What is off-page SEO?

Most people use Google to find products or services like yours. 

But they won’t see your website unless it’s listed on page one, which is where searches typically end. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an affordable way to stand out on page one, regardless of the user’s intention:

• Indirect searches about a general problem your brand solves
• Specific searches for a solution like yours (without naming your brand)

What is off-page SEO? Actions that promote your content on other websites and boost your visibility in searches, so you attract visitors who are interested in your offering.

What is off-page SEO?

Off-page SEO describes actions taken OUTSIDE your website to:

1. Convince search engines that your trustworthy website deserves a prominent display in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant queries.
2. Attract website visitors (traffic) from other websites that mention your brand or link to your website.

Your mission, if you choose to accept: 

Encourage other websites to endorse YOUR pages with mentions and links directed back to your URLs. Share your stuff on social media and ask for positive reviews! Don’t forget to post your business information on relevant online directories, as well. 

Common off-page SEO tactics that improve website authority (reputation):

• Building backlinks
• Earning brand mentions across the internet
• Local citations: adding business details to relevant online platforms
• Social media promotion
• Influencer marketing
• Guest blogging 
• Creating partnerships with authoritative websites 
• Attracting positive reviews from customers or clients
• Distributing press releases

Psst: the more reputable the endorsements you attract, the more Google trusts your content.

Off-page SEO importance for online growth

What happens when technical algorithms (A) detect your web page targets the search query AND (B) classify your website as a reliable source of information?

Match made in heaven! 

This sweet combo encourages search engines to reward your valuable content with a page one display snippet, which attracts more visitors to your site. 

Why strive to be top dog in the first place? The digital arena is so crowded, you’re unlikely to stand out without an intentional strategy that includes off-page SEO techniques like:

• Prime SERP visibility (ideally page one rankings)
• Backlinks: people clicking your link through other websites 
• Brand mentions: when other sites mention your brand
• Positive reviews from customers, clients or patients

Remember: search engines pay attention to website reputation, which plays a key role in Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines.

The importance of E-E-A-T Signals: 

Google identifies the most reliable content for any search query based on Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust (E-E-A-T) signals. 

A few off-page SEO examples that boost E-E-A-T signals:

• Experience: demonstrate experience by talking about first-hand accounts or using author bios when publishing.
• Expertise: well-researched and accurate content that includes links to respected sources.
• Authority: credible sites promote your content (backlinks). If you look for information about “travel itinerary to Perth”, search engines give higher visibility to web pages referenced by credible websites. A study by software company AHREFS shows the lack of backlinks is one reason why 96 per cent of web pages attract no organic traffic. 
• Trustworthiness: transparent information with clear contact details, positive reviews and endorsements from other sites.

Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA): 

Software company Moz developed these metrics to predict the ranking potential of a nominated web page based on credibility signals that search engines likely consider (DA and PA are third-party metrics, not Google’s direct ranking factors).

Helpful off-page SEO techniques (a closer look)

⭐  Link Building: backlinks show your credibility

Your mission is to get other websites to link to YOUR webpage in their content.

How do backlinks (or inbound links) get you noticed?

1. Search algorithms see your content is in demand and worthy of higher visibility.
2. Attract clicks (online traffic/visits) from people browsing other websites.

Google is most impressed with external links from respected websites with high domain or page authority, so focus on quality over quantity. Authoritative websites also tend to attract a flock of visitors, which means more traffic for you.

Ideas for attracting quality backlinks:

• Give people a reason to share your content: What does your target audience want to discover in relation to your market? Carefully research the topic and create original content, such as an “ultimate guide” or infographic that breaks down a complex subject. Remember, people naturally want to share helpful information with others!
• Guest posting: Write a valuable blog post for another website in your industry that includes a link back to your site.
• Interviews and webinars: Getting interviewed on reputable blogs or industry podcasts allows you to share your expertise and attract brand mentions. Ask organisers to mention your website in promotional materials.
• Awards and industry recognition: Winning industry awards builds your credibility among humans and provides backlink opportunities from award pages.
• Media promotion:

  • Distribute press releases: Distribute press releases when you have something genuinely newsworthy, as this can directly lead to brand mentions and backlinks when journalists pick up the story. Non-media websites may also find (and share) your content this way!
  • List your information in a directory for journalists seeking industry experts. SourceBottle is a global platform for subscribers, but it also offers free opportunities. It costs nothing to create an expert profile that reporters can access when seeking comment for a story related to your offering. Ideally, that reporter will quote you in their story and link to your website!
  • Feeling bold? Contact journos directly: After creating fantastic content, consider reaching out to relevant journalists and bloggers. Journalists are always looking for stories (especially on slow news days), so they won’t say no to newsworthy content.

⭐ Turn unlinked brand mentions into linked opportunities: 

Sometimes, a website will mention your business, but without a link that directs traffic to your site. That’s ok! Link or no link, it doesn’t matter. Google pays attention when multiple websites mention your brand in a positive light.

However, links give your website a stronger credibility signal in Google’s eyes.

Find unlinked mentions and ask the website owner if they’ll consider adding your link. 

Subscription tools like AHREFS and Moz identify unlinked brand mentions (10 free link searches per month with Moz). 

Psst, looking for a COMPLETELY FREE option?

Set up Google Alerts for email notifications whenever your brand is mentioned.

1. Go to google.com/alerts
2. Enter your brand name, product name, team names and any other relevant industry terms
3. Customise how often you want to receive notifications e.g. once a week
4. Set your language
5. Create the alert

⭐ Replace broken links: 

Find inactive links on external sites. Suggest the site owner replace the broken link with relevant content from your website. 

