Off-Page Search Engine Optimization

Understanding Off-Page Search Engine Optimization

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RANKING ON PAGE ONE REQUIRES

A COMBINATION OF ON-PAGE AND OFF-PAGE

SEO EFFORTS

Web Savvy Marketing & iThemes Media LLC Copyright © 2016, All Rights Reserved

IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OFF-PAGE SEO IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

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GOOGLE NEEDS TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHY IT SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU DO


OFF-PAGE SEO MAKES THAT

HAPPEN


Successful SEO Requires Off-Page Activity

Are you a trustworthy website or blog?

Are you considered an authority over specific subject matter, topic, or industry?

Do you provide high quality content that will make users happy?

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Good SEO includes a variety of factors that help search engines understand the quality, authority, and trust of your website or blog. This is the nature of off-page SEO.

Off-page SEO factors help search engines answer those questions!

Off-site SEO factors are like votes for the homecoming king or queen.


Off-Site Data Points

v  Brandmen)onsandcita)ons

v  Socialmediaprofiles

v  Socialmediaac)vity

v  Userreviewsandrecommenda)ons

v  Referringdomainsandbacklinks(inboundlinks)

v  Localdirectoriesandindividualprofilelis)ngsv  Domainregistra)ondata

v  Hos)nginforma)on

Below is a sample list of off-site data points. While these are not all of them, they are the most important.

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Pro Tips for Optimization

Buildoff-sitedatapointstothemainURLplusindivdiualpages,posts,andproducts.

BEFORE YOU START BUILDING OFF-PAGE SEO 2


Prepare a Cheat Sheet

v  Websitename

v  URLs–mainandcornerstonecontent

v  Contactinforma)on

v  Phonenumber–localareacodeforsmallgeographicalfocusedsites

v  Topsearchterms–yourtopfivesearchterms

v  Shortdescrip)onthatusesthesesearchterms(25-50words)

v  Longdescrip)onthatusesthesesearchterms

v  Logofiles–varioussizesandfiletypesv  Imagesusedinmainwebsitebrandingorforproductsandservices

When working on off-page SEO, it is best to consider the relevant data points and make sure you have these ready so you keep yourself on-task and on-target.

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CONSISTENCY IS VERY IMPORTANT

TO SEARCH ENGINES


This is why you create a cheat sheet. It keeps you on-track and on-target!

UNDERSTANDING BACKLINKS 3


What is a Backlink? A backlink, also referred to as an inbound link, is created when a third party website or blog links over to your content. Backlinks help in driving brand awareness, website traffic, and help improve your organic search ranking.

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Themajorsearchenginesusealotofdifferentmetricstodeterminethevalueofexternallinks.Someofthesemetricsinclude:

v  Thetrustworthinessofthelinkingdomain

v  Thepopularityofthelinkingpagev  Therelevancyofthecontentbetweenthesourcepageandthetargetpagev  Theanchortextusedinthelinkv  Theamountoflinkstothesamepageonthesourcepage

v  Anumberofdomainsthatlinktothetargetpage

v  Theamountofvaria)onsthatareusedasanchortexttolinkstothetargetpage

v  Theownershiprela)onshipbetweenthesourceandtargetdomains

Backlink are Important How do I truly know backlinks matter? Google tells me so in Google Search Console. If Google is giving you data in Search Console, you know it matters to Google and SEO.

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LINK BUILDING BEST PRACTICES 4


What is Link Building? The process of link building is basically collecting these inbound links. There are a variety of ways to achieve link building, but please be cautious in doing so!

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Somekeypointsonlinkbuilding:

v  Today’sconsultantsandwebsiteownershavetobeverycarefulaboutlinkbuilding.DoingitwrongwillputyouinaGooglepenaltybox.

v  Playitsafeandfocusonbasiclinkbuildingviaqualitycontentandengagement.

v  Buildlinksintothehomepage.

v  Buildlinksintoindividualpiecesofcontent:v  Pagesv  Postsv  Products

v  Don’tstressaboutdofollowanddon’tfollow.Ifyou’reac)onsarelegit,yourarelyhavetoworryaboutifalinkisdofollowornot.

