Why Off Page SEO Is Important – Take Your Reputation Up a Notch
why local seo is important

The main purpose of SEO is to improve a site’s rankings, and one sure-win way for many marketers is increasing page authority.
With that goal in mind, many businesses hastily turn to off page SEO or specifically link building, but only a few manage to pull it off.
In this article, you will learn about the true, complete off page SEO as a sustainable strategy, why it is important and what we can do to optimize important offpage elements.
A sustainable off page SEO strategy needs great content, effective link building and mutually beneficial relationships.

The main purpose of SEO is to improve a site’s rankings, and one sure-win way for many marketers is increasing page authority.
With that goal in mind, many businesses hastily turn to off page SEO or specifically link building, but only a few manage to pull it off.
In this article, you will learn about the true, complete off page SEO as a sustainable strategy, why it is important and what we can do to optimize important offpage elements.

A sustainable off page SEO strategy needs great content, effective link building and mutually beneficial relationships.

Why Off Page SEO Is Important: The Fundamentals

What Is Offpage SEO

Also called off site optimization, off page SEO is the practice of building trust and reputation for your page through actions taken outside of it.
Since its birth, off page SEO has been seen as a fancy word for “getting more backlinks”. This is not incorrect because links are indeed critical to a long-term SEO process. But off page optimization has evolved to go beyond backlinks. 

why is off page seo important

Question: Is off page optimization the last thing to do in SEO?
Answer: Yes and no.
It is true that off page optimization shouldn’t happen before other key SEO tasks like keyword research and on page SEO.
But search engine optimization is not a journey to have an end. It’s more like a cycle or even a spiral when done right. There’s no one-time task here. They all need regular reviews and updates to maintain and improve effectiveness. And one change will certainly lead to many more.

Why Do We Need Off Page SEO

Here is a simple answer: Because search engines use many off page factors to rank pages.

Even after multiple algorithm updates, search engines have never undermined the importance of off page factors.

Moreover, many believe that off page is more impactful than on page, though the latter is more within our control.

An unfortunate consequence is the often-seen imbalance in a business’ resources allocation to different steps of SEO. It means they either ignore or put an undue focus on a specific step, which often happens to be off page optimization.

To avoid wasting resources by misallocation, many businesses seek out experts’ help and entrust the whole SEO plan to a trusted digital marketing agency. By this way, they have more at hand to spend on other equally important business aspects.

Moreover, many believe that off page is more impactful than on page, though the latter is more within our control.
An unfortunate consequence is the often-seen imbalance in a business’ resources allocation to different steps of SEO. It means they either ignore or put an undue focus on a specific step, which often happens to be off page optimization.
To avoid wasting resources by misallocation, many businesses seek out experts’ help and entrust the whole SEO plan to a trusted digital marketing agency. By this way, they have more at hand to spend on other equally important business aspects.

why off page seo is important

Why Off Page SEO Is Important: The Strategies

Backlinks

Link building is considered “the heart of off page optimization” due to its effectiveness and history.
No one knows how many percent off page factors account for in Google’s algorithms, but it is known that page authority is partly based on analysis of the linking-sites, i.e. sites that provide you backlinks.
To gain a deeper understanding, refer to our article about Why Backlinks Are Important.

Though unlinked brand mentions are still considered “implied links” by Google, it’s better to seek them out and make them “explicit”.

Link Bait

Link bait is content created specifically for the purpose of “inviting” backlinks.
So although off page optimization means actions taken outside of your page, your on-page content still plays a crucial role.

First, start from your buyer persona to create the best link bait. For example, if you target younger generations, your link bait should be visual content and easily shared on social media.

Second, an effective link bait can be any type of content, as long as it is:
Authentic
Unique (a tinge of humor may help)
Meaningful (the content should ultimately solve a problem)
Easily shareable

Last, link bait content must be a part of your content marketing plan to serve a certain stage of the buyer journey.

what is offpage seo

Social Media

Though Google says social media doesn’t have a direct impact on SEO, the more your site is mentioned on various social platforms, the higher your exposure.

According to Search Engine Journal, your “social performance” greatly affects your SEO effectiveness, giving you more chances to earn backlinks, increase traffic and build trust.

If you are running or planning to run a local SEO campaign, local + social is your killer move. 

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging has long been a common technique to earn backlinks. There are two things to remember:

Reputable sites usually have strict linking rules for guest posts. Do a thorough research to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Unnatural linking is a big NO. Google counts this as a link scheme and your site ranking will definitely suffer.

Influencers / KOLs

Personal brands today are arguably comparable to corporate brands.

Go the extra mile to connect with thought leaders, journalists, and gurus in your industries and impress them with your great content and potential.

One way to start is to feature them in your content (of course with their permission).
Another is to give a thoughtful comment to their posts WITHOUT a link to your page. Your goal is to build a personal relationship, not to earn just another backlink and risk being penalized by Google as “irrelevant comment backlinks” are considered a link scheme.

Be noted that KOL marketing is a long-term strategy to build quality relationships, and it must be aligned with other digital marketing strategies.

Go the extra mile to connect with thought leaders, journalists, and gurus in your industries and impress them with your great content and potential.
One way to start is to feature them in your content (of course with their permission).
Another is to give a thoughtful comment to their posts WITHOUT a link to your page. Your goal is to build a personal relationship, not to earn just another backlink and risk being penalized by Google as “irrelevant comment backlinks” are considered a link scheme.

Be noted that KOL marketing is a long-term strategy to build quality relationships, and it must be aligned with other digital marketing strategies.

what is offpage seo strategy

Co-marketing

This is more than just “link trading”, it includes promoting, networking and community building between two or more companies.

According to Forbes, one of the best scenarios is when partners provide complementary products or services which enhance user experience when used together.

Be noted that co-marketing is a very wide concept and off page optimization is just a small part of it.

Why Off Page SEO Is Important: The Caution

If you have been writing tons of guest posts but your results aren’t improving…

… then stop and have a good look at the sites you’ve been writing for.
In guest posting, quantity can’t beat quality. And as more and more “writers” join the market, it’s impossible to compete with just quantity.
Also, consider the balance between pushing and pulling. While pushing means writing for other sites to earn backlinks, pulling requires writing so great content for your own site that others want to link with you.

If you have a great off-site blog…

…. then immediately “re-allocate” it.
Your blog had better be hosted on your own website. Don’t host it on WordPress or elsewhere. It’s hard enough to manage and optimize one site. Don’t double the trouble.

what is offpage seo plan

If you are not sure your off page SEO is going the right way…

… then maybe it’s really not.
Usually, if your off page strategy is running well, your page authority will be improved, hence higher rankings, more traffic and conversions.
So if you have to wonder whether you’re doing it right, the results are not to your liking. You have a feeling that something is wrong, the question is “Where?”
A possible option is an SEO audit – a thorough check on every aspect of your search engine optimization process. But be noted that the cause for low digital results may be from SEO or otherwise.

Learn more: What is link baiting and how to perfect these techniques to attract good backlinks to your website?

Conclusion

Off page optimization is often seen as a challenge because it isn’t completely under your control. However, the irresistible benefits make it impossible to ignore. Because off page SEO is a long-term strategy rather than a quick fix, you also need experience and knowledge about other disciplines including content marketing and social media to realize its full potential.

With experience in various SEO projects across industries, On Digitals is honored to be your loyal partner in the mission to bring your site to the top of SERPs. Contact us today to receive free consultancy on best practices and solutions tailored to your needs.