⭐ Ask for positive reviews: 

Did you know that reviews influence 95 per cent of purchase decisions? Encourage your customers, clients or patients to leave positive reviews! Not only does this boost your reputation with humans, but Google also pays attention to reviews (especially for local searches).

⭐ Digital citations: share your basic details!

Publish accurate NAP data (business name, address, phone number) on general online directories like Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, True Local, Hot Frog, Yelp Australia and AussieWeb. Don’t forget to add your information to industry-specific directories – such as the Australian Lawyers Directory, for those seeking legal advice.

Find more advice about local citations in our Australian local SEO checklist.

⭐ Repurposing: milk your content for all it’s worth! Adapt existing content for different platforms to expand your reach. Ideas include turning blog posts into YouTube videos, creating podcast episodes or sharing bite-sized insights on social media.

⭐ Social media: a strong social media presence captures the attention of users who may visit your website or share your link. Consider partnering with niche influencers for product reviews or testimonials, if this makes sense for your brand.

Now, let’s talk about common mistakes to avoid when using techniques from your off-page SEO checklist!

Common off-page SEO mistakes

• Buying backlinks from spammy websites: Google’s algorithm may penalise your site with low ranks if it detects a link scheme. Instead, focus on earning links naturally by creating valuable content that people genuinely want to promote. ONE high-quality link from a trusted source is worth more than a hundred low-quality or spammy links. Prioritise getting links from reputable websites with high domain authority, not just any website.
• No listing in online directories: You’re missing out on a potential goldmine because consumers use these directories to find companies in different industries. But even if you’ve already created online citations, don’t pat yourself on the back unless all NAP data is accurate and consistent across all platforms! Incorrect information, like the wrong address, quickly erodes trust.
• Your social media collects dust: A staggering 92% of internet users browse social media for more than two hours daily, on average! It isn’t enough to create a Facebook or Instagram account and call it a day. Unless you post regularly and engage with your audience, there’s no point in having a social media presence.
• Providing no value to your target audience: You can’t naturally attract quality links and mentions if you don’t publish valuable content that your specific audience would love. Discover what interests your core demographic, then focus on creating quality content on a website that’s easy to navigate! 
• This leads us to the final mistake: focusing too much on promotional off-page SEO techniques, while neglecting on-page and technical SEO strategies that make your website worth promoting in the first place!

On-page vs off-page vs technical SEO

Off-page SEO is a key ingredient in a recipe that combines on-page, technical and off-page SEO techniques to improve website visibility, traffic and conversions.

All three strategies support each other:

• On-page SEO: Publishing helpful website content for a popular search query, then structuring that content appealingly for Google’s ranking criteria. 
• Technical SEO: Improving website navigation for robots, while also giving humans a pleasant browsing experience to increase their engagement levels.
• Off-page SEO service: Promoting your website content on external online platforms to boost website reputation and spread positive brand awareness.

We’ve covered off-page SEO optimisation in detail, but keep reading for a quick summary of its partners in crime.

On-page SEO: matching web content to the search query

On-page SEO refers to all content-related actions taken on your website to show search engines you’re creating helpful responses to particular queries, so you deserve to stand out online.

Targeting popular keywords is key:

Both your web content and SERP snippets must strategically include keywords that catch the attention of technical algorithms responsible for finding, understanding and ranking websites in search engines. 

Your reward for a job well done? Prime real estate (page one ranks) in Google.

But you’d be a fool to get comfortable here …

The search gods will demote your webpage to no-man’s land if your content doesn’t hold the attention of human visitors, as indicated by low website clicks (CTR: click-through rates) and short browsing times.

But this is not your fate! 

Attract visitors who linger on your website by publishing compelling content in response to popular queries related to your offering.

The best on-page SEO strategies appeal to BOTH human behaviour and search algorithm patterns:

• Create quality content that matches user intent
• Structure content around target keywords in a conversational (subtle) way
• Include relevant internal and authoritative external links
• Add the target keywords to on-page elements like titles and images
• Write engaging search previews that include the main keyword
• Improve HTML source code for the technical algorithms

Technical SEO: better website navigation for robots and humans

Technical SEO optimises your website’s foundational structure – including the servers, software, databases and other hidden elements that enable a smooth performance. 

In other words?

You’re helping search engines easily crawl (discover), index (list), understand and rank your website; while ALSO giving human visitors a pleasant browsing experience so they stay engaged.

Key technical SEO strategies include:

• Improve site speed
• Fix core web vitals
• Ensure your website is user-friendly on mobile devices
• Clear organisation of site architecture (framework for web pages)
• Optimise images for fast-loading time
• Add structured data to help Google crawl pages
• Introduce HTTPS for site security 
• Fix broken links
• Improve robots.txt
• Make sure URLs are descriptive and short
• Add breadcrumb navigation to provide direction
• Remove duplicate content 

Off-page SEO benefits companies of all sizes … just ask our clients!

For more than 25 years, we’ve helped local, interstate and international clients to connect with their dream audience online. E-Web Marketing primarily works with small to medium businesses that benefit from cost-effective strategies, saving them thousands of dollars!

Our Sydney-based team excels in every aspect of digital marketing, including on-page, technical and off-page SEO services. We’re proud finalists in the APAC Search Awards for the Asia-Pacific region.

Contact us for more information or to book a free consultation. 

P.S. Want to ask our clients about their experiences? Let us know, we’ll put you in touch with those who gave their blessing!