Legit Sources of Link Building 17


v  Socialmediaprofiles

v  Socialmediashares

v  Blogsv  Guestblogposts–becarefulv  Pressreleasedistribu)on–becarefulv  Locallis)ngsv  Localdirectoriesv  Newsorbookmarkingwebsites

v  Reviewwebsitesv  Sponsorships

v  Groupsv  Forums

v  Associa)onsv  Eventlis)ngsv  Presenta)onsv  Documentsharing

v  Speakingengagements

v  Webinars

v  Videosv  Podcasts


Googlehasclearlydefinedrulesonguestposts,pressreleases,andsponsorships.Beforeyouproceedonanyofthese,reviewGoogle’swebmasterguidelinesforqualitycontent.

My Tactics of Link Building 18


v  Writequalitycontentpeoplewanttoreadandshare

v  Beac)veinsocialmediaandplaynicewiththosearoundyou

v  A\endand/orsponsorlocalandonlineeventsv  Sponsorlocalsportsteams(yepyougetlotsoflocalbacklinksthisway)

v  Speakatconferences(WordCampwebsitesandWordPress.tvarethebomb)

v  Appearasaguestonpodcasts(you’veseenmealloverpodcaststhislastyear)

v  Writeguestblogpostonselectsites

v  Publishgoodstuff(YEPI’MSAYINGITAGAIN)


Ifyouproducequalitycontentandpar)cipateinthecommunityaroundyou,peoplewillnaturallylinktoyou,men)onyouandyourwebsite,andshareyourcontent.

YouthinkI’mheretodaybecauseCoryMillerismyBFFandIloveallofyou.I’mreallyhereforthebacklinks!OkandyouandCory.Butalsothebacklinks.

Old Tactics I No Longer Use 19


v  Footerlinksinclientwebsitesorblogsv  Keywordrichlinksinsidepressreleasesv  Guestblogpostswithlinksinsideauthorbiosv  Duplicatepos)ngofcontentacrossmul)plewebsiteswithkeywordrichlinks

v  Linkexchangesv  Anythingautomated

Real Life Confession

AtonepointIhadmyemployer’swebsiteremoveden)relyfromtheGoogleindex.ItwasbecauseIwasdoingblackhatSEOwithoutknowingit.Ididn’tgetfiredandIeventuallydidgetusbackintheindex,butdamagewasdoneandwehadtolaunchanewURLtoregainrank.

Ifyouaregoingtolinkbuild,knowtherulesbeforeyoustart!

PS–Thatwasoverwell10yearsago.I’mwayolder,smarter,andtotallywhitehatnow.

DON’T BE A VICTIM OF BAD LINK BUILDING 5


Google’s List of No No’s and Cautions 21


v  Automa)callygeneratedcontent

v  Sneakyredirectsv  Linkschemes

v  Cloakingv  Hiddentextandlinksv  Doorwaypagesv  Scrapedcontentv  Affiliateprograms

v  Irrelevantkeywordsv  Crea)ngpageswithmaliciousbehavior

v  User-generatedspam

Link Schemes According to Google Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site.

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Thefollowingareexamplesoflinkschemeswhichcannega)velyimpactasite'srankinginsearchresults:

v  BuyingorsellinglinksthatpassPageRank.Thisincludesexchangingmoneyforlinks,orpoststhatcontainlinks;exchanginggoodsorservicesforlinks;orsendingsomeonea“free”productinexchangeforthemwri)ngaboutitandincludingalink.

v  Excessivelinkexchanges("LinktomeandI'lllinktoyou")orpartnerpagesexclusivelyforthesakeofcross-linking

v  Large-scalear)clemarke)ngorguestpos)ngcampaignswithkeyword-richanchortextlinks

v  Usingautomatedprogramsorservicestocreatelinkstoyoursite

Link Schemes According to Google Additionally, creating links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for by the site’s owner on a page, otherwise known as unnatural links, can be considered a violation of our guidelines.

