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| Off-Page SEO |
Credit to Freepik
Off-Page SEO is not only about links. It has more than that.
For example, Brand mentions (your site URL or brand name mentioned in another site without hyperlinks) in their content show Google a signal that your content is great.
People often link others when they have great content.
As a smart blogger or marketer, we don't stop with On-Page SEO but beyond that, there are a lot of to a large extent, the things that matter to Google often happen away from your website.
Dr. Pete Meyers from Moz observed that 30% of the time website owners spend on off-page SEO while 70% on on-page SEO. It is vary depending on your marketing goals and your approach.
Off-page Optimization simply tells Google what others think about your site.
Example: You are getting valuable links pointing to your blog or page so, it shows google you have got some great content.
If, not then why someone could waste their time on linking with you?
I hope, you are ready and take your seat to go with me through the step-wise guide on Off-Page SEO. While you must know and do On-Page SEO before going ahead.
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-Page SEO is also known as "Off-Site SEO." It is the efforts taken outside of your website or blog to get an improved higher ranking in search results or SERPs.
Link building or Backlink building is a big part of Off-Page SEO but it goes far away with just link building.
Tactics such as Building Brands, Content Marketing, Citation building, and social media play an important part in SEO strategy.
On-Page SEO is about optimization of Website or Blog while Off-Page SEO is outside the site.
Why Off-Page SEO Is Important?
Backlinks and other off-site factors are still the foundation of Google Ranking factors. Google algorithm relies much on Backlinks.
Off-Page SEO is important for any site to build authority and rank on Google. Because without any links your site can't rank higher than others who have more links and authority than you.
For that reason, it’s challenging to rank alone with your content.
On-Page SEO VS Off-Page SEO
Difference between €On-Page SEO Vs Off-Page SEO.
On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO is something or tactics which you perform inside your site. You have absolute control over On-Page SEO.
From creating optimized SEO Content, image optimization, H1tags, Internal linking to meta tags, and title tags optimization- all these come under On-Page SEO.
We have already covered this topic in our previous post which you can read if not have till yet.
Off-Page SEO
Off-Page SEO is a tactic that you used outside of your website or blog to increase your ranking in the Search Engine Ranking Page(SERPs.)
It includes link building or backlinks which are considered to be the most important part but have many more like - Content Marketing, Online Reviews, Site Authority, and so on.
Link-related off-page factors(Link Building)
Backlinks are the most crucial part of Off-Page SEO.
Why? Google search is built on "Pagerank." Pagerank is an algorithm that looks over the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to the webpage or your post.
That's why we will look deep dive into link-building factors.
1) Number of referring domains
Referring domains are links from target websites or web pages. Suppose, I have a backlink from Sprout Social then it considers as a "1" referring domain and if have backlinks from Sprout Social and Hootsuite then it considers as "2" backlinks.
Referring domains equates to a higher ranking in search results and ultimately fast organic growth.
To check how many backlinks your blog or website has, paste your blog URL in Ahref "free backlink checker" or "Site Explorer".
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| Referring Domain Report |
You can see my blog has 30 backlinks from 9 referring domains. It means my blog "fdigitalblog" has 30 links coming from 9 other websites or blogs. These websites have linked my site man times so it shows 30 backlinks.
Now I hope you pretty well understand the concept.
However, our main should not get more backlinks from a different site but get backlinks directly to the page or post we want to rank in search results.
2) Unique Domain
Unique domains are key metrics in link-building success. It is the number of linking root domains to your site or blog.
Studies have shown a clear correlation between several linking domains and higher ranking.
3) Link Authority
All backlinks are not equal regarding their relevancy, uniqueness, or authority. Links quality matters.
Link Authority comes from PageRank algorithm works. Linking a page that has the high "authority" will pass more authority to the page it links. Or you can say a page with higher authority is worth more than a lower authority page.
Now, the question is how to judge the Authority of a Blog or Website?
We have fewer options but have some metrics to check website authority like "Semrush Authority Score" or Ahrefs’ URL Rating (UR) which shows by indication "UR" and Moz Bar which shows at search results below in the search engine result page. For Moz bar, you must use Chrome Extension "Keyword Everywhere."
In Moz bar it shows byMoz DA.
To see any UR score for any web page, paste the URL into Ahrefs Site Explorer.
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| UR of My One Post |
DA or UR shows the strength of a target URL backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100.
4) Dofollow Vs Nofollow Linking
Dofollow backlinks and Nofollow backlinks are the two ways to identify the linking type in the search engine.
Dofollow linking (i.e., links with a rel=“nofollow” tag) passes the authority to link or target website. While Nofollow does not pass your authority to outbound links means your target website or blog.
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| Do Follow Vs NoFollow |
It may be possible some of you are not able to understand the concept of "do follow" or "nofollow" so try to go again and read if not understand till yet then don't try it as this is the beginning and you will understand it quietly while studying and implementing concepts into reality.
Now come to the topic.
Remind it to try to use Dofollow links which is more beneficial to us than nofollow. To do this you should install a new chrome extension "nofollow Chrome extension" which highlights the nofollow links on the page.
By the way, nofollow links also carry value without passing authority. But if you are putting your efforts into link building then prioritize your efforts and try to get Dofollow links instead of nofollow linking.
5) Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text used to link one webpage with another webpage.
When you add a link in your blog post or article you add it in any words instead of pasting a full link in a paragraph or space.
E.g. If, you have not read my amazing post on On-Page SEO GUIDE then read it before working in Off-Page SEO.
There Anchor text is "On-Page SEO GUIDE" where I place my blogpost link so when you click on that clickable text will take you to a blog post.
Google states in their original PageRank patent that:
Google employs several techniques to improve search quality including page rank, anchor text, and proximity information.
