Any website owner knows that search engine optimization (SEO) is of the utmost importance. Especially as you’re building your content up and making a name for yourself, you want as much positive attention as possible.
The best way to achieve good rankings in search engines is to follow all the SEO best practices while providing relevant, high-quality content. There are many ways to enhance your on-page SEO and achieve high SEO scores. The problem with this, though, is that a heavy on-page strategy often neglects off-page SEO which is just as important.
As a result, many websites get great on-page SEO but struggle with low domain authority. You must focus on both and create a strategy with SEO factors that work for both metrics. Read on to learn more about on-page optimization and improving domain authority.
On-Page SEO vs. Off-Page SEO
For a website to be truly successful and garner strong, consistently high search engine rankings, it needs its off-page SEO to be just as good as its on-page SEO. Many people focus a lot of their efforts on on-page SEO because it’s a little more linear, but the result is low domain authority – meaning you’ll struggle more long-term.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the tactics used to optimize a single page and help it rank higher for your targeted keyword(s). This includes things like:
- Optimized title. The title is what appears in the search engine rankings and it’s the first thing people see. You want to draw readers in with an engaging title that has them wanting to know more.
- Lots of appropriate subheadings. This breaks the content down into sections, helping readers find the specific information they’re looking for if they don’t have time to read the whole thing.
- Short paragraphs. This makes even long-form content easy to read; long, drawn-out paragraphs feel overwhelming and readers are more likely to abandon the article.
- Scannable content with easy-to-digest things like bullet lists, charts, tables, infographics, etc.
- High-quality, relevant, and well-written copy. If the writing is bad and hard to understand, most readers won’t bother with it and will just contribute to a higher bounce rate.
- Good-quality images with alt text. Alt text helps readers who may be visually impaired or those whose devices can’t load an image properly. It’s great for accessibility but also gives you another chance to slip in your targeted keywords.
- Chosen keywords are incorporated naturally and not overstuffed. Too many instances of your keyword(s) can be just as harmful as not having enough.
When these things are all working together on a page, the chances of that individual page appearing high in search engines like Google go up significantly.
Off-Page SEO
While on-page SEO is crucial to the success of a website, off-page SEO is just as important and yet often overlooked. Off-page SEO refers to the SEO factors that exist outside of a page, but still contribute to the page ranking and website authority.
Many people are pleased when their on-page SEO strategies pay off and their pages start ranking. But then they check their domain authority and become discouraged that it’s so low. This is often because you’re focusing too much on high SEO scores and not placing enough importance on other SEO factors that help build domain authority at the same time.
Some examples of off-page SEO strategies for improving domain authority include:
- Link building. You want to build links on other pages and websites that link back to pages on your website. A page with lots of high-quality pages linking to it tells Google that it’s an important and relevant page that should be given priority and authority.
- Social media. Related to link-building, promoting posts and pages on social media will get more attention. It’s like free advertising to your followers. Not only will this drive more traffic but it also adds another backlink.
- Guest posting. Guest posting is where you create a page or blog post for another website. Within this post, you can do a little advertising for yourself, including a link or two. It’s a win-win. The owner of the blog gets a fresh voice and some diverse content and you get a little free advertising and a new link. The higher authority websites you can guest post for, the better. ‘
- Google reviews. Once you get set up with a Google business page, customers can leave you reviews. Reviews are a great way to build your reputation and trust while replying to reviews tells Google that you care about your customers and should therefore get more authority.
Many little things contribute to off-page SEO and high SEO scores, but these are some of the main ones.
Link building in particular is your best friend when improving domain authority. There are a few useful things that can go into your link-building strategy:
- Go for the highest domain authority websites you can. The better the website that’s linking to you, the better it is for you!
- When looking to guest post or work with other bloggers or creators in any way, make sure you stay within your niche. You don’t want to just take any old backlink you can get. If it’s not relevant to you and your content, search engines won’t consider it an authoritative link. Not only that, but the readers of both your blog and the one you’re posting may become confused and disinterested in the content.
- Create linkable assets. Many people use things like infographics, free ebooks, whitepapers, and more to attract leads. These things must be high-quality and useful to work properly. Once these things are out there, you’ll get people linking back to them to share the free resource and/or cite the asset as a source in their own work.
Combine Strategies for Best Results
Many people fall into the trap of focusing too much on high SEO scores for their individual blog posts, pages, etc. Rankings are great, but too much focus on this area will result in low domain authority.
Ultimately, you want to increase domain authority while still maintaining good search results. To do this, you must incorporate on-page optimization while spending just as much time on link-building and other off-page SEO methods.
If you’re unsure how to navigate the world of SEO or want help building your website, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We offer a wide variety of web and SEO services that’ll help you grow a successful, reputable business in no time.
