It’s no secret that search engine optimization is one of the best ways to get more traffic and sales on your business’ website. But it usually gets pretty complex, pretty quick. Good thing you’ve got a guide to help you every step of the way!
At Uyo Digital Marketing, we’re committed to teaching small business owners like you the ins and outs of digital marketing, especially complicated topics like off-page SEO. As we’ve discussed previously in this series, off-page SEO is a type of SEO that focuses on strategies that occur away from your website but still impact your rankings and traffic from search engines.
Off-page SEO strategies, like all SEO strategies, are constantly evolving. This article shows you how you, as a business owner, can keep up with these ten off-page SEO strategies you can try right now to grow your business. Let’s go!
What’s The Point of Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO aims to show search engines your trustworthiness and expertise by validating yourself through a third party.
We deal with this concept almost daily in real life, like when you check an applicant’s references before making a new hire or when you check the reviews before buying those new shoes. External validation is essential to know if something or someone is truly worth its salt.
Your business is no different. Sure, it’s easy to say that your product or service is of the highest quality or the most unique, and maybe that’s true, but no one will believe you unless they hear it from an unbiased source. Off-page SEO strategies are ways to show both search engines and potential customers that your business is putting its metaphorical money where its metaphorical mouth is.
These strategies signal to others that many people trust your business and that you demonstrate real authority in your industry.
10 Off-Page SEO Strategies That Work
As you explore the wild, wild west of off-page SEO strategies, you might hear “off-page SEO” and “link building” used synonymously. Link building is the practice of establishing one-way hyperlinks, or backlinks, that point to your website to boost search engine visibility.
Backlinks are a vote of confidence in your business, like a Kardashian promoting your clothing line. Most off-page SEO strategies include link building in some form, the most successful focusing on creating high-quality links. The following are some ways to build top-grade links ethically:
Content Creation
Simply put, if you want a high-quality backlink, you must offer something of equal value in return. That is why gaining high-quality backlinks should always start with content creation.
While it’s easy to consider it solely an on-page SEO technique, content creation can span both on-page and off-page SEO. Creating excellent, high-quality content on your website makes it easier to promote and share. In addition, it will give you a leg up on social media and other link building tactics because you’re providing value to both your audience and the audience of those promoting you.
Some of the content that attracts high-quality backlinks includes:
- Blog Posts
- Infographics
- Whitepapers
- eBooks
- Surveys
- Case Studies
Guest Posting
Instead of posting your high-quality content on your website, you might opt to post it on someone else’s site instead as a guest post. Guest posting is the practice of submitting content to someone else’s website with a link pointing back to yours.
Guest posting does much more than give you a high-quality backlink, however. First, you’re more in control of the narrative as you or someone from your team is writing the blog post. Further, this off-page SEO tactic helps you reach an extended audience, build brand awareness, and draw in more traffic. In a study of 850 SEO specialists, 53% considered guest posting the most effective off-page strategy due to its versatility.
How can you get started with guest posting? Network, network, network. Reach out to those in your industry or a related one and ask about collaborating on a project. Building relationships with other businesses will give you ongoing link building opportunities, among a host of other benefits.
Unlinked Brand Mentions
People online may already mention you but not link to your website or content! Finding unlinked brand mentions is an easy way to get started with off-page SEO. You can find these mentions through a thorough Google search or a tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
After discovering the brand mentions, contact the website admin, politely explain the situation, and ask them to include a link to your website in the mention. Most people are happy to oblige as they likely already respect and trust your business. They may even agree to collaborate with your company in other ways, like guest posting.
Dead Link Mining
A dead link, or a broken link, is a hyperlink that longer works or functions as intended. Every website will, at one time or another, have a broken link that needs fixing. However, many website admins put website maintenance on the back burner, allowing broken links to accumulate.
With dead link mining, you can use this oversight to your advantage. First, find broken links on websites in related niches. Then, contact the website owner and suggest using your link as a replacement. This tactic is most successful when you come at it from a supportive approach; you’re doing a favor to the website owner in finding the broken link and offering a suitable solution.
Local Link Building
Local SEO link-building strategies would be a good option if your business mainly serves a specific area. Two main off-page SEO strategies that connect with local SEO are Google Business Profile optimization and citation building.
Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile plays an integral part in your off-page SEO. In fact, with a fully optimized profile, your Google Business Profile might attract customers even before they ever visit your website!
Optimize your Google Business Profile by completing all the information that Google requests. For example, add a business description, hours of operation, contact information, images, products and services, and FAQs. Be sure to use up those character counts, too!
Citation Building
A citation is a listing your business receives in an online directory. By this definition, your Google Business Profile is technically a citation, but there are different types of citations you want to get.
First, you want citations related to your geographical location, like Foursquare or a local business directory. Secondly, you want citations in directories related to your industry. For example, a citation on Angi or Houzz could be very successful for a general contractor as potential customers search those directories to find construction services local to them.
Most directory websites make it easy to list your business, so you can make these profiles either manually or through a tool like BrightLocal.
Social Media Links
With over 93% of internet users logging into social media daily, it’s clear that social media can significantly promote your business online. Find success with this off-page SEO strategy by creating social media accounts on platforms your target audience uses. You’ll then want to post your website’s content on these platforms regularly. This strategy will create backlinks to your website and create an opportunity to get in front of new audiences through reshares.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is closely related to social media linking, as influencers are usually on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Networking and collaborating with influencers is a great way to build your brand and reach new and larger audiences. In addition, the backlinks you receive through this method are often of higher quality, depending on the size of the influencer’s following.
Forums
As forums continue to become reliable sources of information, it’s essential to use them as part of your off-page SEO strategy. Consider platforms like Quora and Reddit as ways to get involved in a conversation related to your area of expertise.
First, search the forum for questions related to your industry that a piece of content on your website answers. You’ll find the most success on questions that don’t yet have many replies or satisfactory replies. Then, in a few short sentences, introduce yourself, directly answer the question, add your linked content, and encourage users to read the content for more information.
Podcasts
Podcasts are highly popular these days, and you can find a podcast on just about anything your heart desires. However, since many businesses have yet to tap into this market, podcasts could be a great way to boost your off-page SEO game and make your small business more successful. Find podcasts related to your industry or niche, then reach out to the owner about collaborating on an episode. Frequently, podcasters are looking to interview expert guests to provide value to their audience and would be happy to speak with you.
Learn More Off-Page SEO Strategies With Uyo Digital Marketing
These ten tips and strategies are just scratching the surface of off-page SEO. At Uyo Digital Marketing, we’re committed to teaching you, a small business owner, how to take spearhead your own digital marketing successfully.
