What are “off page” factors?

I keep hearing about “off page” or “off the page” factors that can influence my search engine positioning.  What does that mean?

Search engines look at more than just your web pages when determining your positioning; they also look “off page” for clues about your site’s quality and your reputation in the industry.  But the term itself — “off page”  — can be a little misleading.

The phrase just means that after search engines look at the text and links on your page, they then look “off page” and around the Internet to learn if they can trust you and your site.

Here are some common off page factors that will influence your search engine positioning:

• The speed and reliability of your web server
• The age and history of your domain name
• The number of sites that link to your site
• The quality of the sites linking to your site
• The signals from social media sites that reflect your popularity

While not exhaustive, this list should help you understand the “off page” factors that can influence your search engine rankings.