Week 13: SEO Off Page

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This means that when someone searches in a search engine, there are many factors the search engines use to decide which websites show up. Learning how to optimize these factors helps your website rank higher than others depending on the search. These factors are usually split into two groups: on-page and off-page SEO. In this post, I’m going to talk about off-page SEO.

Off-page SEO refers to what happens outside of your website that affects your website’s rankings and credibility with search engines. The main categories are:

Backlinks (the most important, about 90%): Backlinks occur when another website links to your website. It’s important to note that quality matters more than quantity when it comes to backlinks. In the eyes of search engines, when a credible site links to your website, it boosts your website’s credibility. The more credible your site is, the higher it will rank.

Social Media: When your website is associated with social media accounts that have a lot of activity or engagement, it indirectly adds credibility to your website in the eyes of search engines.

Brand Mentions: This happens when someone else mentions your website or brand. If a credible website mentions your brand, it will increase your site’s credibility in the eyes of search engines.

What I’ve learned is that the most important factor is getting high-quality backlinks. The best way to do this is to ensure your on-page SEO is optimized and to have high-quality content on your website, making it worthy of being linked to by credible sources. After that, you need to make your best effort to contact website owners and network to get your site linked to theirs.

Works Cited

Shewan, Dan. “Off-Page SEO: What It Is and How to Build a Winning Strategy.” SEMrush Blog, 19 Sept. 2023, www.semrush.com/blog/off-page-seo/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.