Off Page SEO Strategies: A Dummy’s Cheat Code To Optimization!

I started my career as a content marketing professional 7 years ago. And while on-page SEO is something you sort of learn when you are working, the same cannot be said about off page SEO.

Off page SEO is where the real SEO begins – just optimizing your website is not going to help you rank. Google and other search engines also look at other websites to find out how credible your website is. 

Off-page SEO strategies such as obtaining online reviews, link building, and social sharing help a website build authority and credibility. 

Trust me on this one – without off-page SEO, ranking on top is an impossibility. And if I (an SEO layman) could do it on my own for this website, you can as well – albeit with the right tools and strategies. 

In this comprehensive blog, I’ll talk about the off page SEO strategies I implemented on this website (Search Engine Magazine) and the results I received.

The truth is – if you don’t fiddle around with what could work for you and solely depend on theoretical knowledge, you won’t be able to step up your optimization game.

Why Is Off Page SEO Important?

Most people think off-page SEO is only about obtaining backlinks on a website. I agree – link building is important for your off-page SEO optimization. Having said that, it is also true that off-page SEO is much more than – without a balanced, well-rounded approach. 

So, why is off page SEO crucial?

Jyoti Singh, SEO Expert at Search Engine Magazine, says:

“Is Off-Page SEO Important? Unquestionably, A BIG YES! Earning backlinks from authoritative websites, getting mentions, and obtaining views from social media platforms from external sources rather than self-promotion will prove the reliability and authenticity in the eyes of search engines. 

Once this trust is built, then search engines themselves ensure you will have your website user’s trust, too. As per the March update, user experience is prioritized in every aspect of the website world. 

So as Off-Page SEO, prioritizing the user experience and relevance through genuine user engagement and mentions.”

The benefits of Off Page SEO are as follows:

1. It boosts brand awareness.
2. It establishes trust.
3. Also, it drives organic traffic to a website.

On-Page Vs Off Page SEO

This is where most brands and marketers make a mistake – you must understand the difference between the two types of SEO before you can implement any of the two forms. You already know what is off page SEO, but what about on page SEO?

• On-page SEO includes all search engine optimization strategies that are used directly on the website. Any website with optimized content can easily help search engine bots scan the site throughout the day. This helps search engines figure out how your website content can help users and then compare that to other sites’ content. And things like photos, links, meta tags, and text content all fall under this section. 

• Off page SEO includes all SEO-related activities that work beyond the confines of any website. Moreover, it is the link-building activity that truly rules off-page SEO. Moreover, there are so many other activities that can be done to get your website to rank well. This is very similar to PR and social media marketing. 

• Technical SEO refers to the process of improving both the crawling and indexing of any website by Google. The concept of technical SEO involves things like speed improvement, URL canonicalization, structure, and the like. 

When you attempt to select on page and off page SEO, or even technical SEO, you are technically making a mistake. It’s very similar to constructing a house – can you choose between the walls, ceiling, or the foundation? 

For building a good house, you need to make sure all sections of your house are built right. Likewise, improving your website’s rank on search engines is very similar – you have to prioritize all factors equally for the most effective results.  page SEO, or even technical SEO, you are technically making a mistake. It’s very similar to constructing a house – can you choose between the walls, ceiling, or the foundation?

For building a good house, you need to make sure all sections of your house are built right. Likewise, improving your website’s rank on search engines is very similar – you have to prioritize all factors equally for the most effective results.

Off Page SEO Strategies (That Worked For Me):

So, here are some core off page SEO strategies that always work. With the help of Jyoti Singh, I was able to implement these strategies on Search Engine Magazine right after the website was hit by the ‘iconic’ Google March Update in 2024. 

We worked on the website for 9 months before we saw any progress. And while the idea was to clean our website and adhere to Google’s updated policies, the implementation of the same was a long-drawn process.  

But after 9 months, we saw the website showing some traction. When Google rolled out its Spam Update in December 2024, we waited with bated breath – the little traction we had started witnessing could have gotten impacted. 

Fortunately, we survived the update and by the time New Year rolled in, we started seeing actual improvement, thanks to our balanced content-SEO approach.  

In this context, let’s check out the off page SEO strategies that drove traffic to our website after we were stagnant at 0 organic traffic for months. 

1. Link Building:

Backlinks on reliable, credible websites add confidence to your website’s content. Basically, the more backlinks you obtain, the more chances you have of improving your ranking on SERPs. 

2. Social Media:

Posting your website content on social media improves brand awareness, enabling you to interact with your ideal target audience and boost your website’s traffic. 

3. Forums:

Contributing to discussion forums such as Quora and Reddit increases trust and brand awareness. Moreover, these forums can also offer great ideas for content marketing and keyword research. 

4. Content Marketing:

Creating relevant, high-quality content typically attracts backlinks from different websites. It also helps you improve shares on socials. 

5. Bylined Thought Leadership:

Publishing content on different websites will generate backlinks and highlight your expertise. However, keep in mind that this kind of content typically generates a relatively low search volume. 

6. Citations:

Citations are a little different from generating backlinks. These list your phone number, address, and business name on different directories. They are ideal for highlighting you as a dependable, consistent, and active business. 

7. Reviews:

Positive reviews show search engines and your audience that you are a reputable business. Moreover, reviews can also contain keywords that can feature your business under additional searches. 

8. Influencer Marketing:

Influencer marketing promotes your brand, introducing your website to a new set of people. It shows you are a credible business and helps in building backlinks. 

9. Podcasting:

Making guest appearances on industry podcasts offers an opportunity to boost your business, showing your audience that you are a voice of trust and authority. 

How To Avoid Google Penalties For Unnatural Links?

Without mentioning unnatural links and Google penalties, I can’t discuss off-page SEO. 

While relevant and high-quality links can improve your ranking on SERPs, low-quality and spammy links can impact your ranking. In fact, the search engine might stop showing your website pages completely (something we faced right after the March Update last year).

Here’s how you can ensure only high-quality backlinks for your website:

1. Avoid any unethical SEO practices, such as private blog networks and paid link schemes.
2. Track your website’s backlinks daily and flag any development that might seem suspicious. 
3. Before requesting backlinks, do a comprehensive audit of the website – find out the website’s domain authority, brand relevancy, and organic traffic. 
4. Take a steady approach while growing links. A sudden increase might become an issue for search engines.
5. Focus on generating backlinks from relevant websites in your niche. Search engines look at irrelevant links as red flags. 
6. Create authentic and high-quality content that resonates with (or helps) your target audience. Content that fails to add value doesn’t get backlinks.