Search has significantly evolved over the years. The way search engines work and how people search shift continuously. SEO tactics must keep up.
The days of link farms and paying for links are long gone. Search engines consider many more signals today, from user experience to social signals and brand reputation.
The SERPs are also changing rapidly. Rich results and AI-powered features mean users don’t even need to visit your website to get the answers they need.
What’s more, “search” is no longer solely about Google. TikTok, Pinterest, Amazon and YouTube have become powerful search platforms in their own right.
Modern off-page SEO requires a multi-platform approach focused on quality content and authentic authority building.
This comprehensive guide will show you what works now – from proven techniques to measurement strategies and best practices for 2025.
What is off-page SEO today?
Off-page SEO refers to all activities taken outside your website that aim to boost its search engine rankings.
Off-page strategies for acquiring inbound links, citations and brand mentions boost your authority and, in turn, maximize your ability to rank well organically.
Early algorithms relied almost exclusively on inbound links (commonly referred to as backlinks) to determine the authority of a given domain.
But today, Google evaluates websites based on a range of more sophisticated factors, including experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
Optimizing E-E-A-T involves:
Working with real experts for content creation.
Offering transparency when it comes to information you are publishing or information about your company.
Gaining citations and mentions from authoritative websites is highly relevant to your industry and offering.
And so much more.
Backlinks vs. inbound links
In this article, I’ll use the term “inbound link” instead of “backlink,” which has gained a spammy reputation due to its association with manipulative tactics.
“Inbound links” is a more modern and strategic term that focuses on quality and intent.
Shifting the language around off-page SEO to inbound links focuses on building genuine connections from authoritative, relevant sources that add value to users.
It also signals that the link building process is part of a broader, content-driven strategy rather than a manipulative tactic.
How important is off-page in your overall SEO strategy?
Off-page SEO is critical in establishing your website’s credibility and trustworthiness.
Think of every link or reference as an endorsement of your brand. Similar to word-of-mouth recommendations, links act as digital endorsements that define your site’s reputation.
The more quality and relevant endorsements you have, the more likely search engines will see you as trustworthy and relevant.
How is off-page different from on-page or technical SEO?
On-page SEO ensures that your content is optimized for search engines and technical SEO focuses on optimizing the backend of your site for usability, speed, crawling and indexing.
On the other hand, off-page SEO signals to search engines that others consider your content valuable and trustworthy.
Each component is essential for a well-rounded SEO strategy, but off-page SEO is the backbone of your site’s authority and trust in the eyes of search engines.
Off-page SEO is the driving force behind building the authority needed to rank higher in search results.
Key components of off-page SEO
Below are the key off-page components of off-page SEO to optimize your brand presence.
Link building
Link building is still one of the most important aspects of off-page SEO.
Inbound links remain crucial for a site’s authority in the eyes of search engines, as long as they are relevant – Google has confirmed this.
That means ongoing off-page campaigns are necessary to increase online visibility and build a reputation that boosts your rankings.
However, the focus has shifted from quantity to quality – links from reputable, relevant sites are far more valuable than many low-quality links.
Social signals
Social signals, such as shares, likes and comments on social media platforms, may not directly impact rankings, but they amplify content visibility and increase the likelihood of earning inbound links. Building a strong social media presence is essential for brand visibility and complements your off-page SEO efforts.
Referring back to our endorsement analogy, content on social media, including your profile and engagement as well as user-generated content (UGC), reviews and mentions, act as a powerful form of social proof.
This type of content is especially credible because it’s created organically by real users, showing others that people are already benefiting from or enjoying a product or service. Engaging in active social media marketing improves brand awareness and contributes to your site’s authority.
Brand mentions
Even without a hyperlink, brand mentions signal relevance and authority to search engines.
Google, Bing and other search engines have evolved to recognize the importance of brand mentions as “implied links.”
When a brand is consistently mentioned across credible websites, even without a direct link, these mentions create signals for search engines that the brand has a strong presence within its industry, which can positively influence search rankings.
They also contribute to contextual relevance and entity recognition.
When a website or brand is frequently associated with specific topics or keywords, search engines take notice.
Being mentioned in relation to certain subjects helps search engines better understand the brand’s topical authority and relevance across different contexts.
