Search engine optimization has to be done both on page and off page, the latter referring to factors that are done outside your actual site. If you're new to online marketing, this may sound complicated, but it's not really that difficult. You can improve your site's off page SEO by keeping the following guidelines in mind.

Backlinks are the number one off page factor you have to be aware of if you want your site to be optimized for the search engines. The fact is, the search engines consider backlinks to be very important when they rank sites for various keywords. High ranking websites almost always have lots of relevant backlinks pointing at them, which can be verified by using various online tools. The best way to build backlinks is gradually, so make this a daily task and build up the number of links you have over time. Getting backlinks to your site from quality sources is the most critical off page SEO tactic of all.

When optimizing your site, don't try to fool the search engines by cloaking your pages or setting up gateway pages that show the search engines something different from what actual visitors see. Doing this kind of thing can remove your site from the listings if you're caught, so it's best to use only legitimate SEO tactics to rank your site. So don't try to rush the process and take shortcuts, but focus on getting a good ranking for your site in the long run. You can make sure that your off page SEO efforts are within the rules set by Google simply by getting familiar with their TOS. There are a number of things that you'll learn when you go through their terms, which will evidently help you stay away from any gray areas that can get you penalized. The more familiar you are about what Google likes and considers valuable, the easier it will be for you to raise your ranking in a way that's permanent.

Remember that Google will also analyze the traffic of your page when it comes to ranking. A site that gets regular traffic is going to be considered more important to the search engines than one that hardly gets any visits at all. Ideally, the search engines like to see a large number of visitors, who are real and not automated traffic that you bought, who stay on your site for some time and don't immediately click away after one second. All of these factors add up when it comes to how the search engines view the value of your site.

Finally, when you link to pages, you always have to consider their topic. If not, then you should consider going for sites that have a theme that is related to your niche. In the eyes of the search engines, a link from a relevant site is considered more valuable than one from a random site. You simply can't get as much benefit from links that are from sites with no relevance to your own. So in order to extract the best results out of your link building efforts for your SEO, aim to go for links with similar themes.

We've looked at a few very effective off page optimization techniques that will help your site to attain a higher ranking. If you stick to sound SEO strategies and work at them on a daily basis, you'll find that ranking your site isn't as hard as you thought.