# Off-page SEO fundamentals (/docs/off-page-seo/off-page-seo-fundamentals)

---
type: Document
title: Off-page SEO fundamentals
description: What off-page SEO and backlinks are, why social signals matter, how to read a competitor's backlink profile, and the foundation links every site should build first.
status: stable
order: 30
generated: { by: human:ahmedraza, at: 2026-09-15T11:37:20Z }
ksor:
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  owner: human:ahmedraza
  approval: { by: human:ahmedraza, at: 2026-09-15T11:37:20Z }
sources:
  - id: iskills-course-notes
    title: iSkills — course notes
    resource: "iSkills SEO course notes, compiled 2025"
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---

## What off-page SEO is

Activities done outside your own website that improve its Google ranking —
mainly building backlinks (links from other sites pointing to yours). Good
design, strong content, and solid on-page SEO are the foundation, but
off-page SEO is what keeps rankings stable over time. Results are not
instant.[^iskills-course-notes]

## What a backlink is

Another website linking to yours — e.g. a blog placing your site's link in
an article gives you one backlink. Also called "link building". Google reads
backlinks as votes of trust: more strong, relevant backlinks generally means
a higher chance of ranking.

## Why social signals matter

Social signals are engagement on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
and Instagram — each share, like, or comment is one signal, and posting your
content there gives Google evidence that people are actually discussing your
site.

## Anchor text and URL

- **Anchor text** — the clickable words in a link (e.g. "Download inshot
  APK").
- **URL** — the direct web address the link points to.

Keep anchor text natural and varied — never the same phrase every time.

## Competitor backlink analysis

Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to check:

- **Referring domains** — the number of unique sites linking to a competitor.
- **Backlinks** — the total number of links, higher than referring domains
  since one site can link multiple times.
- **DR (Domain Rating)** — the strength of the referring domains themselves.
- **UR (URL Rating)** — the strength of one specific linking page.

Always filter to "one link per domain" in Ahrefs for clean data. The
**referring page** is the exact page that gave the backlink. When buying
backlinks, prefer domains where linked domains are fewer than referring
domains — a sign the site is not spammy.

## OBL (Outbound Links)

The number of external links a page has. Lower OBL is better when paying for
a link:

- Paid link: OBL under 5.
- Free link: OBL under 20–50.

Check OBL with an SEO browser extension or Ahrefs.

## Paid vs free links

- **Paid links** — usually placed inside the main article body, with anchor
  text you control.
- **Free links** — found in comments, forum posts, or profiles; anchor text
  is often generic, out of your control.

## Finding links via niche filtering

In Ahrefs, filter a competitor's backlinks by topic/niche. If a well-ranking
site in your niche has high DR and low OBL, even an irrelevant-topic backlink
from it can still help — authority and low outbound-link count matter more
than topical match in that specific case.

## Reading impressions

- Impressions rising → your on-page SEO is working.
- Impressions stable but clicks low → start social sharing and branding work
  to lift CTR.

## Foundation backlinks

Base-level backlinks every site should build first:

1. **Profile backlinks** — sign up on a site and add your link in the
   profile. Ask an AI tool for a list of high-DR/DA profile-backlink sites.
2. **Image submission backlinks** — upload an image with your site link in
   the description.
3. **Video submission backlinks** — upload a video with the link in its
   description.
4. **Audio submission backlinks** — upload an audio file with the link in
   its description.

Target: 30–50 foundation links, at roughly 5–6 per day.

## Relevant vs irrelevant links

A relevant link (from your own niche) is the best option; an irrelevant but
high-authority link is still useful if DR is high and OBL is low. Use Ahrefs
to find which post on a target site gets the most traffic, and place your
backlink there specifically.

## Types of backlinks

1. Foundation links (profiles, social)
2. Blog comments (no signup required)
3. Forum backlinks (signup + profile link)
4. Podcast backlinks
5. Cloud stacking
6. Google stacking
7. Wikipedia backlinks
8. Guest posting (a new article carrying your link)
9. Niche edit / link insertion (your link added into an existing article)
10. Outreach strategy (contacting site owners directly for link opportunities)

## Guest posting and outreach, in brief

**Guest posting** — writing a new article for another site with your
backlink included. **Niche edit** — inserting your link into an article that
already exists. **Outreach** — finding niche-relevant sites, sending a
personalized email offering value, and suggesting a guest post or link
exchange. Combining on-page and off-page SEO this way is what produces stable
long-term rankings.

[^iskills-course-notes]: iSkills SEO course notes, compiled 2025.