This enhances a brand’s visibility and reach in search results, especially in personalized or knowledge-based queries.
Content marketing
We all know the importance of high-quality, informative content that resonates. However, effective content marketing to support SEO extends beyond your website.
Again, it’s about emphasizing quality over quantity. Think about what is truly best for your target audience. It doesn’t always mean producing more content.
While it may seem intuitive that a higher quantity of articles would yield better results, in SEO and content marketing, quality is what truly drives success.
High-quality content resonates deeply with your audience, builds trust and produces sustainable, long-term results.
Publishing content such as blog posts, guest blogs, infographics or videos on third-party platforms can improve your inbound link profile, enhance your off-page SEO efforts and drive traffic to your site.
Reviews
Online reviews and testimonials can significantly impact your off-page SEO efforts.
Positive reviews on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp or niche sites influence both local SEO and overall off-page SEO.
Positive reviews boost your brand’s credibility, improve local SEO reach and often appear directly in search results.
Google encourages review solicitation as long as it’s honest, unbiased and without incentives. You can ask happy customers to leave reviews on your Google Business profile to improve your local search visibility.
Brands should respond to all reviews promptly. This helps thank customers for positive feedback and address complaints from those with negative experiences, even if they only leave star ratings.
How a brand handles negative reviews can be more important than the number of positive ones.
Off-page SEO techniques
Rather than focusing on generating links, what drives off-page SEO success is a campaign-based approach to building reputation.
Transform sporadic link building into a strategic effort to build authority, reputation and visibility by treating it like any other marketing campaign.
Just like a marketing campaign, your off-page SEO efforts require planning, execution and measurement to drive real, sustainable results.
This ensures each initiative is purposeful, measurable and aligned with your broader marketing goals.
Here are the essential steps for any marketing campaign that you can apply directly to your off-page SEO efforts:
Set specific goals and objectives so you can measure the success of your efforts and refine strategies as needed.
Conduct thorough research to identify your target audience’s needs, preferences and behaviors. Discover where they spend time online, which platforms influence their decisions and what type of content resonates with them.
Develop messaging and content that resonates and compels action. Your off-page efforts should focus on creating value through insightful, engaging and shareable content. Craft your messaging to highlight your brand’s unique voice and align it with the needs and pain points of your audience.
Track and measure performance. Track referral traffic, changes in domain authority and the performance of links over time.
With that campaign-based approach in mind, let’s take a look at five different off-page techniques proven to build a site’s authority and organic reach.
Thought leadership
Thought leadership via content marketing is a powerful way to establish thought leadership in your industry while earning valuable links.
Content marketing for off-page SEO has moved beyond just guest blogging.
Now, it requires a more strategic approach to creating and sharing content on third-party platforms to strengthen E-E-A-T signals.
Rather than writing just to acquire links, you need to position yourself or your company as a trusted and necessary resource in your industry.
The goal is to foster brand recognition and trust, which drives more organic traffic and engagement over time.
To truly stand out as a thought leader, your strategy must go beyond the basics and focus on these impactful tactics:
Create valuable content that answers your audience’s most pressing questions.
Leverage search trends and organic data to shape your content marketing strategy.
Analyze competitors and the search landscape to identify content gaps.
Approach every piece of content with a focus on building E-E-A-T.
Publishing content on third-party websites, such as guest blogging, helps extend your reach beyond your own platforms and enhances brand authority.
When your content appears on credible, high-traffic websites, it signals to search engines that your brand is trusted and relevant within your industry.
But how do we go about prospecting and identifying these third-party websites?
Be strategic and use these steps to identify the best websites for guest blogging or content distribution:
Assess relevance and ensure the website caters to your target audience or industry.
Evaluate audience engagement and readership with past published content.
Analyze the inbound link profiles of your competitors to identify potential sites that could be valuable for your own content distribution.
Choose websites that maintain high content standards and prioritize original, well-researched pieces.
Social media marketing
Social platforms are vital for content distribution, brand mentions and building authority across various channels.
Your social media profiles serve as additional gateways for discovery, increased exposure, customer engagement and brand authority. Not to mention they can give you greater shelf space in the SERPs.
