Off-Page Search Engine Optimization

Preview:

Citation preview

Understanding Off-Page Search Engine Optimization

WebSavvyMarke,ng&iThemesMediaLLCCopyright©2016,AllRightsReserved

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

1

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

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

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

OFF-PAGE SEO MAKES THAT

HAPPEN

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

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?

6

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

1

2

3

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.

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

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.

8

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

Pro Tips for Optimization

Buildoff-sitedatapointstothemainURLplusindivdiualpages,posts,andproducts.

BEFORE YOU START BUILDING OFF-PAGE SEO 2

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

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.

10

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

CONSISTENCY IS VERY IMPORTANT

TO SEARCH ENGINES

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

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

UNDERSTANDING BACKLINKS 3

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

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.

13

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

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.

14

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

LINK BUILDING BEST PRACTICES 4

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

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!

16

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

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

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

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

Pro Tips for Optimization

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

My Tactics of Link Building 18

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

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)

Pro Tips for Optimization

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

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

Old Tactics I No Longer Use 19

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

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

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

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

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

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.

22

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

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.

23

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

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!

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

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

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

Ignore you Mom! Be a social butterfly.

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

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.

27

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

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 !

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

Common Mistakes to Avoid 29

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

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

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

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 ?

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

Thanks for Coming Today!

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

32

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