There are a number of things that you can do to make your business’s website more popular. For instance, you can look into search engine optimization and make your website as search engine friendly as possible.
You can do it in two ways. They are called on-page search engine optimization and off-page search engine optimization. The former focuses on the contents of your business’s website and the website itself. The latter – on the number and authority of websites that link to your business’s website.
In case you would like to learn more about off-page search engine optimization, you should keep reading. In this article, you will find an off-page SEO checklist that should help make your website more popular in no time!
Backlinks
For starters, it is vital that you build a healthy and diverse backlink profile for your website. The easiest way to go about it is to write guest posts. In short, you will have to create valuable content that other websites will want to feature, as well as put links to your website in the said guest posts.
Ideally, the guest posts and the websites that you publish on should be related to your niche. For instance, if your website is about dog shows, the website that you write to should be about pet dogs, and so on.
However, it might be a bit difficult for you to get your content published. First off, you will need to find reputable websites that are willing to publish guest posts. Second, your content needs to be engaging and original. In case you are not a great writer/cannot afford to hire a great writer, website owners might be reluctant to publish your guest posts.
Luckily, you do not have to take care of this on your own. Instead, you can work with a company that specializes in link building. If that sounds like something you would like to look into, check out Husky Hamster outreach services!
Directories
Have you heard of directories? In short, a directory is a website that lists different businesses and the said businesses’ contact information, such as address and phone number. There are quite a few directories that your website should appear in, no matter what your business is about. It will help drive traffic to your website, as well as make your business seem more credible.
In order to make your business’s website appear in such a directory, you need to create an account, claim your listing, and add important information. It is easy to do and should not take you long. In case you do not know where to start, here is a list of the most popular directories out there. You can use it as a point of reference!
- Google My Business
- Bing Places for Business
- Yahoo Local
- Foursquare
- Yellow Pages
- Chamber of Commerce
- Better Business Bureau
- Yelp
It is important to note that just claiming your listing is not where your directory journey should end. Instead, you should check up on your listing on a regular basis and ensure that it is up to date, as well as monitor and reply to your customers’ reviews.
Reviews
Speaking of reviews, did you know that they can be a great search engine optimization tool? You might not be aware of this yet, but search engines like to see people choosing your business and writing detailed reviews about it. Unfortunately, it might be difficult for you to encourage your customers to write reviews for your company.
In order to do something about it, you will need to start asking. Research shows that seventy percent of customers are likely to leave a review for a business when asked. You will need to do it the right way, though. Otherwise, it will not work.
Ideally, you should approach the issue with timeliness, persistence, and simplicity in mind. First, give your customer two days before you send out your request for a review. If you get no response, send up to two follow-ups a few days apart. Second, keep the review form simple. For instance, you can limit it to an overview, pros, and cons. It will be easy to understand and encourage in-depth responses.
Again, it is important that you reply to your customers’ reviews. It shows that you value them and builds trust between you. However, do not reply to reviews while you are emotionally charged. Your responses are going to be public, meaning that you should approach each review with a level head!
It’s especially important in the case of negative reviews. You can’t just ignore them or reply with a one-word answer. Instead, you should try to understand the reason behind the negative opinion and find a way to fix it!
In Conclusion
To sum up, off-page search engine optimization is something that you should pay special attention to if you want your website to rank high in different search engines. For starters, you should build your website’s backlink profile and make it healthy and diverse. Moreover, you might want to add your business to different directories, as well as monitor and reply to your customers’ reviews.
Keep in mind that the three tactics mentioned in this article are not the only options that are available to you. In fact, there are a bunch of other things that you can use to make your website rank higher, such as press releases, video-sharing platforms, and influencers. It is up to you to decide what you want to invest in!