Sharing your content on social platforms increases visibility and encourages shares and interactions that contribute to your overall off-page SEO efforts. Social signals may not be direct ranking factors, but they do impact your online reputation and we know search engines pay attention to these links and implied links.
Consider which social platforms make the most sense for your business. Establish a presence where your audience is active to build a presence where they are spending their time.
Share your content strategically across platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and even TikTok.
Actively participate in relevant social media groups and discussions. Being present and providing value can lead to natural brand mentions and further exposure.
Dig deeper: Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google
Influencer outreach
Partnering with influencers can amplify your content’s reach and enhance your brand’s credibility.
Influencers have established audiences that trust their recommendations, making them a powerful tool for off-page SEO.
These types of endorsements act as trust signals for both users and search engines, contributing to a stronger off-page SEO profile.
Collaborations can take the form of sponsored content, product reviews or co-created content that engages both your audience and theirs.
To ensure your influencer marketing strategy supports off-page SEO efforts, consider the following:
Vet your influencers to ensure that their online audience is relevant to your brand, their content quality meets your standards and their audience size and historical engagement rates meet your goals.
Collaborate with influencers on the type of content that makes the most sense for them. Whether it’s blog posts, videos, sponsored content or contests/giveaways – it needs to provide value to both audiences.
Encourage links beyond social media. These collaborations typically result in social shares, but don’t be afraid to request links from blogs or websites beyond social platforms as part of the agreement.
Forum participation
The SEO value of forums today is undeniable. Since the November 2023 core update, Google has demonstrated a clear shift in preference toward user-generated content sites.
Engaging in forums and online communities such as Reddit or niche-specific platforms allows you to share insights, answer questions and build a reputation as an expert in your field. When done genuinely, it can also help drive traffic and build natural links.
Reddit has been making waves this year, highlighting a growing opportunity.
While Reddit specifically doesn’t allow link farming and has rules against strictly using the platform for SEO, there is no denying Reddit can be a valuable SEO asset if done responsibly.
If you’re considering including forums as part of your off-page SEO strategy in a meaningful way, consider the following:
Identify the most relevant forums for your business. Sure, Reddit has a sub for every topic you can think of, but there are also niche-specific forums for everything from tech knowledge to plumbing to mechanical pencils.
Consistent participation and engagement are key. Establish a presence as a knowledgeable source who regularly participates in the discussion. This will make any promotional posts or comments that much more impactful when they do make sense.
Do not just link drop. Just don’t! It may be tempting to post a quick reply with a link to your website or related content but moderators are quick to remove any content that seems overly self-promotional. Overly promotional behavior can lead to penalties or even bans. You must provide value through helpful, well-thought-out responses to questions or discussions.
Podcasting and webinars
Guest appearances on podcasts and webinars allow you to reach new audiences while promoting your expertise.
Unlike traditional content such as guest posts or articles, podcasts and webinars enable more dynamic, in-depth discussions and foster direct connections with listeners and viewers.
When done strategically, they can significantly enhance your brand’s perceived authority and contribute to E-E-A-T signals.
These are the key considerations for incorporating podcasts and webinars into your off-page SEO strategy:
As with the other techniques, the most important element is to focus on relevant, high-authority podcasts and webinars.
What is your target audience listening to and/or watching?
Who is already considered a thought leader in the space and what value can you bring to their platform?
Look for podcasts or webinars that have a solid following and are respected within your niche.
Links from podcasts show notes and transcriptions or webinar descriptions that add to your inbound link profile. Don’t forget to request these.
Offer valuable content as a “leave behind” after the podcast or webinar. This could be a free resource, guide or tool that listeners or viewers can access by visiting your website.
Include a clear call to action, like filling out a form to download the resource, as it encourages them to engage with your site. It helps turn passive listeners into active visitors and leads while offering something helpful that adds value to their experience.
The role of content in off-page SEO
Creating quality content is the cornerstone of off-page SEO success. However, it’s not just about churning out blog posts.
It’s about producing valuable, engaging and shareable content that positions your brand as a leader in your niche – a “necessary source.”
Original, shareable content
Original content includes unique insights, how-to guides and creative formats that grab attention. This type of content encourages organic shares and natural links because it provides something new and valuable to the audience.
