What off page SEO actually is
On page SEO is everything you control on the site itself: content, titles, headings, internal links, structure. Off page SEO is everything happening outside the site that tells Google whether the site deserves to rank.
The simplest way to think about it: on page SEO tells Google what a page is about. Off page SEO tells Google whether anyone should believe it.
Off page SEO happens whether or not we work on it. People link to sites, mention brands, and leave reviews on their own. Our job is to influence those signals in the right direction rather than leave them to chance.
The three buckets
Almost everything in off page SEO fits into one of three categories.
1. Backlinks: Other websites linking to the client’s site. Still the heaviest off page ranking factor, and the one that takes the most work.
2. Brand and entity signals: Mentions of the brand without a link, branded search volume, social presence, and how consistently the business shows up as a recognizable entity across the web. Google is increasingly good at connecting these signals even without a hyperlink.
3. Local signals: Google Business Profile, citations and directory listings, NAP consistency, and reviews. For any client with a physical location or service area, this bucket often moves the needle faster than links do.
Backlinks
Not all links are equal. A handful of strong links will outperform hundreds of weak ones. When evaluating a link, we look at:
- Relevance. A link from a site in the same industry or a related topic carries far more weight than a random directory. A roofing client getting a link from a home improvement blog beats a link from a general business listing site every time.
- Authority. In Ahrefs we look at Domain Rating (DR) for the site and URL Rating (UR) for the specific page. These are third party estimates, not Google metrics, so treat them as directional rather than gospel.
- Placement. A link inside the body content of a page is stronger than one buried in a footer, sidebar, or author bio.
- Followed vs. nofollow. Followed links pass authority. Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links generally don’t, though they still have brand value and Google treats these attributes as hints rather than hard rules.
- Anchor text. The clickable text of the link gives Google context. Natural anchor text is a mix of branded, URL, generic (“click here”), and partial match phrases. A profile stuffed with exact match commercial anchors looks manipulated.
- Traffic to the linking page. A link on a page nobody visits still counts, but a link on a page with real traffic can send actual referral visitors, which is a win beyond rankings.
How we get links
Real link building comes down to giving other sites a reason to point at the client. The tactics that hold up:
- Using a tool like the Hoth or Stan Ventures. There are lots of companies that can help with this. We typically use the Hoth or Stan Ventures. See our other trainings on those.
- Reclaiming unlinked mentions. Someone already wrote about the client but didn’t link. This is the easiest win available and it’s usually sitting untouched. Ahrefs Content Explorer will surface these.
- Broken link building. Find dead pages on relevant sites that still have links pointing at them, then suggest the client’s page as the replacement.
- Digital PR and expert commentary. Getting the client quoted as a source in an article or roundup. Works especially well for clients with a genuine specialist on staff.
- Genuinely useful resources. Original data, calculators, local guides, and tools attract links passively over time. Slow to build, but it compounds.
- Local partnerships and sponsorships. Chamber of commerce, local charities, youth sports teams, industry associations, supplier and vendor pages. Low glamour, high relevance, and often overlooked.
What to stay away from
Google’s link spam policies are explicit, and the March 2024 core and spam updates showed how aggressively they’ll enforce them. Avoid:
- Private blog networks (PBNs)
- Comment and forum spam
- Excessive reciprocal link swaps
- Site reputation abuse, meaning parasite content published on a stronger domain purely to borrow its authority
Local off page signals
For local clients, this is where the fastest gains usually live:
- Google Business Profile. Complete, accurate, correctly categorized, with photos, services, and regular posts. This is the single highest leverage local asset.
- Citation consistency. The business name, address, and phone number should match exactly across every directory and listing. Inconsistent NAP data creates confusion Google has to resolve, and it usually resolves it against you.
- Reviews. Volume, recency, average rating, and keyword content in reviews all factor into local rankings. Ongoing review generation is an off page SEO activity, not just a reputation task.
- Core directories first. Google, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook, plus the industry specific ones that matter in the client’s vertical. Bulk directory blasts add little.
Brand signals and AI search
This bucket has grown in importance. Google and AI search tools both weigh whether a brand is a recognized entity, not just a website. That means:
- Unlinked brand mentions across relevant sites and publications
- Rising branded search volume, which is one of the cleanest indicators that off page work is landing
- Consistent presence on the platforms where the audience already is
- Whether the brand gets cited in AI generated answers, which we can now track in Ahrefs Brand Radar
How we measure it
Ahrefs has a backlink profile tool that we can use to see how the site is doing. This shows what types of domains are pointing to us, how many different sites point to us, and more.