Free off-page SEO lists, guides & link-building help

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Category: SEO Guides

Plain-English guides and checklists for off-page SEO.

  • Google’s Link Spam Policies, Explained for Off-Page SEO

    Before you use any submission list, including ours, it helps to know what Google considers link spam. Google’s spam policies describe tactics meant to manipulate rankings, and its systems can neutralise those links or, in serious cases, reduce a site’s visibility. Always check the current wording on Google Search Central: spam policies, link spam section.

    Tactics that Google treats as link spam

    • Buying or selling links to pass ranking value, including exchanging goods or services for links.
    • Excessive link exchanges (“link to me and I’ll link to you”) done at scale.
    • Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text.
    • Automated link creation using programs or tools.
    • Requiring a link as part of terms of service or contracts without allowing proper attributes.
    • Low-quality directory or bookmark site links.
    • Forum comments with optimised links in posts or signatures.

    What is fine

    • Editorial links given because your content is useful
    • Links from genuine profiles, listings and reviews that people really use
    • Guest articles on relevant sites, written for readers and not just for links
    • Press coverage earned from real news

    Use link attributes correctly

    Attribute Use it for
    rel=”sponsored” Paid, advertising or affiliate links
    rel=”ugc” User-generated content such as comments and forum posts
    rel=”nofollow” Links you do not want to vouch for or cannot trust

    How to use submission lists safely

    1. Choose relevance over volume. Pick a few platforms your customers actually use.
    2. Make every submission real. Unique text, honest descriptions, correct categories.
    3. Expect traffic and trust, not instant rankings. Many of these links are nofollow.
    4. Avoid bulk tools and “100 links in a day” offers.
    5. Monitor your backlinks in Search Console and fix issues early.
    This page is general information, not legal or professional advice, and policies can change. When in doubt, read Google’s documentation and prioritise helping real users.

  • Profile Creation, Forum Posting & Blog Commenting: Do They Still Work?

    Profile creation, forum posting and blog commenting were classic off-page tactics. Today, mass use of them is low value and can look like spam. Used sparingly and genuinely, they still help with brand presence and relationships.

    Profile creation

    Creating profiles on hundreds of sites just to place a link no longer moves rankings. Do create strong profiles on platforms your customers actually use: LinkedIn, relevant industry communities, and review or directory sites for your sector. Use a consistent name, logo and description so your brand is easy to recognise.

    Forum posting

    Active forums are where people ask real questions. Helpful, honest replies build reputation and can send qualified visitors. Google’s spam policies specifically call out forum comments with optimised links, so never post just to drop a link or stuff keywords into your signature.

    Blog commenting

    A thoughtful comment on a relevant article can start a relationship with the author. Most comment links are nofollow or ugc and moderators remove obvious promotion. Use your real name, add something the article did not cover, and link only if it truly helps readers.

    Do and don’t

    Do Don’t
    Join a handful of relevant communities Register on hundreds of unrelated sites
    Answer questions fully and honestly Post generic comments like “Great post!”
    Disclose your connection to your site Hide your affiliation
    Read and follow community rules Use bots or bulk tools
    Link only when it adds value Repeat the same keyword anchor again and again
    If you only want to know what to do next, our checklist puts these tactics in the right order of priority.

  • Off-Page SEO Checklist: 25 Steps for a New Website

    Launching a new site and not sure what to do outside it? Work through this list in order. It is built around earning trust, not racking up link counts.

    Foundation

    1. Fix the basics first. Clear titles, useful content, fast mobile pages. Off-page work builds on this.
    2. Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
    3. Install analytics so you can see referral traffic from every link you earn.
    4. Pick your audience and 3 to 5 core topics. Relevance guides every later decision.
    5. Check existing links in the Search Console links report, if the domain has any history.

    Profiles and listings

    1. Claim your Google Business Profile if you serve local customers.
    2. Claim Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
    3. Create company pages on LinkedIn and the networks your audience uses.
    4. Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere they appear.
    5. List on a few trusted, relevant directories. See our directory guide.
    6. Set up a simple way to collect genuine reviews.

    Content and links

    1. Publish one linkable asset: original data, a free tool or the best guide on a narrow topic.
    2. Guest post on relevant sites with real editorial standards. See the guest posting guide.
    3. Offer expert quotes to journalists and bloggers covering your field.
    4. Reclaim unlinked brand mentions with a polite note to the author.
    5. Redirect broken pages that already have backlinks to the closest live page.
    6. Pitch resource pages where your content fills a real gap.
    7. Turn research into visuals that others can cite with credit.

    Community and PR

    1. Answer questions on Q&A sites and forums where you can genuinely help.
    2. Share work in relevant communities and follow each community’s rules.
    3. Issue a press release only for real news.
    4. Join podcasts, webinars or events as a guest.
    5. Partner with local or industry organisations that can mention you.

    Monitoring

    1. Review new and lost links monthly and note what earned each one.
    2. Use the disavow tool sparingly: only for a manual action or a large pattern of spammy links you cannot remove.
    Stuck on step 12 onward? Our 90-day link building plan turns these into a schedule.

  • What Is Off-Page SEO? A Practical Guide for 2026

    Off-page SEO is everything you do outside your own website to help search engines and people trust it. Backlinks are the best-known part, but brand mentions, reviews, local listings and community presence all play a role too.

    On-page vs off-page SEO

    Area What it covers How much you control
    On-page Content, titles, headings, internal links, page structure Fully
    Technical Crawling, indexing, speed, mobile usability, security Fully
    Off-page Backlinks, mentions, reviews, citations, community signals Partly: you earn it, others give it

    The main off-page signals

    1. Backlinks

    A link from another site works like a recommendation. What matters is the relevance and trustworthiness of the page that links to you, not just the number of links. One editorial link from a respected site in your field is worth more than hundreds of links from pages nobody reads.

    2. Brand mentions

    People talking about your brand, with or without a link, helps build recognition. Unlinked mentions are also an easy outreach opportunity: ask the author to add a link where it helps their readers.

    3. Reviews and local citations

    For local and service businesses, consistent business details (name, address, phone) across trusted listings, plus genuine customer reviews, are a core part of visibility. See our business listing sites list.

    4. Community and social presence

    Useful answers, shared research and active profiles put your brand in front of real audiences. Most of these links are not passed as ranking votes, but they drive discovery and referral traffic, and that leads to the links that do count.

    5. Digital PR

    Original data, expert commentary and newsworthy launches earn coverage from publications and bloggers. It is slower than submitting to lists, but it is the type of link that lasts.

    What good off-page SEO looks like

    • Links come from relevant sites that real people visit.
    • Link text looks natural and varies, rather than repeating one keyword.
    • Growth is steady and tied to things you actually published or did.
    • You can explain why each link exists without mentioning SEO.

    What to avoid

    • Buying links to pass ranking value
    • Large-scale link exchanges
    • Automated or mass submissions
    • Private blog networks
    • Keyword-stuffed anchor text everywhere
    Read this next: Google’s link spam policies, explained. Knowing the rules protects your site.

    Where to start

    Work through our off-page SEO checklist, then follow the 90-day link building plan. Use the platform lists on this site to find places where your content genuinely belongs.