Think of content that addresses pain points, offers fresh solutions or presents information in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
This will help build a reputation that goes beyond just having the “right” keywords on your site. It establishes your brand as a trusted source of fresh perspectives and valuable information.
In the context of off-page SEO, this kind of content fuels outreach efforts. It makes it easier to earn links and mentions from authoritative sources, ultimately driving more visibility and higher rankings in search engine results.
Infographics and visual content
Visual content, like infographics, charts and graphs, are highly shareable and engaging, increasing the chances of mentions on social media and third-party sites. These visual assets can make data and complex information easier to digest.
The key to success with visual content, like written content, is quality.
Create unique, visually appealing and informative infographics that offer real value to your audience.
Your design should be professional and the information you present must be accurate, well-researched and useful.
Beyond infographics, visual tools like calculators, quizzes and interactive reports can engage users more deeply and are more likely to be shared and referenced by other sites.
To encourage sharing, provide an embed code directly on the infographic or visual asset page. This makes it simple for other websites to post your visual content on their sites while automatically linking back to yours. By making it easy to share your content, you increase the likelihood of earning inbound links.
First-party research
Creating and publishing first-party research is one of the most powerful ways to build authority. Original research, such as surveys, case studies or industry reports, positions your brand as a source of unique information.
When your content provides new insights, data or perspectives, it naturally attracts links from other websites, social shares and discussions across various platforms.
As I have said before, one of the biggest benefits of original research is that no AI tool can replicate insights derived from proprietary research.
Publishing original research improves your position as a thought leader, building trust and authority with your audience.
These types of detailed reports backed by data are highly valuable to your audience and other industry websites, often leading to organic shares and mentions.
Video marketing
With the popularity of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels, video content has become increasingly important and search engines prioritize it in the SERPs.
Google and other search engines increasingly feature video content in results, making it a critical part of any SEO strategy.
These platforms also function as search engines in their own right, offering additional opportunities for brand visibility. This makes video marketing an essential tool for engagement and a valuable asset for improving off-page SEO performance.
Video marketing allows you to reach wider audiences across platforms. Videos can be shared easily across social media, embedded in blogs and linked to emails, increasing your brand’s exposure.
Key considerations include:
Optimizing videos for keywords by using descriptive titles, tags and metadata, which ensures they’re easily discoverable.
Hosting videos on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and embedding them on your website enhances link opportunities.
Transcribing videos and adding subtitles to improve accessibility and provide more indexable content for search engines.
Public relations
The goal of off-page SEO is to obtain relevant mentions and links from credible websites to grow organic traffic.
Similarly, the aim of public relations (PR) is to gain media coverage through compelling stories that resonate with audiences.
This creates a mutually beneficial relationship, allowing you to share engaging stories while also building links. In this way, PR helps you earn editorially given links.
Reputation building via PR helps build links, but it also helps in telling your brand story and becoming recognized as a credible and authoritative voice in your industry.
An integrated approach to PR and SEO is an ideal way to reach audiences and make authentic connections.
Dig deeper: How to use digital PR to drive backlinks and business growth
Local SEO and off-page factors
Local SEO focuses on optimizing your website for organic visibility in local search results and maps. If you have a physical location, local SEO is table stakes.
The strategy is two-fold:
On-page local relevance.
Off-page local relevance as determined by local listings, reviews and proximity.
Google Business Profile optimization
Google Business Profile (GBP), formally known as Google My Business (GMB), is a tool for businesses and organizations to manage their visibility in Google Search and Google Maps.
By ensuring your profile is complete and up-to-date, you improve your chances of appearing in local search results, which helps drive more targeted traffic to your business.
Several factors go into optimizing a GBP listing to ensure that you are best communicating your organization’s relevancy to Google.
If your business qualifies for a GBP, start by creating or claiming it. There is a verification process wherein Google confirms you are a legitimate business with a physical address.
From there, it is recommended to fill out as much information as possible, but the following pieces of information are integral for visibility and engagement:
Your organization’s logo.
Your organization’s category.
Your organization’s website.
A correct address.
A correct phone number.
Business hours.
