Optimising Your Website For Search Part 2: Off-Site Development

n the first part of this series, we discussed the ranking factors that are critical to achieve first-page position – keyword selection, site structuring, contextual linking, user experience development, and mobile optimisation. These on-page factors help Google to determine whether or not a website is properly optimised to give internet searchers the best user experience when they make a relevant query.

However, on-page factors are not the only aspects that determine the ranking of a website on search pages. There are off-page ranking factors that can also significantly impact the performance of a website in relation to its target searches and market.

These website developments are often referred to as off-page SEO, and the second part of our series will be devoted to delving into its finer details.

Link Building

Search engines use links to determine the ranking of a website in their search results as well as discover new web pages to cache.

Using robots, search engines crawl live web pages, analyse data, and record information in their own indexes. This in-depth analysis allows search engines like Google to determine whether or not a page has enough on-site information to appear on search results pages for relevant key phrases.

In addition to on-site data, however, Google also considers the link profile of a website – essentially, the links pointing to a particular website, and the quality of the websites from which these particular links are coming. If the external links referring to a web page are sourced from high quality, high authority websites, Google considers that a positive signal indicating the reputability of the referred web page.

On the other hand, if the external links are sourced from websites and domains that Google deems low quality or suspicious, then the search engine sees that as a negative signal for the referred web page.

To bolster your SEO campaign, you can engage in link building efforts that help you earn organic, high authority links. One approach is outreach email marketing. Your company can offer valuable industry insight via well-crafted content to external websites. In exchange, these high authority websites can provide a link leading to your website or web page.

You can also promote your own content. Truly valuable, share-worthy content can earn unsolicited, organic backlinks, which can improve the link profile of your website.

Social Media Engagement

There are no definitive studies or research indicating social media links and signals have a correlational impact on search engine rankings. Despite that, complementing your SEO efforts with social media marketing activities can do wonders for your online presence. With billions of active users, social media platforms such as Facebook are the perfect avenue for you to promote and distribute content from your website.

When you post an in-depth blog or a company update on your website, you can share it on your social media networks to invite audiences to read your online content. This helps you pull in readers and web traffic from a vast market, thus broadening your target audience reach. It also helps you generate awareness about your brand.

Actively engaging in communities and conversations on social media allows you to develop a connection with your target market, while simultaneously building your authority as an expert in your industry. As you gradually build your reputation through regular engagements, you can expect more traffic streaming to your website, which can improve your rankings as well.

Combining these off-page developments with your on-site improvements can help you rise through the search engine rankings steadily. But it is important to never limit your strategy. As long as you keep within the limits of what Google deems acceptable in terms of SEO, you can freely experiment with new tactics and strategies.

Watch this space for the final installation of our three-part series, which is an in-depth look at content and how it can impact your SEO efforts. Facebook