Are you struggling to rank in Google no matter how much time and effort you pour into it? It is very possible that your off-page SEO could be the reason why you are not seeing the results that you want to. SEO is divided into two different categories: off-page SEO and on-page SEO. Many people view off-page SEO as something that is very similar to building links. In this post we are going to talk about the following things:

• What exactly off-page SEO is
• The difference between off-page SEO and on-page SEO
• The importance of off-page SEO
• Off-page factors related to links
• Off-page factors that are unrelated to links

What does off-page SEO mean?

Off-page SEO envelops any efforts that are made outside of a website in order to make an improvement to where the website ranks within a search engine. While backlinks are important, there is much more to it as well.

Comparing on-page SEO and off-page SEO

On-page SEO is something that a user has absolute control over. With off-page SEO that is not how it works. If I reach out to someone and ask them to link me to their page in some way, that is considered off-page SEO. What makes it fall into that classification? That is because I did not make any changes to my website throughout the entire process. On the flip side, if I decide to optimize some of the images on my website, that is considered to be on-page SEO because that is a change that I made on my website directly. In order to better know the difference between the two, it is a good idea to stop and think if what you are doing is something that is completely under your control. If it is not, then it is very likely what is known as off-page SEO.

What is the importance of off-page SEO?

When Google decides where a web page should rank, there are several factors that they take into consideration. Links are just one of the many factors that they consider. Due to this, it makes it rather difficult to gain rank on simply your content.

Off-page factors that are link-related

One of the most important parts of off-page SEO is backlinks. Backlinks are important because Google uses something called PageRank. This program uses an algorithm that takes a look at not only the quality of the backlinks, but the quantity of them as well. There are many SEO professionals that consider PageRank to be a concept that is outdated. However, Google made the confirmation that it is still considered an important factor in ranking.

Number of referring domains

When a site has more links that are a result of unique websites, they not only have higher organic search traffic, but they generally score higher rankings as well. If you want to check and see how many backlinks are on your website, you can use Ahrefs’ Site Explorer.

Link authority

When it comes to links, they are certainly not all created equally. Quality is something that matters a lot. This is especially true when it comes to PageRank and how it works. The higher the level of authority that a link page holds, the more of that authority that it is able to pass on to the other pages that are linked to it. What this means is that when a link comes from a page that has high authority, then the worth will be far higher than one coming from a page with low authority. This brings about a great question. How is the authority of a web page judged? In the past, Google has PageRank scores. Those were done away with in 2016. At this point, there is not anything that is an exact replica of PageRank. However, there are some programs that are very similar. Ahref’s URL Rating is one that is commonly used.

Nofollow vs. Dofollow

PageRank is not something that Google transfers across links that are considered nofollow. The majority of ranks on the web are followed but, there are some sites such as Forbes that nofollow almost all of their outbound links. If you are attempting to build links from a specific website, it is certainly a good idea to make sure that all of their outbound links are followed.

Anchor text

When you see words that are clickable that is referred to as anchor text. This is what leads you to another web page. It is highly likely that backlinks that have anchor text that relates to the topic of your site will have a much greater influence on your rankings than those that are unrelated.

Non-link related off page factors

Anything that takes place outside of your website and has the ability to affect the rankings of your search engine, is referred to as off-page SEO. Obviously, building links is one of the first examples that comes to mind. There are also other factors besides just links.
If you are a local business that is looking to increase your local ranks, then this section will certainly grab your attention.

NAP citations

When your business is mentioned online and that mention includes your name, address, and phone, that is known as a NAP citation. At the top of the list of off-page ranking factors, are citation signals. If your goal is to improve your local SEO, then citations are going to be very important to you.

Brand Mentions

Brand mentions are something that can be linked or unlinked.

Google My Business

With Google you can get a free business profile. These profiles are what determines the rank that you have with Google.

Reviews

These are something that can make or break your business. They are certainly something that has a great impact on your rankings as well.

Off-page SEO is something that may seem more difficult than on-page SEO because there are so many factors that are out of your control. But, that is the point of it all. The harder it is to earn, the higher the rankings will be resulting from it.