OwlBlog
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
SEO - Off-page Optimisation
Off-page Optimisation
This is the last in a series of 3 posts covering the main areas of Search Engine Optimisation.
Off page SEO is what can be done off the actual pages of a website to maximise its performance in search engines for the targeted keywords. This is usually generating links.
It's quite a complex process because it is not only the quantity of the links that count but more importantly the quality. Generating these links can be a prolonged process and certainly needs research and a strategy to get the most out of the effort that goes into generating the links.
Link Building
Link building is about generating links but also generating pathways into your site that will increase relevant traffic as well. So, targeting relevant sites on which to obtain links is extremely important.
One-way links
These are the ones that count the most, and the anchor text of each one is key in telling the search engine what the linked to page is about. Typically these will include directory entries, (many industry specific ones) and articles/online pr and news items that have been written that specify links back to the website.
Reciprocal links
These two-way links have been devalued because exchanging of links was seen as trying to manipulate the system to achieve a higher search engine ranking.
Link Baiting
This is a valuable way of attracting links and is all about producing relevant content that naturally gets people to link back into the site.
Link building this way through blogs/forums, news outlets, white papers and social networking are the best methods of doing this because you can build links and get traffic.
The strength and quality of a link depends on:
Authority of the website – e.g. .gov, .org sites are more valuable.
Relevance – relevancy between your site and the linking page.
Using Keywords – keywords in anchor text
Position of link – within the body of the text
Number of links – if there are loads of links on a page then they are diluted
Other Contributing Factors
When looking at SEO there are a few factors that need to be taken into account but that cannot be controlled. Firstly, what the competition is doing – secondly, changes in the algorithm – lastly, trends on search may change (constantly having a handle on SEO should mean you can adapt with the times though)
The blog posts on Technical Optimisation and On-Page Optimisation along with this one give an overview of all of the factors that should be addressed in a comprehensive SEO programme and follow accepted best practice.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of Search Engine Marketing and how it could benefit your business please do get in touch.
This is the last in a series of 3 posts covering the main areas of Search Engine Optimisation.
Off page SEO is what can be done off the actual pages of a website to maximise its performance in search engines for the targeted keywords. This is usually generating links.
It's quite a complex process because it is not only the quantity of the links that count but more importantly the quality. Generating these links can be a prolonged process and certainly needs research and a strategy to get the most out of the effort that goes into generating the links.
Link Building
Link building is about generating links but also generating pathways into your site that will increase relevant traffic as well. So, targeting relevant sites on which to obtain links is extremely important.
One-way links
These are the ones that count the most, and the anchor text of each one is key in telling the search engine what the linked to page is about. Typically these will include directory entries, (many industry specific ones) and articles/online pr and news items that have been written that specify links back to the website.
Reciprocal links
These two-way links have been devalued because exchanging of links was seen as trying to manipulate the system to achieve a higher search engine ranking.
Link Baiting
This is a valuable way of attracting links and is all about producing relevant content that naturally gets people to link back into the site.
Link building this way through blogs/forums, news outlets, white papers and social networking are the best methods of doing this because you can build links and get traffic.
The strength and quality of a link depends on:
Authority of the website – e.g. .gov, .org sites are more valuable.
Relevance – relevancy between your site and the linking page.
Using Keywords – keywords in anchor text
Position of link – within the body of the text
Number of links – if there are loads of links on a page then they are diluted
Other Contributing Factors
When looking at SEO there are a few factors that need to be taken into account but that cannot be controlled. Firstly, what the competition is doing – secondly, changes in the algorithm – lastly, trends on search may change (constantly having a handle on SEO should mean you can adapt with the times though)
The blog posts on Technical Optimisation and On-Page Optimisation along with this one give an overview of all of the factors that should be addressed in a comprehensive SEO programme and follow accepted best practice.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of Search Engine Marketing and how it could benefit your business please do get in touch.
