How to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO
For many, especially smaller businesses that can’t afford to strain their budgets, organic traffic is their primary type of website traffic. Indeed, generating organic traffic stands as both the hallmark of great marketing strategies and a common goal of multi-channel campaigns. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), an increasingly popular series of practices, explicitly seeks to drive organic traffic as well – especially in its off-page subset. To illustrate this, and hopefully inspire you to leverage it effectively, the Digital Dot team is here to help. In this article, we explore some crucial ways to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO, in 2022 and beyond.
What is off-page SEO?
First, let us very briefly explore our terms in case they’re unfamiliar to some of our readers. SEO is a series of practices that optimizes content and pages for search engines. It does so by adhering to search engine ranking factors, helping content rank higher on results pages. To achieve this goal more effectively, SEO comes in 4 main subtypes each with its own focus:
- On-page; on-page optimizations, such as image compressions and tags. New York web design solutions typically focus on this subtype.
- Off-page; off-page activities, such as link-building. This subtype is arguably the most challenging, but also offers ample room for creativity.
- Technical; activities that guarantee website technical health, such as site maps. Unlike the others, this subtype rarely concerns content teams.
- Local; locally-focused activities, mainly on Google Business Profile. This subtype focuses on local audiences and Google Maps visibility, as the name suggests.
Perhaps predictably, off-page SEO holds immense potential for traffic generation. Where on-page SEO polishes content for search engines and users, this subtype focuses on distribution and outreach.
Should you need more information on this subject, you may also consult our off-page SEO checklist.
What constitutes organic traffic?
As a second introductory note, before exploring how to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO, we may best define what “organic” traffic is. The simple definition is simple enough; traffic from search engines that is earned, not paid for.
Writing for LinkedIn, Amber Kemmis identifies an array of different traffic types:
- Organic
- Paid
- Referral
- Social
- Direct
- Other, or misc
As she does, she correctly asserts that the initial distinction between organic and direct traffic was “too simplified”. In this context, however, we may simplify the term ourselves as we expand it; you may treat all unpaid traffic as organic traffic. This definition should help explain just how off-page SEO can generate unpaid traffic for many of the above types.
How to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO
With introductions in order, we may now delve into our main subject. The following are the main practices that professional SEO services New York agencies offer, in no particular order of importance.
#1: Link-building
A practice that has virtually become synonymous with off-page SEO, link-building is an invaluable marketing practice. Its fundamental goal is just as the name suggests; building inbound links to one’s website from external sources.
Notably, link-building also expands beyond off-page SEO. For instance, as we’ve covered before, local link-building increasingly preoccupies local SEO. It can also occur organically if one’s content is truly stellar – which too doesn’t belong to off-page SEO per se.
Still, link-building is primarily an off-page SEO endeavor. Consider, for example, the famous Skyscraper technique’s steps:
- Identify authoritative outlets that host content in your industry
- Produce better content
- Reach out and offer your content
This kind of link-building technique requires a robust content strategy, alongside optimized content pages. But it is the off-page teams’ research and communication skills that will ultimately secure a backlink, and the organic traffic that it will generate.
#2: Social media marketing
Another way to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO lies in social media marketing. Even without its paid counterpart, organic social media marketing can generate ample traffic. As it does, off-page SEO can help significantly, as social media marketing NYC trends show.
This synergy bears noting, as it commonly involves a prevalent SEO myth that social signals affect rankings. That is not the case, as Google’s John Mueller has said:
“Social media shares of a page and other social “applause” metrics simply don’t play into ranking. […] Being active on the social media platforms is a great way to test and refine your website content to see if it’s connecting with users, but it’s not a ranking factor.”
That said, the latter part of his assertion reveals opportunities. Social media teams can synergize with SEO teams to better define desirable keywords, polish content tone and style, and so forth. This collaboration can be further refined by traditional off-page SEO practices such as:
- Social listening
- Claiming unbranded mentions
- Reaching out to engage reputable external outlets
In combination, the two can both amplify traffic generation and overcome common SEO success obstacles.
#3: User-generated content (UGC)
On the subject of traditional SEO practices, UGC remains a staple of many marketers’ strategies. In its traditional form, it presents an excellent opportunity to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO as a link-building practice.
Caption: If you can afford the content creation strain, UGC can substantially help increase organic traffic with off-page SEO.
At its core, UGC does primarily fall on content creation teams. It hinges on creating stellar content that external outlets will want to offer their audiences, which off-page SEO teams can then pitch in exchange for backlinks.
Forms of UGC and UGC-related strategies include:
- Blog posts, as a staple link-building strategy
- Infographics, as a strong option for visual content creators
- Guestographics, as a combination of visual and text content
- Email UGC, as a means of enhancing recipient trust
- Social media audience and influencer content
Which forms one chooses to leverage will strictly depend on established strategies, resources, business goals, and more. However, UGC on the whole remains a very notable option for organic traffic generation.
#4: Business listings
Another asset toward organic traffic generation lies in business listings. These strategies do typically fall under the umbrella of local SEO, but still significantly overlap with off-page SEO as well.
Under the scope of local SEO, business listings hinge on creating a strong local SEO strategy through Google Business Profile. Through it, businesses can more effectively attract local audiences, rank higher in Google Maps searches, and so forth.
Still, despite this local focus, business listings also present an excellent way to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO. Treating Google Business Profile as a traditional social media platform, off-page SEO teams can align activities there with broader branding efforts. They can cross-post social media content there, engage with audiences to build trust, and so forth. Manual outreach to local outlets will also help earn backlinks, generate organic traffic, and enhance one’s local reputation.
#5: PR campaigns
Finally, digital PR can also generate organic traffic beyond just managing one’s online reputation. As PR and SEO become increasingly symbiotic, one can augment the other to best meet the goals of both.
Press releases, participation in and sponsorship of local events, and similar PR-centric practices can inherently help generate brand awareness. A PR-minded off-page SEO team can truly elevate such practices, however, prioritizing backlinks and branded mentions over plain coverage.
A prime example of this comes in contributions to Help A Reporter Out (HARO). This initiative connects brands seeking coverage with reporters seeking valuable content and information. With some proper insights in hand, amassed through the above practices and more, this simple addition to one’s schedule can make some tremendous difference in final organic traffic.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are ample ways to increase organic traffic with off-page SEO. The most common ones will hinge on link-building, off-page SEO’s arguable primary focus. Still, other options abound, including social media, UGC, business listings, and PR campaigns. While only rudimentary, we hope this article helped inspire your creativity – and helped you earn the organic traffic your business needs.