Teach Yourself VISUALLY Search Engine Optimization (2013)
Chapter 6. Building Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is the optimization process that you perform to increase your website’s popularity, rank, and traffic. Link building includes a number of steps you take to help increase the high-quality external links that link back to your website’s main domain or internal posts; using keywords known as anchor text is one.
Find the Domain History
Review Website Backlinks
Gather Website Information
Compare Traffic for Websites
Check a Link Partner’s Page Rank
Submit Your Website to a Link Directory
Submit to the Article Directories
Get Paid Backlinks
Write Guest Posts
Submit Press Releases
Submit Your Site to Link Exchange
Request a Link Exchange
Find the Domain History
Before you start to create your Off-page campaign, you need to understand the market for your website niche and the other related websites within the same category. Because the link-building process depends on the relativity of the link that points to your website, the first step is to check the partner website’s history and other information. It gives you an idea of when the website was established or the website age. Older websites have better reputations on Google than newer websites because Google considers them trusted websites and, subsequently, has confidence in their links.
Find the Domain History
Type www.domaintools.com in your web browser and press 
.
The Domain Tools website appears.
Type the URL in the field.
Click Search for Domain.
The domain information appears.
Click Registration.
The domain history information appears.
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What is the Site Profile tab?
The Site Profile tab includes information about a website so you have a better idea about its category and focus. It retrieves this data from the website’s HTML code, called Metadata, and displays it so you can understand its relativity to your own website.
What is the website’s Server Stats?
It is important to learn about the server that hosts the website that you are searching for, because it helps you to determine if the website is reliable and whether your links on this server will have a good reputation with Google indexing. You can learn about the website’s server from the information under the Server Stats and the Who is Record tabs, which show the type of server hosting the website.
Review Website Backlinks
The backlinks are links that appear on other sites on the Internet. These backlinks can link to your website home page or inner pages. These backlinks are very important in the SEO process, because the more links you have, the higher amount of traffic your website receives, which increases its rank. You can obtain backlinks by using guest posts, buying text links, submitting website to directories, submitting press releases, and so on. Backlinks from related and other high-ranking websites that link to your website can help increase your website’s rank in search engines faster.
Review Website Backlinks
Type www.google.com in your web browser and press .
The Google search page appears.
Type link: _http://www.mashable.com, replacing the website link with your own website, and press .
The links for the website appear.
Hover over the result to see a preview.
Scroll down the page.
The end of the page appears.
A You can click the navigation arrow to show more results.
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What are the internal and external links?
The website backlinks consist of two types. The internal links are linked words within the website itself and link to other pages on the same site. They can be used to guide the reader to more information on a specific topic or related topic. They are also helpful for increasing the page views for the website because users will navigate more pages, which increases the time they remain on your website. The external links refer to links to your website home page or internal pages from other websites. These websites provide links to yours to provide helpful or related information to their readers.
Gather Website Information
Website information is the most important for the SEO expert. Without the information, you cannot build an optimization plan. The Open Site Explorer (www.opensiteexplorer.org) is a comprehensive tool that allows you to learn about your website in more detail. It shows your website’s authority, which reflects its ranking potential in different search engines, the links to the main domain or home page, and the total links to the website’s pages. If you upgrade to a paid account, you can learn more about the website’s social network information, such as its links on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +.
Gather Website Information
Type www.opensiteexplorer.org in your web browser and press .
The Open Site Explorer appears.
Type a website domain name.
Click Search.
The website’s information appears.
Click Anchor Text.
A A list of the keywords that link to your website appears.
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What are inbound and outbound links?
Inbound refers to links that link to your website from other sites, while outbound refers to links that go from your website to external websites. For example, the Inbound Links tab in Open Site Explorer shows links to your website, text used in the links, and the original websites’ authority. You can learn more under the Linking Domains tab.
How do I compare statics for two websites?
You can compare statics for two or more sites under the Compare Link Metrics tab. Click + Add URL to add up to four websites and compare them with your initial site. The comparison shows the sites’ authority, internal and external links, and types of links.
