Off-Page SEO to Get Them On Your Site

As we all know, SEO is an ever-changing entity with particular factors that can increase your website/s rankings if done correctly. Well, those factors do not only exist on your website, but they exist all over the interwebs.

Off-page SEO is defined as ranking factors that are not on (aka off) your website. These could be social media post URLs, Google My Business locations, or just general links from another website to yours.

Although that elusive, all-important Google algorithm is not completely understood by anyone, one of the most reliable sources in the field (MOZ), states that off-site SEO factors carry more than 50% of the ranking factor weight. So - they are pretty important.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Establishing a trusted and recognizable brand is an important factor in off-page SEO. Building this can be done with resources like social media as you create a community. While a social media post does not directly improve your website’s ranking on Google, it does work to increase your brand awareness. This then leads to more online reviews, more mentions in blogs or other social posts, and various other digital links to your website. These links will be the factors that benefit your website’s SEO and help you to gain more organic traffic. 

While a social media presence is just a piece of the puzzle, the truth is that a lack of social media can actually end up hurting your SEO, as well as your overall brand. By interacting with members and potential members through your social media accounts, you will bring more visibility to all of your digital outlets. Posting photos, responding to questions, and updating members on events are all ways to continue putting out new content. This content will help to catch - and hold - the attention of those who may be browsing for a new financial institution or car loan. 

As with most things in the “online, all the time” age, if someone doesn’t find what they are looking for in a fast and easy fashion, they are going to go to a source that does. The key here is to remember that your community-driven social media interactions may actually have more technical advantages than you thought!

Implement SEO into your social media

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Google My Business is a great resource for off-page SEO. There is a good chance the listing is the first thing most people see when they search for your credit union, so it is important that you have control over how you are being seen. Much like a social media platform, photos, responding to reviews, and keeping information updated can go a long way for your visibility. An updated and optimized Google My Business listing will increase website visits, calls, and even visits to your physical branch. According to the Search Engine Journal, about 5% of Google My Business listing views result in a conversion.

GMB also gives you the opportunity for reputation management as you monitor and respond to reviews. Potential members want to see how you are able to address an issue that a member may have had at your credit union, as well as see that you appreciate and reach out to those who are leaving positive reviews.

Use Google My Business to benefit SEO

As mentioned above, the biggest contributor to off-page SEO is linking. When a website with a greater domain authority links to you, this helps show Google that you are a reliable and trustworthy source for information. Another important aspect of this, though, is relevance. Links from someone with high domain authority with content that is not relevant will mean nothing - for example, a trending how to bake cookies article probably does not need to link to your auto loan rates page. That is why the best way for these links to occur is organically. By staying relevant with content and interacting with users, you will attract those that will reference your credit union in a blog, or leave you a positive review - maybe a Disney vacation planner posting about your amazing service when opening a vacation spending account.

If you haven't noticed, SEO can be a bit of a cycle, and a confusing one at that. Everything you do online can impact your reputation in a positive or negative way, that is why taking advantage of things that serve multiple purposes, like social media and Google My Business, are crucial. Staying relevant with new content, keeping your members updated, and collecting feedback from those who interact with you are all things that will come back full circle and inevitably help improve your SEO.

Everything is SEO, SEO is everything. The end.