6) Relevance
You know linking a page will get your chance higher to rank in search results but it's important to know from where the links are coming? Does it come from your niche or others?
As you are creating content on "SEO" and have backlinks from the Health niche. Will that be good for your ranking?
Now drive to the solution.
You have content on "SEO" then have to get more links from relevant or similar niche websites rather they have low authority. Because low authority high relevant content is more beneficial for long terms than high authority low relevant content.
E.g. You are looking to hire a catering company for your wedding. Your 2-3 friends told you about different catering companies which all are excellent in their work. And all are your good friends but your all friends are from different working areas. One of them is a marketer, the other is Accountant and the last friend is a chef then you will look at the recommendation of your chef friends instead of a marketer, or accountant.
Like this example, things are working online. Everyone accepts those who are from the work or niche/ category.
7) Broken Links
Broken Links are links on a website that are no longer working and it could be happening because of change or removal of a linked webpage.
The problem is finding the broken links in our full content manually which is painful and takes a lot of time.
For finding the broken links in your content you could use Site Audit of UberSuggest, Semrush, Ahrefs site audit tool to figure out all errors, broken links, duplicacy, and other problems which can create a problem for content to rank higher in search results.
Non-Linked Related Off-Page Factors
Off-Page SEO is crucial and is done outside your website with the potential to affect search engine ranking. Link building is an important part but there are many more factors that lie except linking factors.
Maybe you are a local business that wants to rank higher in search results locally, then you much pay attention to this topic. There are many factors below which can help local businesses to grow. Those factors are marked by(*).
1) NAP citations*
Citation is an online mention of our brand name, which is not only our brand name but with Name, Address, and phone number. These all three factors together make "NAP Citation."
Officially Nap Citation: Mention of your brand name with Name, Address, and Phone Number online is known as "Nap Citation."
It is a business listing that shows your business details online to grab customers for your shop.
According to Moz, citation signals are one of the top local off-page ranking factors.
If, you are a local business and looking to rank locally in the geographical area targeted search term for both SERPs or Map. You should not avoid citation as it is most important for local SEO.
The key to success with citation is consistency. Inconsistent citations demonstrate a lack of coherency, and, for that reason, you must take the time to ensure that all of your NAP references match up.
2) Brand Mention
Brand Mention in other web pages can be either linked or not linked.
Linked mentions have the great benefit of SEO while not linked mentions have some share on ranking factor. We all know the linked name can take a direct referral to us but, in this case, it's not possible.
Google talk indirectly about unlinked brand name in their patent. they talk about express links(linked mentions) or implied links(unlinked mentions).
An express link, e.g., a hyperlink, is a link that is included in a source resource that a user can follow to navigate to a target resource. An implied link is a reference to a target resource, e.g., a citation to the target resource, which is included in a source resource but is not an express link to the target resource.
There only difference is linked mentions are clickable while unlinked mentions are not hyperlinked.
As brand mentions are likely to have an impact on off-page rankings, how can you get more of them?Here are a few ways:
- Write guest posts
- Be a guest on podcasts
- Do blogger outreach
There we will talk about guest posting and will discuss other topics in the future, otherwise, this will go outside the topic.
Guest Posting
Guest posting is a contribution of content to websites, blogs to get huge benefits in marketing if done in the right way.
Guest posting is writing content for someone else as being their guest and providing value and information to their audience.
3) Google My Business(*)
Google My Business(GMB) is a free tool that provides a business listing on the internet. It's important today to list your business for being found online.
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| Google My Business List On Google |
Google My Business shows your profile in "map pack" in google maps with all your details.
However, claiming your business in (GMB) is not enough to get organic traffic.
If you want to rank for queries with local intent (e.g., “hotels near me”), then claiming and optimizing your GMB profile is the most critical component of your off-page SEO efforts.
By the way, you can learn the full ultimate guide to Google My Business for 2020 at Semrsuh to learn tips and tricks to optimize your listing and get to know most of the platform as part of your off-page strategy.
4) Review(*)
Your online reputation is seen by reviews left in your "map pack" where people compare other business reviews and your to see which most people are liked.
Did you know that 93% of people say online reviews impact their buying decisions?
Moz found review signals are the third most important factor for Off-Page SEO for ranking on (GMB) and the fifth most important factor for ranking in regular local organic search.
The more positive and genuine reviews you have at Google My Business profile the more likely get organic traffic and will eventually help your Off-Page SEO.
For getting reviews you can use third-party sites like TrustPilot, Which?, Consumer Affairs, and so on.
5) Social Media/ Signals
In 2022, everyone is connected virtually together more than ever in human history by the medium called "Social Media."
Social Media Presence is vital because today everyone is getting to use it. But, let this clear social share is not a direct ranking factor.
Google also talks about social shares are not a direct ranking factor. Generally, anyone can buy thousands of social shares from freelancing sites. That can affect their social media profile with spamming or low reaching which is another topic so, again come back to the topic.
It concludes genuine social shares are incredibly helpful for your business and will help you to create influence around it.
You can check Best Social Media Marketing Beginners Guide To Build Brand in 2022
Or Top 12 Social Media Management Tools 2022 to get started with social media.
Conclusion for Off-Page SEO
Off-Page SEO seems to have harder than On-Page SEO to rank on the google search engine results page because it is not in your control. As a ranking factor, harder things are more reliable.
You can't ignore Off-Page in 2022, but it's important to know that there is much more than link building or backlinks.
SEO success comes from Brands Signals and Off-Page SEO focus on driving signals that impact ranking factors including a focus on optimizing, creating content, and ranking on other search engines.
Remember Off-Page is a small part of SEO and it is a small part of Digital Marketing. But you should be consistent with your marketing strategies.
I hope you have learned a lot from this guide.
Let me know if, this post is helpful to you or not in the comment section right now.
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