Compare Traffic for Websites
Alexa rank is one of the important indicators for comparing your website traffic with other sites in the same niche on the web. Alexa rank gives an estimate for a website’s popularity and you can use it as an indicator for your website’s traffic value. You can use Alexa for comparing other sites’ traffic ranking to yours, and apply this information to your link building plans, such as deciding whether to partner with these websites or just analyze their performance. Alexa allows you to compare up to four websites to the main website and get the comparison details as Graphs on the chart.
Compare Traffic for Websites
Type www.alexa.com in your web browser and press .
Type the website link.
Click Search (
).
The website’s Alexa rank appears.
Click Get Details.
The website details appear.
Type the website you would like to compare.
Click Compare.
A The comparison appears on the graph.
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What other information can I learn from Alexa?
Alexa lets you learn about the website page views, the amount of time users stay on the website, the audience demographics, and the Clickstream, which shows traffic sources and where users go after leaving the website. It also shows related websites and the percentage of traffic by country.
What is the Alexa toolbar?
Alexa provides a toolbar that you can install on your browser, and it helps you view statistics for a website in your browser rather than having to search for it on the Alexa website. You can also create a toolbar and customize it at www.alexa.com/toolbar-creator.
Check a Link Partner’s Page Rank
Google assigns a Page Rank (PR) for every website on the Internet, which ranges from 0 to 10 based on a website’s backlink reputation. Getting links from these websites to yours copies this rank to your website and helps it receive a higher rank. You need to get a lot of links from medium rank PR websites to get the same results as you get from high rank PR websites. You can check the PR for the websites that you want to get links from using Page Rank checkers such as www.prchecker.info.
Check a Link Partner’s Page Rank
Type www.prchecker.info in your web browser and press .
The Page Rank page appears.
Type the website you would like to check.
Click Check PR.
The verification page appears.
Type the number and letter combination shown on the verification image.
Click Verify Now.
A The website’s Page Rank appears.
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What are Google Page Rank updates?
On a regular basis, Google makes changes in its search algorithm to enhance the search process and update the Page Rank for different websites. These updates are known as Google Panda and Penguin updates, and can affect your website and other sites in one way or another. You can learn about the history of different changes in the Google algorithm at www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change.
What is Google Dance?
When Google applies Page Rank updates, you can find they fluctuate for some time until they become stable; this process is known as Google Dance, and it happens because updating data on different Google servers around the world takes some time.
Submit Your Website to a Link Directory
One of the initial steps in building links to your website is submitting your website to a link directory, which organizes different websites based on category and niche. Some of these directories are free and others offer paid subscriptions. When you submit your website, you have to make sure that the link directory has a high Page Rank. Two of the most important directories are the Yahoo Directory at http://dir.yahoo.com, which charges a fee; and Dmoz at www.dmoz.org, which allows you to submit your website for free.
Submit Your Website to a Link Directory
Type www.dmoz.org in your web browser and press 
.
The Dmoz home page appears.
Click a topic to start navigating to a terminal category.
A The subcategory page appears.
Click Suggest URL.
The Submission form appears.
Complete the form, scrolling down as you go.
Scroll down to the end of the page.
The end of the form appears.
Click Submit.
The website is submitted to Dmoz for review. It can take few months to list your approved website.
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How long does it take to be listed in the Dmoz directory?
Dmoz can take a long time to accept your website and display it in their directory. Therefore, you have to be careful when submitting your website; you need to have it in good shape to avoid being rejected. Also, you need to submit it to the proper category and complete the form with accurate information about the website.
What are some other useful directories?
You can visit www.directorycritic.com for lists of directories where you can submit your website and the Page Rank for each directory. You can also view directories based on their payment model.
Submit to the Article Directories
Article directories include article archives from different fields and interests. Users submit their articles, creating an information source that others can use or find in search engine results. You can increase your website traffic and backlinks by writing guest articles for these websites and including links back to your website for the related keywords. There are many article directories on the web, and the most famous one is Ezine at http://ezinearticles.com.
