Short answer
Off-page SEO covers everything outside your own website that tells search engines and AI assistants your business can be trusted. The main signals are links from other websites, brand mentions in media and industry sites, reviews, and consistent business listings. Good off-page work earns these from relevant, credible sources rather than buying them.
What counts, and what to avoid:
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Digital PR and expert commentary | Paid link packages |
| Partner, supplier and association listings | Private blog networks |
| Guest content on relevant industry sites | Mass directory submissions |
| Reviews on Google and industry platforms | Fake or incentivized reviews |
| Consistent profiles on LinkedIn, Crunchbase and directories | Different names or details on each profile |