishes something, share it on both sites and you’ll get twice the audience and, naturally, double the backlink opportunities.
This mutually beneficial opportunity should be made wisely. You want your partner brand’s identity to align with yours. That means ensuring that you both have similar goals for your campaign and agree to follow through on both ends so that you both win.
19. Local SEO
Local SEO is a subset of SEO that focuses on optimizing a site for local searches. This includes things like adding location information to metadata tags, creating listings in Google Maps, and making sure you have optimized your listing for relevant keywords. But there are many other ways to optimize your site for local searches. Here are three off-page SEO tactics that can help boost your local rankings.
Optimize Your Website for Local Searches
The most important thing you can do for local SEO is make sure your website is optimized for local searches. If it isn’t, people won’t find you when they’re searching locally. You can use tools such as Moz’s Open Site Explorer to see how well your site ranks for local queries.
Add Location Information to Metadata Tags
If you want to rank for local searches, you need to add location information to your metadata tags. These are the little bits of text that show up under each piece of content on a web page. For example, if you write about a restaurant, you might include the name of the city, state, and zip code. Adding this information gives searchers a better idea of where the content is located, which helps them decide whether or not to book a reservation.
Create Listings in Google Maps
Google Maps is one of the best places to put your address because it provides directions, reviews, and photos. To get listed, you must verify your business’s address. Once verified, you can upload multiple photos, set your hours of operation, and choose what types of businesses you accept.
Related Post: Local SEO Loophole: How to Get Ranked in Google within 30 Days
20. Monitor Your Progress
Monitor your progress: Monitoring your off-page SEO progress is crucial in order to measure the effectiveness of your efforts and make necessary adjustments. There are several tools that can help you monitor your progress. Google Analytics, for example, can provide you with data on your website’s traffic and referral sources. Ahrefs and SEMrush are powerful tools that can help you monitor your backlink profile and track your website’s visibility in search engine results pages.
You should track the number of backlinks your website is getting over time, as well as the quality of these backlinks. It’s also important to track your website’s visibility in search engine results pages. By monitoring your progress, you can identify areas where you need to make improvements and adjust your strategy accordingly.
It’s worth to mention that monitoring and tracking your progress should not be a one-time activity, it should be done regularly to ensure that you’re on the right track and making progress towards your goal. And don’t forget to keep an eye on your competitors, as they can give you an idea of what’s working in your industry.
21. Create Interactive Content
Interactive content such as quizzes, polls, and calculators can be a great way to engage your audience and encourage social sharing. By creating interactive content that is unique and valuable, you can attract visitors to your website and encourage them to share it with others. When your interactive content is shared on social media and other websites, it can generate backlinks to your site, which can boost your search engine rankings.
22. Utilize Video Marketing
B2B video marketing is a powerful way to promote your brand and generate backlinks to your website. By creating high-quality videos that showcase your products or services, you can attract a wider audience and increase your reach. When your videos are shared on platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, they can generate backlinks to your website, which can help improve your search engine rankings. Additionally, you can embed your videos on your website and encourage others to share them, which can further increase your visibility and generate backlinks.
23. Join Online Communities
Engaging in online communities such as forums, social media groups, and online discussions can help you establish your authority in your industry and generate backlinks to your website. By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you can gain credibility and build relationships with other members of the community. Additionally, when you link to your website in your profile or signature, you can attract visitors to your site and potentially generate backlinks when others share your content.
Related Post: Discord: What Is It and How Can You Use It For Marketing?
24. Leverage User-Generated Content
Encourage your audience to create and share content related to your brand or industry, such as photos, videos, or blog posts. This can help generate buzz and increase your reach, as well as provide an opportunity to build backlinks to your site. You can also use user-generated content to create social proof and establish your authority in your industry. For example, you can feature user testimonials or reviews on your website or social media channels. Just be sure to obtain permission from the content creators and give credit where it’s due.
25. Repurpose Content
Repurposing your existing content into different formats can be a great way to attract a wider audience and generate backlinks from different platforms. For example, you can turn a blog post into a video, an infographic, or a podcast episode. This allows you to reach people who prefer different formats and may not have found your original piece of content. Additionally, repurposing your content can save time and effort since you don’t need to create entirely new content from scratch. Instead, you can leverage your existing expertise and knowledge and present it in a new and engaging way.
To repurpose your content effectively, consider your audience and where they spend their time online. For example, if your audience is active on YouTube, creating videos may be a good choice. If they prefer short-form content, consider creating infographics or social media posts. When repurposing your content, make sure to optimize it for the platform you’re using. For example, YouTube videos should have engaging thumbnails and titles, while infographics should be visually appealing and easy to read. By repurposing your content in a strategic and thoughtful way, you can attract a wider audience and generate valuable backlinks to your website.
How to Avoid Google Penalties for Unnatural Links
To avoid penalties from Google for unnatural links, it is important to follow best practices. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to only build links from reputable sources. Avoid buying links or participating in link schemes that artificially inflate your link count. Additionally, it is best to use a mix of link types.
Google prefers a natural mix of do-follow and no-follow links. Using anchor text diversity is also important. Vary the anchor text used for your links to make them appear more natural. Monitoring your backlinks is also crucial. Use a tool like Google Search Console to monitor your backlinks and remove any that are suspicious or low-quality. Lastly, if you have a large number of spammy or low-quality links pointing to your site, you can use the Disavow Links tool to tell Google to ignore them.
By keeping your link-building activities clean and natural, following the guidelines set by Google, and avoiding anything that seems like manipulation or gaming the system, you can help ensure that your site’s link profile appears natural to Google and avoid penalties for unnatural links.
Off-Page SEO Conclusion
Off-page SEO is a crucial part of any online marketing strategy. It involves optimizing your website’s external factors to improve its visibility, authority, and credibility in search engine results pages. By building backlinks, participating in social media marketing, submitting your website to online directories and listings, engaging in influencer marketing, and monitoring your progress, you can master off-page SEO and boost your website’s visibility and credibility.
Remember that off-page SEO is a long-term strategy, so don’t expect overnight results, but with patience, persistence, and a well-rounded strategy, you will see the results. Keep in mind that SEO is a continuous process, make sure to regularly monitor your progress, and adjust your strategy as needed.
Ready to Perfect Your Off-Page SEO?
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