Submit to the Article Directories
Type http://ezinearticles.com in your your web browser and press .
Note: If you do not have an account, you can create one by clicking Join.
The Ezine website appears.
Click Sign in.
The Sign In page appears.
Type your e-mail address.
Type your password.
Click Sign In.
The home page appears.
Click Submit an Article.
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What type of links do the directories provide?
The article directories provide one-way links to your website or web page. A one-way link refers to a link to a website without a link back to the original linked page. This type of link ensures a better ranking than two-way links.
What other article directories are available?
While Ezine is the most popular article directory, there are other article directories where you can submit articles, such as GoArticles at http://goarticles.com, Article Dashboard at www.articledashboard.com, and Galoor at www.galoor.com.
When you add your article to Ezine, it provides real-time guidance so you can make sure that your article follows the basic rules; this ensures it is well-optimized and does not include excessive promotions. You can fix any issues in your article by following the alert messages. At the end of the article submission forms, there is a resource area where you can promote your links that are related to the article topic.
The Submit New Article form appears.
Click the Title area.
The Title pop-up message appears.
Type the article title.
Click Save.
The New Article form reappears.
Continue completing the remaining fields.
Click Submit This Article.
The Terms of Service message box appears.
Click the I agree to the Terms of Service option.
After the article is approved, it will publish to the Ezine website.
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How do I get professional articles?
Writing articles is a talent that some people do not have. However, it is important to provide professional articles that attract users to read them and click the links in them. You can use professional article writing services, where you provide the topic of the article and a professional writer writes it for you. One of these services is MediaPiston at www.mediapiston.com. It provides various types of articles, ranging in price. There is also Godot at www.godotmedia.com.
Get Paid Backlinks
While you can acquire backlinks to your website naturally by getting other sites to link to your website, you can also get backlinks by buying links to your website from related sites in the market. These paid backlinks can occur when users link directly to your website or when they link to specific keywords in an article, which takes them to your website. The second type provides more natural backlinks because they come from related keywords from sites in the same niche as your website. One paid link provider is Text Link Ads at www.text-link-ads.com.
Get Paid Backlinks
Type www.text-link-ads.com in your web browser and press .
Click Login.
Note: If you do not have an account, click Register to create an account.
The login page appears.
Type your e-mail address.
Type your password.
Click Login Now.
The Advertiser Dashboard page appears.
Click Text Link Ads.
The Ad Search & Filter page appears.
Type the keyword that you used as a link.
Click Search For Ad Spots.
Locate the website on which you would like to advertise.
Click the Add to Cart button.
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Do paid links conflict with Google policies?
Google does not recommend paid links or buying backlinks. However, not all paid links are bad, especially ones that appear natural from related websites and from high-ranked websites. These links can influence the Google algorithm positively. So, you need to avoid links from advertisers that place links in unrelated links.
How do I get backlinks directly from related websites?
Besides buying the links from link networks, such as www.linkworth.com and www.textlinkbrokers.com, you can search for websites in your niche and contact them directly to either purchase paid links or exchange links with them.
Write Guest Posts
One method for getting backlinks is to write guest posts on other websites in the same category as yours. When you write guest post articles, you include links back to your website content in the article’s resources and related topics. This type of back linking is natural and can help your website get a better ranking though the increasing number of related links. One guest post website is www.payperpost.com. Here you can describe the type of posts you need and your site’s target to get offers from other writers and bloggers.
Write Guest Posts
Type www.payperpost.com in your web browser and press .
Click Login to display the login message.
Type your e-mail address.
Type your password.
Click Login again.
Note: If you do not have an account, you can create one as an advertiser.
The Create new opportunity page appears.
Type the name of the opportunity.
Click create opp.
The creating opp (opportunity) dialog box appears.
Click the step 1 to step 4 tabs to complete the guest post requirements.
Click next.
The terms of service page appears.
If your opportunity contains adult content, click this option (
changes to 
).
Click I agree.
