As the digital marketing landscape becomes increasingly competitive, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) remains an essential marketing asset. Adhering to Google’s ranking factors allows for greater online visibility, which no marketer can afford to overlook. Still, this expansive set of practices is too vast to grasp immediately, especially for the uninitiated. What’s more, the weight of said factors changes over time, as do audience perceptions, behaviors, and expectations. In turn, marketers will need to prioritize techniques that offer demonstrable value and will continue to do so. To help you do so, let us explore some must-know off-page SEO techniques for 2023 and beyond.
Table of Contents
What is off-page SEO?
First, let us briefly define what off-page SEO is – and why it warrants particular attention.
All SEO practices have a single goal; to earn the favor of search engines, as well as audiences, by:
- Aligning content and website structure with search engines’ ranking factors,
- Adhering to User Experience (UX) best practices, and
- Offering more valuable, credible content.
As such, adhering to all types of SEO is nigh imperative to achieve your ranking goals. Here, we mention “all types” because SEO sees 3 main subdivisions:
- On-page SEO, which optimizes on-page elements like images
- Off-page SEO, which entails off-page activities like link-building
- Technical SEO, which ensures a website’s technical health
A fourth subdivision lies in local SEO, which holds particular value for smaller and local-based businesses.
Off-page SEO specifically holds considerable value, since it spearheads link-building and other brand awareness strategies that generate leads. It is the only SEO type not under the marketer’s and webmaster’s direct control, and it arguably requires more effort.
Finally, off-page SEO practices often overlap with content marketing, social outreach, and other marketing strategies. As such, approaching it strategically can substantially enhance one’s efficiency and returns.
Must-know off-page SEO techniques for 2022
With this in mind, here are 7 notable off-page techniques you may employ in 2022.
#1 The skyscraper technique
Perhaps the most famous among them, the skyscraper technique was coined by Backlinko’s Brian Dean. At its core, this link-building technique is simple enough, but requires considerable expertise and writing ability:
- Identify content within your niche or industry that earns links. You may do so through competitor analysis, keyword research, and similar practices.
- Write something better. You may enrich your content with visuals, research and data, additional analytical length and depth, and more.
- Promote it over your competitors’ content. You may then reach out to reputable websites that host such content and ask to be linked to.
Following this practice, your content should also generate backlinks organically, of course, as audiences and industry professionals both value quality.
#2 Guest blogging
A similar technique in concept, albeit less demanding, comes in the form of guest blogging. Link Department finds this one of the most common, effective forms of link-building today.
Many websites seek to leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) for their own SEO benefit and that of their audiences. They typically do so through guest blogging, which offers a mutually beneficial arrangement for them and guest bloggers. Namely, they get additional content and contributors get backlinks in return.
Granted, such backlinks will typically be tagged as UGC, a brand of NoFollow that doesn’t allow for Domain Authority (DA) boosts. However, all backlinks produce traffic and draw invested audiences, Follow or NoFollow. Moreover, Google also appreciates natural-looking, balanced backlink profiles.
#3 Infographics
Next among must-know off-page SEO techniques for 2022 come infographics. Infographics naturally belong to on-page SEO primarily, as they enhance on-page value – but they can also serve off-page practices.
Perhaps most notably, you can optimize valuable infographics via keywords to appear in Google Images results. This off-page factor can generate more traffic and build credibility for practically no additional effort. Moreover, one can use infographics to fuel social media activities, as such visual, information-rich content grabs users’ attention very effectively.
Finally, infographics generate backlinks organically as well. Simply remember to check for unbranded mentions, should one use yours for their content, to claim the backlinks you’ve earned.
#4 Guestographics
As an evolution or branch of infographics, you may also consider Neil Patel’s suggestion to delve into the guestographics technique. You may leverage it effectively if your teams can craft impeccable infographics and frame them with even more textual value.
In brief, guestographics follow a similar concept as the skyscraper – perhaps understandably, as Brian Dean also coined this concept:
- Craft valuable infographics
- Identify authoritative sites within your industry that may use them
- Contact them and offer your infographics along with mini-guest posts on them
This technique will offer mutual benefit, as they get content and you get backlinks. In turn, such practices may also pave the way for professional relationships.
#5 Videos
Still on the subject of content marketing, you may consider investing in video production. This practice ranks among must-know off-page SEO techniques for 2022 not because it’s strictly off-page per se, but because it fuels marketing campaigns holistically.
Video material captivates audiences extremely effectively, and gets organic shares all on its own. It lends itself to on-page SEO via content enrichment, for one, and can enhance sales funnels. For off-page SEO, it still offers such opportunities as:
- Marketing diversification
- Off-page traffic generation
- Use as social media material
It does require higher budgets and in-house production expertise, of course, but video will continue to dominate marketing trends.
#6 Influencer marketing
Having touched on social media marketing already, we may also suggest influencer marketing. Granted, each business needs to determine if influencer marketing is the right path for them. If it is, as the brand’s proposition facilitates influencer marketing, it can also yield tremendous benefits.
Some dub this practice as a natural evolution or branch of social media marketing. Indeed, influencer marketing primarily functions as social proof, as influencers humanize brands and their message. In addition, it allows brands to tap into vast new audiences, which are ideally already invested in their industry.
Off-page SEO does inherently delve into building authority and trust – especially as regards DA. Practically too, strategic influencer marketing and cause marketing help brands showcase their values and build trust with audiences through it. The Edelman Trust Barometer best exemplifies the continually eroding trust of audiences in business as an institution, and suggests “societal leadership” as a remedy.
#7 HARO
To conclude our list of must-know off-page SEO techniques for 2022, on a similar note of societal contributions, we may highlight Help A Reporter Out (HARO). This organization has found itself trending on Twitter and driving public discourse often while also offering mutual benefit to contributors.
To use their own tagline, “HARO connects journalists seeking expertise to include in their content with sources who have that expertise”. Should you have deep expertise in your industry to share, you may reach out to them and contribute your insights. In turn, you won’t just be helping journalists produce valuable work, but you’ll also be getting exposure and backlinks.
Conclusion
In summary, off-page SEO delves into off-page practices that create awareness, generate traffic, build authority, and foster trust with audiences. Some find it the most challenging SEO subtype, and it does indeed require much effort to pay off.
Still, search engines and audiences alike value content quality, so you may offer it through informative skyscraper posts and guest blogging, infographics, guestographics, or even video. Finally, you may leverage influencer marketing or reach out to HARO for additional exposure and broader reach. Not all such practices will be easy or suitable for you, but hopefully, this article highlighted some you may entertain.
