[GTM glossary](/glossary.md) Off-page SEO

Marketing

# Off-page SEO

In short

Off-page SEO is the set of activities done away from your own website that influence how search engines judge its authority and relevance. The biggest factor is backlinks from other reputable sites, along with brand mentions and reviews.

It complements on-page SEO, which covers what you control on your own pages. On-page work makes content understandable and useful; off-page work shows that other people consider it worth citing. Both are needed for competitive search terms.

## Main off-page SEO activities

* **Backlink earning:** Getting relevant sites to link to your content or tools.
* **Digital PR:** Publishing data or insights that journalists and bloggers cite.
* **Brand mentions:** Being discussed on social media, forums, and industry sites.
* **Reviews and profiles:** Maintaining accurate listings on review and directory sites.
* **Partnerships and guest content:** Contributing useful articles or joint resources with partners.

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## How to start

* **Create something linkable:** Original research, templates, and tools attract links better than product pages.
* **List relevant sites:** Find publications, communities, and partners your audience trusts.
* **Reach out with value:** Explain why the content helps their readers.
* **Monitor your link profile:** Check which links you gain and spot spammy ones.
* **Be patient:** Authority builds over months, not days.

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## Example

Say a company publishes a survey of how sales teams handle follow-up, with clear charts. It shares the findings with relevant newsletter writers. Several cite it with a link. Over time, the page earns links from relevant sites, which supports its visibility for related searches.

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## Common mistakes

* **Buying links:** Paid links that pass ranking value can break search engine guidelines and risk penalties.
* **Chasing volume:** A few links from relevant sites beat many from low-quality ones.
* **Generic outreach:** Mass emails with no value for the recipient rarely work.
* **Ignoring on-page basics:** Links cannot rescue a poor or mismatched page.

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## Off-page SEO FAQs

**What is off-page SEO?**

Off-page SEO is the work done outside your own website that affects its search visibility, mainly earning backlinks from reputable sites along with brand mentions, reviews, and partnerships that signal authority and trust.

**How do off-page SEO and on-page SEO work together?**

On-page SEO optimizes what you control on your own pages, such as content, titles, and structure. Off-page SEO builds authority from external signals like backlinks and mentions. Strong rankings usually need both.

**What are examples of off-page SEO?**

Examples include earning links from industry publications, getting featured in digital PR coverage, building partner resource pages, being mentioned in relevant communities, and keeping review and directory profiles accurate.

**Is buying backlinks a good off-page SEO tactic?**

No. Paid links that pass ranking value can violate search engine guidelines and lead to ranking penalties. Earn links with useful content such as original data, tools, and expert commentary instead.

Share term

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## More related phrases

* [Core Web Vitals](/glossary/core-web-vitals.md)
* [Digital advertising](/glossary/digital-advertising.md)
* [Evergreen content](/glossary/evergreen-content.md)

## Similar phrases

* [Backlinks](/glossary/backlinks.md)  
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours, and search engines treat relevant, trustworthy ones as a signal that your content deserves to rank.
* [SEO (SEO)](/glossary/seo.md)  
SEO (search engine optimization) is the practice of improving a website so it earns more unpaid traffic from search engines such as Google.
* [On-page SEO](/glossary/on-page-seo.md)  
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing the content and HTML of individual web pages so search engines understand them and people find them useful.
* [Alternative pages](/glossary/alternative-pages.md)  
Alternative pages target searches like "\[Brand\] alternatives" and explain how your product compares, so you reach buyers already looking to switch.
* [Brand marketing](/glossary/brand-marketing.md)  
Brand marketing is the set of activities that build recognition, trust, and preference for a company over time, rather than driving immediate leads or sales.