10 Off-Page SEO Strategies That (Still) Work

Off-Page SEO Eats On-Page SEO for Breakfast

If you’re still relying on Google to bring traffic just to your website, then you’re missing a huge part of your branding: off-page SEO.

Still relying on Google? It’s time to change that track. Even Apple is changing into their big boy pants and looking at AI search for Safari. By relying solely on Google for website traffic, you’re vulnerable to algorithm changes, ranking fluctuations, and increased competition for dwindling space in the SERPs. You’re competing against AI now, too.

Diversifying your traffic sources and exploring niche markets not only mitigates these risks but also opens new opportunities for website traffic growth and engagement for publishers and agencies alike. Even Google realizes this; Reddit owning a lot of the SERPs isn’t random. Repeat after us: SEO is Off-Page.

“If you can reduce your reliance on Google’s search results for website traffic, you gain more control over your own success.”

Rocket.net – Why You Can’t Rely Just on Google for Website Traffic Anymore

Off-Page SEO in 2025: Why Visibility Starts Beyond Your Website

Search behavior is changing. Fast. Moore’s Law fast. People no longer visit websites to find answers. 

Instead, they rely on AI overviews, social platforms, video content, and community discussions to guide decisions and discover services. Disagree? When was the last time you didn’t message someone with a question? Check your stats over last year; is your website traffic increasing for informational search? 

For anybody with skin in the game – WordPress agencies, freelancers, small biz, nonprofits – SEO is no longer limited to what’s happening on the page. Visibility – mentions, discussions, citations – now hinges on what’s happening off the page.

On-Page SEO Still Matters—But It’s No Longer the First Touchpoint

On-page SEO remains essential for building trust, organizing content, and optimizing conversion paths. However, visibility in 2025 doesn’t begin with a website. It starts where people — and AI — are already looking: search results, summaries, social feeds, and aggregated answers.

At least 60% of search queries now end without a click. That means Google and AI tools like ChatGPT are answering users’ questions directly in the SERPs or through curated results. Users no longer need to visit a website to find the information they’re looking for.

To earn attention and traffic, agencies need to focus on where influence is built and discovered — off the page.

What Is Off-Page SEO?

Off-page SEO includes all the activities that influence a website’s visibility without directly modifying its content or structure. 

This includes:

• Mentions and citations from trusted sources
• High-authority backlinks
• Brand presence on third-party platforms
• Social signals
• Thought leadership across media formats
• Probably the post on X you came here from

When done right, off-page SEO sends powerful trust signals — not only to Google and Bing, but also to AI tools that surface content in conversational search and voice-driven queries.

“Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly providing users with synthesized answers directly in the search results. Semrush reports that AI Overviews appeared in over 13% of all searches by March 2025, a significant increase from earlier in the year. This trend indicates a shift where users obtain information without visiting individual websites.”

Semrush

Off-Page SEO Strategies to Boost Your Visibility

When you embrace off-page optimization, you are building credibility where it matters most: outside your own site.

Here are 10 proven strategies that will help you boost your visibility:

1. Publish LinkedIn Posts & Articles

LinkedIn remains one of the most trusted platforms for B2B audiences. It’s a highly crawled source. Regularly posting short updates and long-form articles increases your brand’s discoverability, especially for agency owners targeting niche verticals.

2. Appear on Industry Podcasts

Being a guest on shows like The WP Minute or other WordPress and marketing-focused podcasts helps position agency leaders as experts – and drives mentions that search engines and AI models track.

“Whether you’re building websites, launching a new WordPress plugin, or want to have a conversation that matters, being a guest on a podcast is a great way to increase your luck surface area.”

thewpminute.com

3. Create YouTube Shorts

Short-form video is highly crawlable and increasingly favored in search. Agencies that create brief tutorials, plugin tips, or hosting comparisons can gain visibility quickly – even for competitive terms.

4. Get Featured in Articles About You

Contribute to conversations or Q&A features on platforms like Product Hunt, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Quora, and Reddit. These mentions carry authority and are often included in knowledge panels and AI training datasets.

5. Share on Social

While not traditionally seen as an SEO tool, a lot of social media posts are indexed by search engines and referenced in social listening tools. Behind-the-scenes content, client results, or quick tips perform well.

“Social media platforms are becoming primary tools for information discovery. In 2025, platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have increasingly replaced traditional search engines for users seeking recommendations and information.”

Hubspot.com

6. Post on Reddit

Reddit threads are commonly cited by AI and featured in organic search – even if they’re 10+ years old. Engaging authentically in relevant subreddits like r/agency or r/Wordpress can drive both discussion and SEO value.

7. Guest Post on Reputable Blogs

Publishing content on well-known platforms (especially in the WordPress space, like WordPress Support Forum) earns backlinks and brand recognition. Focus on delivering educational value, not just promotion.

“Guest posting is when you publish content on another website with the main purpose of getting a link back to yours. This is a win-win for both parties involved—the host gets free content and you get a backlink.”

Rocket.net – 8 Effective SEO Strategies for New Websites

8. Answer Questions on Industry Forums

WordPress.org support forums, Facebook groups, and platforms like GitHub and Stack Overflow attract traffic — and are scanned by AI and Google for trusted answers.

9. Encourage Brand Mentions

Whether or not they include a backlink, brand mentions across social media, blogs, and video transcripts help improve authority. These mentions often appear in AI-generated answers and summaries.

10. Optimize for AI Discovery

Structure your content with definitions, stats, and frameworks that are easy to cite. This helps AI models recognize your agency as a reliable source and improves the chances of being quoted directly in zero-click search experiences.

“Content chunking isn’t just another SEO tactic – it’s a fundamental shift in creating and organizing content for people and algorithms. The best part? You can start implementing these changes right away.

Rocket.net – Why Content Chunking For Ranking AI Overviews Makes Sense

Why This Matters for WordPress Agencies

Agencies supporting WordPress clients are often deeply invested in content strategy, website performance, and conversion optimization. But if the content never gets seen – none of that matters.

A well-optimized site still plays a critical role in turning interest into action. It’s your portfolio, your lead generation engine, and your credibility checkpoint. But it’s no longer the first step of the journey.

Discovery now starts elsewhere. Whether it’s a Reddit thread, a LinkedIn post, or a quote in an AI overview, off-page visibility determines who gets seen and trusted.

Final Thoughts

The SEO landscape has shifted. Technical audits and on-page tweaks are no longer enough. To drive visibility in 2025, WordPress agencies must expand their focus and actively build presence across off-site channels.

The brands showing up in conversations, podcasts, videos, and AI summaries are the ones being discovered first – and clicked second.

Now’s the time to invest in off-page SEO as a core part of your visibility strategy.

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