Obviously, among these factors, backlinks, one of Google's main positioning factors, are placed in the foreground, but these are not the only elements that matter in terms of visibility on the network. What are the others?
What is off-page SEO?
“Off-page SEO” is a definition that indicates a series of activities that are carried out on elements external to a website in order to increase its reputation in the eyes of search engines. External optimization of a website obviously involves link building, obtaining backlinks from valuable sites to improve the reputation of a portal, but it is not limited to this.
In fact, links are taken as a measure of the importance of a website, but in addition to them there are other factors that Google can consider more or less consistently for positioning purposes.
In general, off-page SEO includes all those activities that are carried out to improve the visibility of a site on the web without resorting to changes in the structure and code of the latter.
When to resort to off-page SEO?
A successful strategy must take into account all those factors that develop outside the website in question and that influence its authority and visibility. Just as a person's reputation is affected by various types of elements (rumors, references, interviews, reviews), the website is affected by mentions, quotes, activities on the brand's territory, etc.
Off page SEO includes a number of valuable disciplines in terms of external signals that search engines can process to evaluate a site's authority in its sector. They are very important in those contexts where competition is very fierce and it is necessary to focus more on the external factors that underlie the ranking.
What activities does off-page SEO include?
Off-page SEO activities include:
- link building
- social media marketing
- content marketing aimed at other platforms
- reviews
- local dating
Link building
Link building is a strategy aimed at obtaining links from authorized portals, actually visited and themed with the destination.
Links are one of the main ranking factors on Google and are obvious “estimation signals” provided by other sites that algorithms take into account for ranking purposes.
Content Marketing and Guest Posting
Creating valuable content is one of the pillars at the foundation of building a website's authoritative reputation, but it does not necessarily have to take place within the site in question. Contents are elements that attract the attention of the public, and this also happens when they are published on sites other than yours.
Creating interesting resources is a technique used to generate interest around the brand and build around it an aura of a competent and reliable subject in its sector.
Link building is frequently carried out by creating guest posts, content designed to be hosted on other sites with a link within your own.
Truly effective content - and therefore whose links generate more effective traffic - are those designed to truly respond to the needs of its audience, possibly in a more original way than the competition already does.
To do this, it is possible to create resources such as:
- blog articles
- video lesson
- infographics
- case studies
- polls
- podcast
that explore a specific topic that a site may be interested in hosting to gain online traffic to their business.
Public relations
Public relations is a series of online and offline activities aimed at increasing brand awareness. They may include:
- interviews
- sponsorships
- participation in sector events
- collaborations
They generally include all those activities that aim to make a brand known to a segment of the public that generally does not follow its activities.
Public relations allows you to generate chatter (buzz) around a brand, to create curiosity and therefore searches for information.
Google is able to capture these queries focused on the activities, products and services of a particular brand. With tools like Google Trends and Google autocomplete, for example, we can evaluate whether there are consistent searches related to a certain brand, to see first-hand whether digital public relations has managed to awaken public interest.
Mentions
Mentions are references to other websites made without using links. Even in the absence of a clickable link, they are still signals of interest and are therefore evaluated positively for the purposes of a website's reputation.
To be truly effective, quotes must be made in a positive sense, that is, expressed in a flattering sense with respect to the brand in question, and formulated in a context relevant to that of the object of the mention (for example, the review of a chef in a cooking forum).
Forums are one of the main channels, in addition to social networks, in which mentions of brands, companies and topics accumulate: people exchange information and opinions on topics capable of providing products and services appropriate to their needs, to ensure make effective decisions. . Being mentioned - in a positive tone - among the most relevant names in your sector is an excellent sign of relevance and contextualization, even in the absence of links. Forums have fallen into disuse with the development of social networks and the spread of blogs, however, they are still appreciated in certain niches, especially because they allow enthusiasts to exchange information that can be found even after some time.
Reviews
Reviews are opinions left on special platforms (TripAdvisor, Google MyBusiness, Facebook Pages...) that testify to visitors about the experiences that the brands' customers have had.
Collecting positive experiences is a laudable goal not only to provide Google with proof of your value, but also to incentivize the effectiveness of calls to action. A brand that spends positive claims can communicate its value more effectively and convert more effectively. From there, better positive signals are derived regarding the effectiveness of the site (time spent, organic incoming traffic, number of pages visited...) that can be translated into positive elements on positioning.
Red social
Links shared on social networks are not directly useful for ranking, since they do not transmit link juice since they are “sterilized” precisely to prevent their abuse to distort positioning.
However, social networks are very useful platforms to increase the visibility of a brand in its context. It is expected that an active company that takes care of contacts with its audience has every interest in taking care of its presence on social networks, both with regard to the information shared by its official page, and by participating in thematic communities with relevant interventions.
Sharing content in a balanced way, without propensity for spam, in the social communities relevant to your business, is a good way to make your brand known to potential interested parties. Social media is a great platform for providing timely customer support as well as getting first contact from potential customers, making it one of the most enjoyable solutions in terms of online reputation management.
Tools like Quora and Reddit allow you to cultivate relationships with your audience and offer useful content to increase your reputation.
Influencers are particularly visible subjects in their own field and considered as authoritative sources of information: they constitute excellent reference points for public relations purposes. To increase the visibility of our brand we can use influencers on their respective social networks that are economically within our reach, to agree on sponsorships or recommendations in the appropriate way for them.
Google My Business
Google MyBusiness is a platform made available by Google in which companies can maintain a profile of their business that will be visible on Google Maps and among local results on the SERP.
The MyBusiness card is a concentrate of information about a local business that the brand can manage so that its presence on the web is more easily recognizable.
Users can leave comments about the goods and services used and request information, which will remain visible to everyone. By taking care of your profile you help to give an updated image of your brand, to collect positive judgments about your work and to respond to negative criticism to defend your work.
Brand building
Visibility on the Internet is achieved through several factors, generally related to the brand linked to the website. Brand building is the practice that involves those activities aimed at cementing the reputation of a brand on the Internet.
This can be for example:
- sponsorships and participation in sector events
- interviews
- case studies
and all those contents that bring the brand closer to audiences that generally do not follow it.
