Search engine optimisation.
We get it. It's boring and incomprehensible to everyone but a small handful of online marketing geeks. But SEO makes all the difference between your website ranking well on Google or collecting dust in the search engine abyss, so you need to at least have a working knowledge of how it operates.
Offsite optimisation can give you the edge over your competition, leapfrogging your website higher in the search engine rankings. What have you got to lose?
First things first; what is offsite optimisation?
Offsite (as opposed to onsite) optimisation involves SEO techniques that take place off your website, in other parts of the internet. The most commonly used methods are incoming links from other websites and social media marketing. The overall aim is to enhance the popularity and trustworthiness of your site in order to give it more authority.
(So, the internet is kind of like high school. Popularity can make or break you).
And secondly, why is this even important?
Google likes websites that are popular, and are much more likely to reward those sites with a better ranking when people are searching for answers to their queries. More than that, your website also needs to be popular with what Google sees as "reputable" places on the internet, because that vouches for the quality of your content.
(The internet is also like your school principal. It judges you by the company you keep).
I just want my website to rank higher on Google
So we've just learnt that Google will reward your website if it has good quality content that is linked to by a large number of reputable sources.
So, what specifically can you do to improve your page rank on Google?
We've listed some of the most common offsite optimisation techniques below, so you can start using link building techniques to improve your search engine ranking.
Thirteen link building tactics you can try right now
1. Create a killer resource for people to share
Create useful, evergreen content that is unique and contains actionable information. You can also find a piece of content that is already doing well, and make a better version.
2. Reach out to bloggers or publishers in your industry
Once you've got great content, email bloggers or publishers who work in your niche to let them know that you have a resource that might be useful to them and their readers.
3. Search for any unlinked mentions of your business
We've all googled ourselves, right? You can search for mentions of your business using tools like BuzzSumo or Mention.com, and ask for links back to your website.
4. Get your website listed on resource pages
Say for example you run a website that features Paleo recipes. Search for pages that list resources about that topic, and contact them asking for your link to be added to the list.
5. Write a guest post about your area of expertise
Your expertise is a valuable resource. Find blogs or industry publishers in your niche and pitch article ideas to them, so you can get a backlink to your website from the article.
6. Offer your product or service for review
You can offer a product or service to bloggers for free, and they may review it. Note: you can't offer a freebie in direct exchange for a link, because it violates Google guidelines.
7. Update broken links with your own content
Find resources in your niche that are no longer live. You can create similar content and contact the web page owner, alerting them to the broken link and offering yours instead.
8. Sponsor or attend a local event
Getting involved in community or industry events by offering sponsorships is a win-win scenario because both parties can include links to each other on their websites.
9. Set up your own YouTube channel
YouTube offers the opportunity to generate backlinks to your site. "How to" and instructional videos can be very popular and are highly shareable online.
10. Host an event and submit your listing to events sites
Do you host events, workshops or seminars? If you are hosting an event you can submit your listing to events websites, who will link back to your page.
11. Become an industry source for journalists
Journalists often need expert sources to quote in their news stories. You can sign up to the Help a Reporter website, and pitch your expertise as a media source.
12. Look for outdated competitor links and claim them
You can use online software to search for backlinks to your competitor. If the links are no longer live, you can contact the webmaster and ask them to link to your page instead.
13. Send out press releases to online media in your industry
Old-school PR outreach is still relevant in the digital age. If you have anything newsworthy to share it's worth sending out press releases to online media in your field.
Need some expert advice? We're here to help.
Feeling inspired? SEO is a hugely valuable tool to increase your Google ranking, but it can also be a big ask for time-poor business owners. If you're keen to explore the benefits of offsite optimisation but need some help, we're here to answer your questions.
We also offer a range of affordable SEO packages, so the hard work is all taken care of.
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