In this article we will discuss what you’re able to do to improve your position in the search engines through platforms other than your own site. It’s where you really can struggle if you aren’t careful. Most spammy methods still are broadly used, yet may get your website banished into obscurity.
Do’s:
Social Media
It has become the centerpiece of an efficient strategy for off-page SEO. On Twitter, as an additional user retweets a post, the social signal is sent back to the search engines suggesting that you’re a reputable source of relevant and interesting information. As multiple individuals share your content through social media, your site receives a boost of credibility that also assists your rankings. Grow your reach by developing a presence on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. Every channel has its own positives and fuels content in similar ways. If your product is image heavy it should use channels like Vine, Tumblr, and Instagram.
Blog Promotion
Writing new blogs for clients includes one of the primary efforts that professional writers can handle. If your site is presently not on WordPress, they may sync a blog that is powered by the WordPress platform with your primary site for a seamless transition. The post created should look and feel just like your primary website — except that it technically is a different site; therefore, there’s a continuous link exchange between them which assists tremendously with your search engine optimisation. If your site is already upon WordPress you already possess a built-in blog! Your blog itself might be considered an on-page search engine optimization element, but blog promotion is thought to be off-page search engine optimization. Blog promotion will come in different forms which include: social shares, social bookmarking, and as additional blogs mention your company’s post in a link.
Tip: Though WordPress is strongly recommended, there are additional alternatives if you do not want to use it.
If you enjoy blogging, attempt to post blogs on other websites. You can also hire a professional writer to find you some guest blogging opportunities.
Videos
Websites such as Vimeo and YouTube are useful methods of promoting a business, as they permit you to involve keywords as “tags,” as well as Meta descriptions, too. If you do not have a professional videographer, hire one. A professional videographer also should be glad to promote any videos you have had made in-house if they’re just sitting on these websites, collecting dust.
Tip: You must spend as much time optimising the video as you spent making it.
Press Releases
News releases aren’t solely for major company news. Also, you might tap into the zeitgeist of your sector to lend your expert point of view to late breaking trends and stories. You might do your own surveys or research to put your special findings into the ether then attract the eye of reporters browsing the wires for an intriguing story.
Tip: Include 2 links back to your site, optimize key areas such as titles/descriptions/headers, and blast your press release out all across your social media websites for maximal punch. Include photographs and spend time making a fun informational box which individuals will like to read. Although, be careful – Google cracked down on companies who involve “exact match” anchor links inside PRs. In order to be safe stick with the naked URL or the common anchor text links such as “here” and additional generic keywords and keyword phrases.
Web 2.0 Properties
They’re an excellent method of owning more digital real estate as you also improve your primary site’s presence on the search engines. Web 2.0 properties mostly comprise of third party blogs like Tumblr.com, WordPress.com, and Weebly.com, to list a few. There literally are multitudes of available Web 2.0 sites.
Tip: Include 100 percent unique articles upon the Web 2.0 sites. Also, it’s advised to include photos and images – be certain they’re all optimised, as well!
Another Tip: Promote the Web 2.0 sites like you might with your main site. Send social signals and social bookmarks to the new properties. It’ll pass some real “link juice” to your primary site which assists in boosting your rankings!
Documents
CEO of Moz, Rand Fishkin, advises uploading useful documents (such as images and PDF files) to sites such as Slideshare, DocStoc, and Scribd. According to Rand, by linking to additional sites in a slideshow he knows he is making friends with all people who are linked in his slideshow. They’ll express their thanks on Twitter and oftentimes reciprocate. Also, there are 20% – 30% who’ll point back to posts he has created or tools on his website, sending visitors back to where it might convert to sales.
Tip: If you possess any image-heavy slideshow presentations, the site Slideshare will automatically transcribe what you state into text, therefore it is simpler for search engines to discover you.
Blog Commenting
You must be careful with your blog comment endeavors, as this includes an area the search engines have cracked down on. Anything seen as spammy will penalize the website they’re associated with. Commenting is best created by savvy marketers that know how to create content conversationally — not robot software!
Tip: Leave genuine, insightful comments on high authority, carefully selected industry-related blogs.
Social Bookmarking Websites
Social bookmarking websites such as Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Digg assists your posts with quick Google indexing, generates targeted traffic, improves Page Rank and offers valuable do follow links. Make sure you check the leading social bookmarking websites and take some time to regularly visit these websites.
Tip: Don’t promote all posts this way each time. Many of these websites have strict regulations concerning how often you may use the website as a promotional channel for your very own content. Read their user guidelines and don’t violate the terms and conditions or you might be banned!
Business Directories
With the Pigeon update by Google, business directory listings never have been more critical. Both national businesses and local companies may use websites such as Yellow Pages, Yelp, Google Plus and True Local as high value backlinks which not just get you onto first page results with the search engine, yet additionally build trust with consumers and improve brand recognition.
Tip: Be certain all of your information is listed, accurate and updated on these websites — which includes hours, address information, etc. Plus, add quality photographs to the listing and reply to reviewers on the website to add personalisation.
Ensuring that all your business citations are updated and cohesive will take lots of work and require lots of time. Hire a team of professional marketers to assist you in making the process much simpler for you.
Interviews
Audiences enthusiastically react to quotes that are shared for newspaper or magazine stories. For example, someone in your company might receive a lot of great referrals and feedback from an interview they do with a reputable company. With any luck, your professional writer will have the ability to get your company into future articles for continuous promotion.
Tip: In older times, “guest blogging” on major blog networks was popular. Currently these websites can be punished; therefore, avoid associating with them! Guest blogging still is effective if the site is of high quality and respected by digital communities. Concentrate on cultivating authentic relationships with professional writers inside your field. Send pitches for interesting and creative stories, and you will be shocked at how simple it is to get quoted.
Other Do’s
- Concentrate on quality backlinks from authoritative sources
- Find backlinks from niche related sources
- Get social signals
- Spread links across your site
- Link to the most relevant page for the topic
- Add your site to Google Webmaster Tools
- Create Social accounts – especially Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and YouTube.
Don’t’s:
The Penguin algorithm change by Google from April 2012 had the goal of reducing search engine rankings of sites violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines by utilizing “now-declared black hat search engine optimization tactics” which artificially boost a page’s rankings via link manipulation. Thus, you will want to be certain to avoid these:
Spammy Backlinks: Remove inbound links from link farms and low quality sites.
Exact Match Anchor Text: If the website is “TexasCityPainting.com,” don’t use “Texas City Painting” several times as your anchor text link.
Over-Optimised Anchor Text: Don’t use the exact same anchor repeatedly. Attempt to use various anchor texts for each link and involve naked URLs as your anchor text links, too. Also, it’s wise to utilise generic anchor text such as “website” and “here” to avoid over-optimisation.
Links that are paid for: Sponsored links which are on the search engine’s radar now are punished.
Irrelevant Links: A TC painting company wouldn’t desire a link upon a pet food website that links back to them, as it’ll make no sense and trigger a red flag.
Other Don’ts:
- Use automated linking software
- Irrelevant spam backlinks
- Add links too quickly
- Add all links to your home page
- Over-optimize your anchor text
Written by Jason Boyd – Digital Strategy Manager at SEO Empire.
