Most websites allow guest authors to include a link back to their own website in the author bio or within the content. A single backlink from an authoritative site is much more valuable than a bunch of links from spammy sites. This can then translate into higher rankings and more organic traffic. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency with 25+ years of experience.
In any case, you can find them using a link search tool like Moz’s Open Site Explorer, and usually get them taken down with a simple request to the webmaster in question. Keep your off-page SEO natural by building several links at a regular pace; say, two to five per business day. However, you need to be careful when picking sites from which to link back. Before Google did a major overhaul on their algorithm, quantity seemed to be the dominating factor behind successful off-page SEO strategy. But correlation often does not imply causation, especially when it comes to ranking highly for competitive keywords.
When you’re guest posting, your primary objective should be to reach a new audience, get in front of a related SEO Anomaly site’s traffic, and build your brand. It’s not really about gaining a ton of links—that’s just a bonus. If you want to get even more juice out of your brand mentions, consider an unlinked mention link building campaign. This is where you reach out to websites that have already mentioned you and ask them to add a link to your website.
Imagine that you have a page that Google THINKS is about a specific keyword. You can use the Semrush Site Audit Tool to find pages that are missing H1 tags and write new tags with keywords incorporated into them. In this chapter, I’ll go through actionable techniques that can elevate your on-page SEO game. This’ll help you ensure your content not only attracts but retains its rightful place on the coveted first page of search results. So if you’re using stock photos that a thousand other sites use, consider creating custom images. Shai Aharony tested the effect that stock images had on Google rankings.
And domain authority (trustworthiness, relevance, authority) comes from off-page SEO. If on-page SEO helps to make your content easier to understand, crawl, and index, then off-page SEO helps to build your website into a topical authority in the subject matter your content explores. Google is all about delivering high-quality information to users, and you need to show that your website provides it. A rise in the variety and quantity of these searches is a clear sign of increased brand awareness. To reap these benefits, find meet-ups and speaking engagements in your area.
You can do it directly from the website you’re currently visiting, which further simplifies your research efforts. By combining the right on-page SEO practices with solid off-page optimization, you’ll check all the boxes necessary for ranking high in SERPs. Understand your audience—You need to know which social platforms your audience uses the most so that you can choose the right ones. It’s also important to know what type of content they enjoy the most so that you can match their needs. You can also form many partnerships with influencers and other businesses from your niche, which can give you plenty of traffic that Google will see as a signal of relevance and credibility.
When a searcher looks for “wildflower meadow gardening ideas,” Google and Bing analyze which pages best match the query’s intent by assessing how many reputable sources link to or mention them. Studies show that 91% of web pages get no organic traffic, often due to a lack of backlinks. A well-planned link-building strategy improves rankings by earning high-quality citations. The primary goal of off-page SEO is to convince search engines that your website offers valuable content and deserves prominent positioning in search results.
Off-page SEO is crucial for building authority, awareness, and trustworthiness. You can use digital journalist platforms to connect with journalists looking for insights on specific topics. Journalists put out an inquiry, and you respond with a relevant quote. Journalist links are one of the best off-page SEO tactics for getting links from high-authority domains. Content marketing for off-page SEO isn’t just about self-promotion. It’s about creating something genuinely valuable for your audience.
For example, this is a citation for a plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, CA on a niche business directory called RealSelf. Google uses proximity to service local results, and an area code helps them determine a GMB listings location. But consider your homepage since it likely has the highest page authority of any page on your site. Off-page SEO requires a broader, more holistic approach to SEO that bleeds into every part of the marketing department, not just a one-time set of tactics. Discover the best SEO certifications in 2025 to boost your skills, credibility, and career opportunities—whether you’re a beginner or seasoned pro.
If you search for any competitive keyword, you’ll notice that the top-ranking pages almost all use that exact keyword in their title tag. So if you’re looking for the key to enhancing visibility and user experience, this chapter will answer all of your burning questions. Make a list of relevant influencers, bloggers, personalities, partners, publications, organizations, etc. Then ask them to share customized content you’ve put together for their audiences. This is by far the most challenging aspect of off-site optimization.