Boosting your search engine optimization (SEO) is essential if you’re going to do well with your online marketing. SEO can be a delicate balance, a bit of both science and art. However, there are strategies that you can use to help you succeed.
There are two elements to your SEO: on-site and off-site. Your on-site SEO is directly under your control. It involves using keywords, fresh content, meta tags, titles, and more to make your website stand out to search engines.
Off-site SEO can be a bit more of a challenge because it involves boosting your site’s authority and ranking using factors that you don’t control as much. That doesn’t mean you can implement incredible strategies, however.
Here are some ways to boost your online rankings using off-page SEO.
Manage Your Online Reputation
One of the most powerful ways to boost your SEO outside of your website is to cultivate excellent online reviews. Google reviews, Yelp, and even Facebook and other industry-specific review sites all help build the authority of your website.
The best part is that good reviews don’t just help search engines trust you, it helps potential customers choose you as well. 84% of people trust an online review just as much as a recommendation from a friend.
How do you get great reviews? You ask for them! You can invite your customers and clients to leave reviews right after each transaction. Include it in your emails, on your receipts, and ask in person. Happy customers are most likely to leave great reviews immediately after the experience, so don’t delay.
You might be concerned about getting bad reviews, but don’t worry. While a lot of bad reviews will damage your reputation, a few are bound to happen. In fact, if your review profile has only five-star reviews, it may seem suspicious.
Claim Your Google My Business Page
Image by Simon Steinberger from Pixabay
Google is the largest search engine, commanding 92% of the worldwide search engine market share. As a result, having your business listed with a Google business page is an important part of your off-page SEO.
You want to be sure you fill out all of the information completely. If you have a physical address and store hours, list them. If you have an office, you can list your professional address and office hours. You’ll also want to put an accurate phone number.
Having your business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP) accurate and consistent across all platforms is also essential. That means what you list on Google My Business needs to be the same as what you have on social media, your website, and any other online listing.
Inconsistencies can confuse your potential customers, and they indicate to Google that your site is not as authoritative as it could be.
Get Links to Your Website
It seems like link building is a significant challenge to most companies. Unfortunately, it’s also a chance for a lot of unscrupulous companies to take advantage of you. There are a lot of ways to build links that are poor quality and spammy.
Not only does this not work to boost your SEO, you could be specifically punished by Google. The search engine will downgrade your website, making it all but impossible for customers and potential clients to find you.
Instead, try these legitimate link-building strategies:
- HARO allows you to connect with journalists who are looking for quotes and expert sources. Getting cited in an article can get you an inbound link from a reputable news site.
- Create link-worthy content and promote it across social media. If you have high-quality information, people can link to you to share the data with their own audience.
- Look for references to your company that don’t include a link. You can reach out to the website and ask if they’ll put a link under the citation.
When you have high-quality incoming links, it will help Google trust your website more and list it more highly in search results.
If that sounds like a lot, you might choose to work with the best SEO company in Canada to build links in an ethical way for your company.
Engage On Social Media
Social media mentions are another way that Google determines the authority of your content. If people are talking about your company and brand, it helps indicate that your presence is important in your industry.
How do you get more brand mentions? By not only sharing online but engaging with comments and conversations. Provide answers that people need and they’ll build trust in your company and talk more about your business.
You can’t afford to only focus on one part of SEO. You need both on-site and off-site SEO strategies if you want your company to succeed online. Fortunately, these simple strategies will get you started on the right track.
Featured Image by isuru prabath from Pixabay
Author Bio:
Katrina is a hardworking individual who always gives her best. As a degree holder, she aspires to establish within the media industry. Expert in building online partnership, she’s been working in digital marketing services, Local SEO Search Inc. for several years.