Are you ready to boost the ranking of your website on Google and other search engines? You need to make sure you’re implementing the latest search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. If you’re trying to do this yourself, you may feel overwhelmed.
There are two primary parts of SEO. On-page SEO is the part you control most. It involves keywords and page structure and other ways to make your site appealing and authoritative. However, the part that most website owners have the most trouble with is off-site SEO. It’s not under your direct control, and it may seem impossible to affect.
Fortunately, it’s not! Here are some bulletproof strategies you can implement in 2019.
Claim Your Business Profile
Let’s start with the most important off-page SEO step you can take – claim your Google Business profile! Google will use this, in connection with your website and other factors, to help determine your reputation. Be sure you list your business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP).
Include other information as well, such as photos, special events, and business hours. The more complete your profile is, the higher Google will regard it. Of course, it will also be more useful to your customers!
You can submit your business to other industry directories as well, but be sure your NAP is consistent across the board. You don’t want folks to feel confused or wonder which information is current.
Social Bookmarking
What is social bookmarking? It consists of submitting your content to a variety of sites that will help boost your visibility and profile. Websites like StumbleUpon, Dribble, Pocket, and Digg can help you share your content to a larger audience.
Be sure you choose reputable sites. Not only will they get better views for your content and drive higher-quality traffic, but they will be more reputable in the eyes of Google as well.
Classified Ad Submissions
You can do either free or paid classified ads, and when they are well-written they can build up your traffic and boost your SEO. They usually are used to generate leads and boost click-through rates. For instance, you might use classified ads to build your email list by offering a great freebie.
The good news is that these ads are also indexed on search engines. Because they are short, they are mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. As with all off-site strategies, be sure you choose high-quality sites for submission, or you can damage your business instead of building it.
Press Releases
Having something exciting going on with your business or blog? If so, why not announce it to the world? You can do this on your website, but it’s much more effective if you put it out as a press release.
Press releases give you high-authority backlinks and allow you to draw attention to your website and company in a positive way. However, you can make mistakes with this strategy that hurt your site rather than help. Be sure you write about what’s really important and focus your distribution on sites that will actually attract the attention of a news writer.
Guest Posting
Interested in getting a relevant link to your website while also getting the attention of your target audience? Guest posting is the answer you’re looking for. To guest post, find other websites or blogs that serve the same audience you do, but in a different way.
Contact the owner of the site and ask if they accept guest posts. Be sure to share how your post will be helpful and appealing to the audience, and how the site owner will benefit. If they accept, you can write the post and ask for a link as well.
When you guest post, be sure you aren’t just selling your product or service. Share information that is engaging and interesting, and mention your products or service as an aside, if at all.
For help with guest posts, consider connecting with a company that provides top SEO services like Local SEO Search Inc.
Build Your Reviews
One of the most important ways to build your off-site SEO is to build up excellent reviews of your business and website. How do you do that? Simply ask!
When someone has a great interaction with your company, ask them to leave a review. You are much more likely to actually get the review if you ask shortly after you serve the customer. Weeks later, folks have forgotten and moved on.
Don’t worry about bad reviews. You may get some, but they will make your review profile seem more honest to those who view it. As long as you have a strong average and a good number of recent high reviews, you’ll still get the benefits.
Don’t Overlook Off-Page SEO
Because website owners don’t have as much direct control over off-page SEO, they are tempted to overlook it. Don’t do it! If you need to, work with a professional to build your profile, but it’s a vital part of your overall ranking.