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How do I add links in the Pay Per Post guest posts?
You can add up to three different links in one pay-per-post article. These links ensure the quality of the article and do not conflict with any Google regulations. You can add three links in the opportunity links list, and then choose to add one link randomly or all three links to your article.
How do I use guest posts for link building?
After writing the guest post, you can contact the websites in your niche and ask them to publish your guest posts. Some websites publish your guest post for free and others charge a fee.
Submit Press Releases
Press releases are one of the efficient methods for building backlinks and distributing them among different news sites, news grabbers, and search engines. A press release can include updates from your website or news service that you include on your website. These releases include information about your website and link to the updated content. A successful press release should be well written and submitted to a good press release website. There are many press release websites that provide free submission, such as www.free-press-release.com.
Submit Press Releases
Type www.free-press-release.com in your web browser and press .
Click Login.
Note: If you do not have an account, click Create Free Account to create an account.
The Login Account page appears.
Type your e-mail address.
Type your password.
Click Sign in.
The Submit Press Release page appears.
Click Submit Free PR.
A new press release page appears.
Complete the form.
Click Submit.
The news is submitted for publishing on the Free Press Release website.
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What is the different between free and a paid press release?
While a free press release provides basic benefits, a paid press release includes more and ensures that the press release appears on the high-traffic websites and search engines’ news, such as the news on Yahoo, Bing, and Google. It also allows you to distribute your press release among large websites and their followers. The cost to submit a press release ranges from free submission to $400 or more in the United States. As a start, use the free services to get practice writing press releases and to see their initial impact on your website. There are different free press release providers, such as www.prweb.com, www.prnewswire.com, and www.24-7pressrelease.com.
Submit Your Site to Link Exchange
A link exchange is the process of two or more sites exchanging links. The exchanged links can be added to all the site’s pages, which is known as site wide; or to only specific pages. You can do a link exchange with sites in your niche by directly contacting the site’s owner and exchanging links. You add the owner’s link code to your website and vice versa, or you can register your website with link-exchange websites such as Link Market at www.linkmarket.net. With this website, you submit your website and exchange links with other sites in the Link Market directory.
Submit Your Site to Link Exchange
Type www.linkmarket.net in the browser.
Press .
The website home page appears.
Click Submit Your Site.
The site submission page appears.
Type your e-mail address.
Type your password.
Type the website URL.
Click the Category pop-up menu and select the website category.
Click Submit URL.
The account approval page appears.
Note: When Link Market sends you an e-mail to confirm your account, click the Confirmation link to activate it.
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What is the difference between one-way and two-way links?
A one-way link points to someone else’s page or website but there is no link back to your website. A two-way link refers to reciprocal links, where two websites exchange links so each site includes the partner’s link. There are also three-way links, which refers to a group of websites linking to one other. For example, website 1 links to website 2, which links to website 3, which links to website 1, and so on. One-way link building is the best way to get rank because search engines such as Google consider one-way links quality links to your website. Two-way and three-way links are less important and should be used wisely to avoid any negative impact on the website.
Request a Link Exchange
You can search the Link Market directory for sites similar to yours and send link exchange requests. You add selected links to the Link Market cart and then use the cart to request link exchanges with the affiliated sites. Once the site owner approves the link exchange, the site owner adds the link to the website and you add this website’s link to your website in return. You can manage your links and check their status under the My Account tab. Here you can also learn more about the Link Market platform by clicking the How to Exchange Links link.
Request a Link Exchange
Click Link Exchange Directory.
The link directory appears.
Select the category your website falls under.
The links in the directory appear.
Click Add to Cart.
Click Link Cart.
The Link Cart page appears.
Click Request Link Exchange.
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How do I manage links in Link Market?
Under the Current Jobs tab, you can monitor link requests and the status of each one. There are three link status categories. Respond, which lets you know that a link request has been sent to you. Add Link, which notifies you that your partner has responded to your link request and has added your link to his or her site. And Remove Link, which means that the partner has not added your link or has removed it from his or her site.