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HereareafewcommonexamplesofunnaturallinksthatmayviolateourguidelinesifPageRankispassed:

v  Textadver)sements

v  Advertorialsorna)veadver)singwherepaymentisreceivedforar)cleslinks

v  Linkswithop)mizedanchortextinar)clesorpressreleasesdistributedonothersites.

v  Low-qualitydirectoryorbookmarksitelinks

v  Keyword-rich,hiddenorlow-qualitylinksembeddedinwidgets

v  Widelydistributedlinksinthefootersortemplatesofvarioussites

v  Forumcommentswithop)mizedlinksinthepostorsignature

BE SMART OR YOU’LL FIND YOURSELF IN SEARCH ENGINE JAIL!


SOCIAL MEDIA IS A CRTITICAL ELEMENT IN TODAY’S SEO 6


Ignore you Mom! Be a social butterfly.


Why Social Media Matters Social media activity is a ranking factor for Google, so it will directly impact how your content is presented in search engine results pages. Saying this a different way – you cannot have good SEO without being active on social media.

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ImportantpointsaboutsocialmediaandSEO:

v  Socialmediaac)vityhasreplacedsomevalueoftradi)onal(non-social)linkbuilding

v  Socialac)vitycountsatawebsiteandindividualURLlevelv  Typesofsocialac)vitythatma\ers:

v  Followersandlikestomainaccount

v  IndividualURLshares,likes,andcomments

v  Yoursocialcloutcounts(whofollows,shares,andinteractswithyou)

How Do I Know Social Media Really Matters?

I’vetesteditwithmyownthemeproducts,blogposts,andpages.Thereisadirectcorrela)onbetweensocialac)vityand)metorankandposi)ononpageoneofSERPs.

COMMON MISTAKES !


Common Mistakes to Avoid 29


CompletelyIgnoringOff-PageFactors

You’velaunchedyournewwebsiteandyouwroteoodlesofcontentandyou’redone.Right?Nope.Thatisjustthebeginning.

Youhavetofollowthatupwithoff-siteac)vity.GoodSEOrequiresbothonandoff-siteac)vity.Thatmeansthecontentisjustthebeginning.

JumpingintoLinkBuilding

Linkbuildingcanworkgreat,butitcanalsobeverydangerous.Beforeyoustart,makesureyouunderstandwhatislegalandwhatisn’tacceptedbysearchengines.

IfyouhireanSEOconsultant,makesureyouhaveaclearunderstandingofwhattheyaredoingsotheydon’tgetintrouble.

SelngUpSocialMediaProfilesandForgelngThem

“Ihavesocialmediaaccountsandhavehadthemforyears”issomethingIomenhavetoldtome.Theproblemsiftheysetuptheaccountsandforgetallaboutthem.

Socialmediaonlyworksifyouareac)veonthem.Ignoresocialmediaanditwillignoreyoutoo.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 30


OnlySharingOtherPeople’sContentonSocialMedia

TherearealotofpeopleItalktothattellmetheirveryac)veonFacebook,butitjustisn’tconver)ngintorevenueforthem.WhenIlookattheprofile,theyarepos)ngcontent,butnoneofitroutesbacktotheiractualwebsite.

Socialmediaisgreat,butrememberthegoalistoroutepeoplebacktoyourwebsiteorblogandbuildlinksforyourcontent.Feelfreetosharecontentofothers,butdon’tforgetyourowncontent.

TalkingtoNoOne

AnothersocialmediablunderIseeispeopleareac)vewithpostsbuthavenoonefollowingtheirprofiles.Thatmeanstheyarebroadcas)nginforma)ontovirtuallynoone.

Successfulatsocialmediaeffortsmeanstobeinterac)ve.Youcanonlydothisifyouinteractwithothersandhaveotherpeopleinterestedinyouandyouraccount.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ?


Thanks for Coming Today!

RebeccaGillFounder of Web Savvy Marketing Instructor at DIYSEOcourses.com @rebeccagill on Twitter

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