Off-page SEO covers everything you do outside your own website to improve how well it ranks in search results — as opposed to on-page SEO, which focuses on your content and site structure itself.
The Biggest Piece: Backlinks
Backlinks — links from other websites pointing to yours — are the most well-known part of off-page SEO. Search engines tend to treat quality backlinks as a signal of trust and authority, similar to a recommendation from someone else.
Other Off-Page Factors
- Social media mentions and shares.
- Guest posts published on other relevant sites.
- Brand mentions across the web, even without a direct link.
- Online reviews and reputation.
A Long-Term Effort
Off-page SEO tends to build gradually rather than overnight. Consistently publishing valuable content that other sites naturally want to reference is usually far more sustainable than actively chasing links through outreach alone.