Search engine optimisation usually makes you think of things like:
- SEO copywriting
- Keywords
- Title tags
- Headings and subheadings
These are all very important when it comes to boosting your website’s SEO, but there’s a lot more that also has to happen ‘behind the scenes’.
What is off screen SEO?
There are 3 main elements that make up off screen SEO. Let’s look at each in turn to see how they can affect your SEO effectiveness.
1. Website
Your website shouldn’t just look nice, although that will obviously help draw people to it.
It is essential you choose your web designer carefully. Make sure they understand SEO – and I mean really understand it. If you’re unsure, ask to see some examples of good websites they’ve put together that are achieveing great things in the SEO arena.
The structure of your website is key when it comes to SEO. It has to be created in a way that is easy for the search engine spiders to crawl as well as being easily navigable for the user.
2. Links
Links are possibly the single most important off screen SEO element. Every link you get pointing at your website is like a vote – the more votes you get, the more Google will love you.
Generating links is an on-going process and is done through:
- Submitting your site to relevant directories
- Writing and publishing articles
- Blogging
- Taking part in forums
- Social media
To get the most from your links, use your keywords as the anchor text link and make sure they are relevant to your content. If you’re unsure what an anchor text link is, at the start of this post I’ve linked the word ‘SEO Copywriting’ to the relevant page in my website – that’s anchor text.
3. Social Media
Google is now using social media results in its SERPs, so it must be pretty important to the search engine. But using social media will also help you develop online communities – you can encourage people to talk about you, and in business that’s got to be a good thing. The more your name is banded about, the more traffic you’ll get to your website.
This is also true for forums. The more you take part in, the wider you’ll become known.
For more detailed information about SEO, take a peek at Google’s own SEO starter guide, and invaluable tool for any online marketer.