Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
There are two are two kinds of SEO:
On page SEO
Off page SEO
Off Page SEO
In this post we will cover off page SEO.
Off page SEO refers to techniques that can be used to improve the position of a web site in the search engine results page (SERPs). Many associate off-page SEO with link building but it is so much more. In general, off Page SEO has to do with promotion that is beyond website design for the purpose of ranking a website higher in the search engine results.
Article Submission
Articles can help your page rank better but be very cautious. Done incorrectly articles can hurt your SEO efforts. The dangers include: duplicate content, copied content, and your article ranking higher than the page you are linking to for the same keywords.
Directories
Directories are great for links. Target the big one’s first (DMoz, Best of the Web Directory), and then more on to web directories in your niche.
If you have a web design site or offer services related to web design, submit your website to CSS and W3C website directories which may drive traffic towards your website. Also submit your website to RSS feed directories which, again, will help you attain more traffic.
Classifieds
Classifieds are a little tricky. Most classifieds have a no-follow tag so links are not followed by search engines.
Social Media
Social Media profiles and even posts work for back links. Don’t assume all social media sites have no-follow tags. Here is a short list to get you started:
Google Places
Create a local business listing for all of your offices. Include keywords in the profile and description fields. This is an awesome source without no-follows with high visibility in search.
LinkedIn.com
Build a company profile, as well as individual profiles for key employees. Use all three link fields. Select “Other” field when setting your first web site link to create your own anchor text.
Digg
Digg is great for traffic, plus you can submit articles you want to promote, and links to those articles are followed by search engines.
Stumbleupon
An article discovery site that’s very busy and popular. Submitted links are followed.
Squidoo
Create as many Squidoo “lenses” as you like, about any topic. A lens typically consists of a blog-like post, with links to recommended sources.
YouTube
Although comments and any links you include in your description will have the rel=”nofollow” attribute, YouTube gives a link in your profile that is devoid of the no-follow.
Yahoo Local
This local business portal allows you to create a profile for your business and is devoid of the no – follow attribute. Include keywords in your profile and description fields, and include anchor text if possible.
Blogs
Blogs are a great way to get backlinks to your website. I prefer WordPress or Blogger.
Answer Sites
Participate in Answers by asking and answering relevant questions and placing a link to your website in the source section if necessary. Don’t spam, this is another great way to increase your link popularity (Yahoo Answers, Quara, Cha-Cha, Answer Bag, etc.)
Press Releases
Once again, here is another great source. I recommend a national distribution company like PR Web. Most news sites will have a no-follow attribute but there as still some that do not. Plus many smaller sites pick up their news off the bigger sites.
This list is not all inclusive. There are lots of places to get links. Like if you advertise on a radio station – ask them to place a link on their website. Just be creative.
If you need help with SEO or back links contact us for a free 1 hour consultation.
