A Quick Guide to Off-Page SEO in 2021

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about search engine optimization (SEO)? Most novice marketers associate SEO with publishing insightful blog posts using the right keywords. You might take this a step further and decide to improve your website’s speed and user experience.

But amidst this rigmarole, you’ll end up ignoring another critical aspect of SEO, i.e., off-page SEO. Unlike on-page SEO, its off-page counterpart isn’t as straightforward as creating engaging, keyword-rich content. Instead, you need to focus on positioning your website as a reputed and trustworthy source of information.

In this blog, we’ll discuss a few useful off-page SEO techniques to help you get started. But let’s first take a closer look at the concept of off-page SEO and understand why it’s important.

Simply put, off-page SEO encompasses everything you do outside your website to boost its search engine ranking. The primary aim of off-page SEO is to indicate to search engines that your website is a credible and trusted repository of content. Also, you need to position your brand as an industry authority.

When search engines perceive your website as a trustworthy source of content, they’re more likely to include it in relevant search engine results. This, in turn, will help skyrocket website traffic and brand awareness.

When correctly utilized, off-page SEO can also help you reinforce brand trust and reputation. Additionally, it’s instrumental in diversifying your audience and further maximizing your reach.

Typically, off-page SEO involves various techniques, such as:

It’s worth mentioning here that off-page SEO isn’t an alternative to on-page SEO. Even the best link-building techniques won’t yield any high-quality backlinks if your website delivers a poor user experience or mediocre content.

That’s why you should strive to maintain a balance between your on-page and off-page SEO activities. As a ground rule, you should outline a robust content strategy and identify the right target keywords. Also, you must ensure that your website is fast, responsive, and secure. Perform a site audit to weed out any usability or performance issues before you start working on off-page SEO.

Also, you should make it a point to stay away from black hat SEO tactics, such as buying backlinks or using spammy/suspicious links. Instead of boosting your website’s ranking, these tactics could result in manual penalties.

Now that this is out of the way, let’s a look at a few useful off-page SEO techniques.

In 2021, off-page SEO is no longer restricted to utilizing guest blogging and niche edits for link building. Of course, backlinks continue to play a significant role in improving your website’s search engine ranking.

In fact, a recent study by Backlinko revealed a direct correlation between a website’s backlinks and Google ranking. But search engines are also using other trust signals, including brand mentions and searches, to determine search engine ranking.

Here are the top off-page SEO tactics you should use in 2021:

If you’ve written a blog post, chances are you’ve looked for reliable data and statistics to enhance your content. And you’ve added a link to the web page from where you sourced the data. You can use this same strategy to boost your website’s SEO.

From whitepapers and case studies to industry reports and trends - there are various ways to create research-backed content on your website. Make sure you choose a topic that’ll resonate with your target audience.

Google uses E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trust) as key off-page ranking parameters. That’s why it is crucial for you to use suitable measures to boost your website’s E-A-T signals. To begin with, you should add impressive author bios to all blog posts on your website.

Also, publish thought leadership articles on popular and authoritative websites in your niche. Participate in relevant podcasts, webinars, and virtual events to get your website featured far and wide. 

Additionally, you should work towards attracting a plethora of positive customer reviews. Encourage existing customers to share reviews on social media platforms, as well as review aggregator sites. You could even display these reviews on your website and social media profiles.

While you continue to experiment with newer off-page SEO techniques, don’t forget to utilize the traditional methods as well. Analyze your competitors’ inbound link profiles to identify broken link opportunities. Also, pitch to popular blogs in your niche to explore possibilities for guest posting.

What off-page SEO strategies are you using for your website? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.