This article assumes you’ve read theUnderstanding Search Engines lesson. Also you might want to check out the Best Onsite Search Engine Optimization Tips Part I, Part II and Part III.
Off-Site SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization methods performed on other websites which influence the ranking of your website. Unfortunately optimizing the content on your webpages alone is insufficient, for effective SEO you need incoming links from other websites, these are known as “backlinks”.
Search Engines also take the quality of backlinks into consideration. Their quality is determined by:
- The relevance of the webpage containing your backlink
The webpage backlinking to your website should contain content relevant to your website.>
For example, a scuba diving website with a backlink on knitting website would be a very irrelevant backlink. But a scuba diving website with a backlink on a scuba diving supply website would be highly relevant backlink.
- The amount of traffic received by the webpage containing your backlinkThe more popular (I.e. it receives a lot of traffic) the webpage containing your backlink the more highly Search Engines regard the backlink. Kind of like being seen with the cool kids at school.
- The amount of traffic coming from your backlink
Like the previous point, if your backlink drives a lot of traffic then Search Engines will see it as higher quality.
Just remember backlinks are only one factor which Search Engines use to rank a webpage, but an important factor nonetheless.
How To Get Backlinks
Here are some quick and easy methods of getting backlinks:
- Create content and encourage people to link to it
It’s always helpful to put a “Share button” on your pages. When a user clicks on the Share Button a small window appears filled with Social Network Icons. When the user clicks upon these buttons a link and sometimes a summary your of webpage’s content is posted on their corresponding social profile.
- Do link exchanges with relevant websites.
By relevant I mean websites with similar content as Search Engines take this into consideration. It also helps if the backlink is on a website that receives a lot of traffic.
- Getting directory or classifieds listings
Not only is listing your website in a directory or classifieds a great way to promote your website, but it’s also a great way to get a backlink from a website that receives a decent amount of traffic.
- Writing and syndicating articles
Similarly you can gain backlinks by writing articles and submitting them to article directories. The main difference however is the content of your article will be spidered by Search Engines, so somebody searching for the keywords in your article will find it in the article directory, which in turn links back to your website.
Just make sure the content of your articles is different to the content on your website. Google now takes the originality of your written content into account so if other websites have identical content to your own, this could work against you.
Some of the most popular article directories include:
- Making forum postings
Online discussion forums, also known as message boards, are another place you can leave backlinks to your website. But under no circumstance spam or violate the terms & conditions of the forum so never register an account for the sole purpose of gaining a backlink. If you do post a backlink ensure it’s to the benefit of the discussion. Many forums however permit you to link back to your website in your post signature.
- Posting comments to related blogs
Similar concept and rules as forums – only leave a backlink when you have something of value to add. Posting a backlink without bothering to write a comment will likely trip the blog’s spam filter anyway.
Just make sure you read the forum’s terms and condition before posting any backlinks!
Is that enough offsite SEO for you? Well next time I’ll be looking at some slightly more advanced methods of gaining backlinks, but you should have plenty of ideas to get started. Check out our Offsite SEO Tips Part II!
But if you’re busy with other matters you may not have time to submit backlinks. No problem,we can do it for you! If you’re unsure or need assistance just contact us via the form below.