A description of the organization that is tailored to the overall purpose.
Images that are representative of the company.
Additional features that are beneficial to take advantage of include:
Publishing photos to your business listing is a great way to improve the appearance of a local panel. Some research shows a correlation between higher numbers of photos and higher numbers of engagements with a panel, including clicks to the website and calls to the business. Consider hiring a professional photographer to take high-resolution photos of your business.
Google also offers a Q&A feature on the GBP panel that enables users to post questions about the brand. Other users or the business itself can respond. Answering any question directly is important to ensure accurate information is being shared.
Google reviews are among the most critical ranking factors in the local search algorithm. We’ll cover review best practices in more detail, but make sure to monitor Google reviews and respond to both positive and negative reviews.
Showcase products or services on your knowledge graph or Google Maps listing. This is another great opportunity to link to your website, where customers can learn more.
Google posts let you publish brief updates to your GBP, much like a social post. You can share updates, special offers or events. To get the most out of this feature, make sure to publish regularly.
Local citations and directories
Beyond a Google Business Profile, it is imperative to secure listings across other popular or niche-specific local directories.
Think about Bing Places for Business, Yelp for Business, Facebook and Apple Maps, to name a few. But there are countless other local directories that may be beneficial for your business.
Most business listing sites follow a similar format and process as that detailed for Google Business Profile:
Claim or create your business listing.
Fill out all of the relevant information. The more, the better.
Verify your listing and that you are the owner.
Across these directories, having your business name, address and phone number (NAP) consistent is vital for local SEO.
Consistent NAP information signals to search engines that your business is legitimate, helping improve your visibility in local searches.
Measuring off-page SEO success
Evaluating off-page SEO is important for assessing your website’s authority, monitoring links and analyzing how outside factors influence search engine rankings.
After all, you can’t improve what you don’t measure. But where exactly do you start with off-page SEO?
Key metrics to track
Measuring the success of your off-page SEO efforts involves tracking various metrics such as:
Inbound link quantity and quality. Beyond just the sheer number of links, there are a number of factors to consider when determining the health of your overall inbound link profile, including relevance, naturalness, freshness, anchor text and diversity.
Your site’s domain authority/domain rating. Ideally, this increases steadily over time.
Referral traffic from external sources. Use Google Analytics to monitor not only where your referral traffic is coming from but also how it interacts with your site and whether or not it converts.
Social media engagement, including likes, shares and comments on social content. Also, look for traffic from social platforms to evaluate effectiveness.
Brand mentions and online sentiment may be more difficult to monitor, but using tools like Google Alerts in conjunction with social listening can help identify brand mentions across the web, even if they don’t include a link.
Tools for monitoring off-page SEO
Several tools can help you monitor and optimize your off-page SEO strategy.
Below is a detailed look at some of the best tools for measuring off-page SEO.
Semrush
Semrush is a versatile all-in-one SEO tool that offers capabilities for off-page SEO tracking, including link analysis, competitor research and brand mentions.
It provides a detailed analysis of a website’s link profile, including referring domains, IPs and the types of links (dofollow/nofollow).
It also tracks brand mentions across the web, helping you to identify unlinked mentions. Semrush’s database is constantly updated, making it a go-to for accurate link data.
Best for: Competitor analysis, backlink gap analysis and ongoing monitoring of backlinks and brand mentions.
Pricing: Starts at $139.95 per month.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most comprehensive tools for analyzing off-page SEO and inbound link analysis.
Known for having one of the largest backlink databases, it provides robust features for tracking referring domains, broken links and competitor links.
This tool allows you to identify not only the number of domains linking to you but also the exact websites and pages, when links were identified, the anchor text, the authority of the linking domains, traffic to these websites and more.
It also provides historical data to evaluate how your profile has changed over time.
Best for: Comprehensive backlink analysis, identifying link building opportunities and tracking the off-page SEO health of a site.
Pricing: Starts at $129 per month.
Majestic
Majestic SEO specializes in link intelligence and is widely recognized for its focus on link data.
It offers unique metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow to evaluate the quality and quantity of links.
One of Majestic’s unique features is the categorization of links by industry or topic, which makes it easier to understand the relevance of your link profile to specific niches.
