What % of SEO is Off-Site

[Robert_Forrester]

I read an article that stated somewhere between 70-80% of SEO relevance came from off site practices. Is that true? I have done very little off-site anything, have few backlinks and still rank fairly high with some specific keywords.

[philpe]

Hi Robert,

I'm no expert, but my view is that SEO should be performed on-site first and once you've optimized your pages as much as possible for the keywords/phrases you want ot target, you can then dedicate time to the off-site optimizing.
The off-site is very important, even more if you want to keep ranks high. It's common for sites to rank well after launch but eventually they'll fade away if no continuous SEO is done.
Linking is always my #1 priority in terms of off-site SEO.

Philpe

[Sandis]

Hi, Robert, I'd like to add to this that it depends from niche to niche, from keyword to keyword as well the market you target etc.

Ranking in Google.com for "seo services" will be a lot harder than to do this for Google.co.uk (targeting UK market).

Also percentage wise it can depend from the type of project and competition.

One of ways to look at things is to compare yourself against competitors. If your competitors have on average (top 10 guys), like 200-300 links then thats what you approximately will need to achieve rankings for that main keyword.

Linking in fact is simplest way of promotion - you submit to directories, you post about your site on blogs, forums, exchange links with related sites etc

[DerekForeal]

See, Robert, I want an exact number too. I think I can go with his and let me tell you why.

Once, I have the name for my site, the headline, the meta-tags (title, headline, keyword) and anchor text, I'm done as far as on page is concerned.

Then comes directory submissions, blogging, article submission, forum participation, press releases, email signatures, forum signatures, backlinking and then SEM.

It may not be as high as his percentages but the heavier weighting is definitely in favor of off-site SEO.

[Niche]

I tend to focus more on on page SEO. Yes I generate a bunch of links to my sites as well but I find the on page factors seems to be more effective

[GregK]

It seems like Google is a pendulum that swings back and forth between preferences. At one point it will prefer on site tactics and next it will go towards linking strategy. People are always following the patterns and looking for the easy way to achieve results. If you stick somewhere in the middle, you'll be ok at either end. Like philpe said, get your site in order first, and then worry about links.

[freestuffheadquarters]

Robert,

First, a tip: The biggest problem with Google is that they always change their algorithm as to try to foil the SEO practices of even the best experts. They pretty much try to dissuade you from doing anything to try to optimize for their search results. While they hold the prophetic future of your site in their hands, they pretty much say, "Pay no attention to us as we hold your prosperity in our hands!" That doesn't work. If someone is holding a thousand dollars over your head, and says, "I decide whether or not you can have this money, so you have to please me, but pay no attention to me," aren't you still going to pay attention to them? Google makes no sense to me.

As for SEO, a lot of it really is off-site. The percentage all depends on what you are optimizing for, and if you're all that worried about Google, who, as I said, is hard to please. I've read articles where some professionals claim off-site SEO makes up as much as 95%, and some say it's only around half. Either way, it's huge. You can only do so much on-site keyword stuffing and linking. Here are some proven off-site methods:

1. Links- Try to get as many relevant links back to your site as possible. Link exchanges are great. However, don't trade link exchanges with reckless abandon. If you have too many unrelated link exchanges, they will penalize you. Don't be afraid of links, but don't work so hard on them and anger Google. For instance, if you own a Britney Spears site (like anyone would really want a Britney site), don't exchange links with 72 home improvement sites. Only exchange links with related music and celebrity sites that you can call "affiliates". If those home improvement sites are going to link to you, let them do it out of the goodness of their hearts so Google doesn't blacklist you. Also, the anchor text used (text the link appears as) is important. Instead of linking to my site with the text "Free Stuff Headquarters", creating a link like the following would be better: The best directory of free stuff on the Internet. Google likes to credit you with related anchor text. It makes the link more relevant, and adds keywords to you.

2. Directory listing and forum/blog postings are great, and add links to those. Trackbacks to your own site from related forums and blogs are nice links too.

3. Some people claim success writing articles on article submission sites, including a relevant link with quality anchor text. Early on in the game, we did that, and it worked a little for Yahoo!, but it didn't seem to mean anything to Google at all. It's proven to work for Yahoo and probably MSN, ASK, etc. Just don't bank on it with Google.

Here is a summary: Links, links, and links. With a good mix of on-site and off-site SEO practices, you will find success with Yahoo!. Try your best with Google, expect nothing, and when you check them in a few months, if you have done well, be surprised, happy, and grateful.

[GregK]

Good point Free Stuff