Best for: Deep backlink analysis, particularly for assessing the trustworthiness and influence of referring domains.
Pricing: $49.99 per month.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro is known for its easy-to-use interface and powerful domain authority metrics.
Moz’s tools are especially useful for tracking link building efforts and assessing the overall authority of a website.
The Link Explorer tool offers an in-depth analysis of a website’s backlink profile, including new and lost links, anchor texts and domain authority (DA).
Of note, Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) are proprietary metrics from Moz that measure the strength of a website or page, based largely on the quality of backlinks.
Best for: Monitoring domain authority, tracking toxic backlinks and identifying competitor link building strategies.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per month.
Google Search Console
Although not as comprehensive as third-party tools, Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that provides important insights into how Google views your website, including links and search performance.
The important thing to remember with GSC: this is Google telling you exactly what they see and what they are considering when evaluating your site.
I like to think of this as a peak behind the curtain. Even though it’s not as comprehensive as other tools, it is vital.
Best for: The Link Report shows which sites link to you, which specific pages are being linked to and how often. This is the only tool that notifies you if your site has been penalized for unnatural backlinks or other SEO violations.
Pricing: Free.
Off-page SEO best practices for 2025
Focus on user experience signals
In a search landscape where user expectations are continually rising, search engines prioritize websites that deliver exceptional experiences. SEO and user experience (UX) are closely intertwined.
This connection is evident not only in on-page SEO but also in off-page SEO. To enhance your off-page efforts, your thought leadership articles, engaging social media posts, podcasts, webinars, videos and infographics must all encourage user interaction.
While off-page SEO activities occur outside your website, their effects ripple back to influence how users perceive and engage with your site. By building a strong off-page presence, you can enhance user experience signals, ultimately leading to improved search rankings and greater overall success.
Leveraging AI and machine learning
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as game-changers in SEO. These technologies have revolutionized how search engines deliver results and how we, as SEOs, work day to day.
Search engines now use AI and ML to understand user intent and deliver more relevant search results.
Off-page SEO today is about finding balance, incorporating this exciting technology without forgetting what really matters: the person on the other end.
AI-powered tools offer valuable insights for enhancing link building and outreach strategies.
By leveraging data and personalization, these tools can significantly improve your chances of securing valuable links. Here’s how they can help:
Identify new link building opportunities: AI tools can analyze competitors’ inbound link profiles to find sites that link to them but not to you, creating a targeted list of potential outreach candidates.
Data-driven outreach: This approach makes outreach campaigns more effective and efficient, increasing the chances of securing valuable links.
Optimize outreach strategies: AI tools can enhance outreach by personalizing communication. They analyze user behavior, preferences and engagement patterns to suggest tailored messaging that resonates with the intended recipients.
Voice search optimization
Gaining brand mentions and featured snippets can position your site as an authoritative source in voice search results.
As smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home become more common, optimizing for voice search is crucial. Voice search tends to be more conversational and focuses on long-tail queries.
To improve visibility in voice search, target question-based and informational keywords, focusing on the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how.” Aim for Google featured snippets directly.
In off-page SEO, develop a link building strategy that connects to your content, offering concise, well-structured answers to common questions. This approach will increase your chances of appearing in voice search results.
Go beyond links – start brand building
Off-page SEO is a vital component of any successful digital marketing strategy.
By building your website’s authority through links, social signals and brand mentions, you improve your search engine rankings and overall online presence.
Integrating off-page SEO into a holistic digital marketing strategy
A successful off-page SEO strategy doesn’t exist in isolation. It must be integrated with on-page and technical SEO efforts, content marketing and social media strategies to drive sustainable, long-term success.
It must take a campaign-based approach rather than thinking about opportunities as “one-and-done.” Successful off-page SEO is a strategic effort to build authority and reputation, reinforcing E-E-A-T.
Building authority beyond links
Successful off-page SEO in today’s world requires more than just accumulating links.
It’s about building authority, trust and visibility across multiple platforms and creating a more diverse online presence that supports your brand’s growth.
By embracing a campaign-based approach to off-page strategies like original research, PR, social media, influencer partnerships and brand mentions, you can significantly enhance your online reputation and search engine rankings.