Looking for a simple off-page SEO checklist to earn backlinks in 2026?

Follow my checklist to ensure your website is on the right platforms for SEO and higher rankings.

If you’ve already mastered on-page SEO (and if you haven’t, check out my full checklist!), It’s time to level up with off-page SEO.

What is Off-Page SEO Checklist?

An off-page SEO checklist is a list of actions you can take outside your website to make it more popular and visible to search engines.

This includes getting high-quality links to your website, increasing how often your brand is mentioned online, using social signals, and engaging with communities.

The most important things to do are to look at your competitors’ links, contact influencers, write guest posts, get links from relevant sites, promote content, get good reviews and manage brand citations to show trust and relevance.

While on-page optimization handles everything inside your website, off-page SEO is all about building your site’s reputation and authority across the web.

This means getting noticed, earning trust, and driving traffic from outside sources.

Ready to boost your rankings and visibility? Here’s my proven off-page SEO checklist at Aiso Blog:

Here is my FULL Off-Page SEO checklist for 2026.

My practical lessons from building high-quality links for 1000s of pages.

1. Backlink Building

Backlinks are still the backbone of traditional SEO.

Focus on getting links from reputable, relevant sites in your niche.

Profile submissions, editorial links, those you earn by creating awesome content, are gold.

For example: Profile link building – Buy Me A Coffee

Buy Me a Coffee is the best platform for creators and artists to accept support and membership from their fans.

Here’s a snapshot of my profile and links:

Buy Me A Coffee Link: https://buymeacoffee.com/sureshh

(If you’re enjoying my work, you can use this link to buy me a coffee.)

How to build the link on the BuyMeaCoffee website:

• Visit buymeacoffee.com website and click on the sign up button.
• Choose a username for your profile page.
• Create an account with Google, Apple, Facebook, X (Twitter) or email.
• Upload your image, add your bio details, social media links, and website links.

Buy me a coffee and fund my creative work.

Here you can find the best free profile-creation websites that I personally use for my link-building SEO campaigns.

Action steps to follow:

• Find and acquire backlinks from high-authority, relevant websites.
• Focus on editorial and natural links, not paid or spammy sources.
• Use outreach emails to connect with industry sites and bloggers.

2. Social Media Promotion

Share your articles, guides, and resources on platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Reddit.

Engage with your followers, join niche groups, and encourage sharing.

Social signals may not be direct ranking factors, but they drive traffic and amplify your reach.

For example: Social media promotion on X (Formerly Twitter)

X is the top social media channel with a massive user base and high levels of traffic.

Here’s a snapshot of my link submission on X:

Will AI replace SEO?

Read my opinion based on what I’m seeing in the real market at #Aisoblog.#ai #seo #aiseohttps://t.co/Pq2gnAkYoP

— Suresh🚀 (@bedigisure) January 12, 2026

I published my thoughts on whether AI will replace SEO and shared them on X.

You can follow my X profile with this link: https://x.com/bedigisure

Action steps to follow:

• Share your content regularly on platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest and Instagram.
• Engage with followers and participate in niche communities.
• Encourage social sharing to boost visibility.

3. Guest Blogging

Guest posting is a classic way to earn high-quality backlinks and reach new audiences.

Write for reputable blog websites in your industry, and include a natural link back to your site.

For example: Write for us page on Suresh.tech

Suresh.tech/blog is an online platform for the latest marketing updates and technology news.

I allow people and brands to write for Suresh.tech on the topics of marketing, technology, artificial intelligence, business and growth.

The phrase ‘write for us‘ is commonly used by publications and websites to invite guest contributors or freelance writers to submit work.

Action steps to follow:

• Search and write guest posts for reputable blogs in your niche.
• Include a contextual backlink to your site.
• Include social media links in your guest post.

If you’re new to guest blogging, check out my free blog creation tips for inspiration.

4. Directory Listings

Submit your site to trusted industry and local directories.

Please stay away from spammy or irrelevant directories; they can do more harm than good.

Action steps to follow:

• Submit your website to trusted industry and local directories.
• Avoid low-quality or irrelevant directories.

5. Brand Mentions & Reviews

Ask your happy customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, or niche review sites.

Monitor your brand mentions online and respond to feedback—positive engagement builds trust and authority.

Action steps to follow:

• Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google My Business and other review sites.
• Monitor brand mentions and respond to feedback.

6. Influencer Collaborations

Partner with influencers for interviews, shoutouts, or round-up content.

Getting featured by experts in your field can earn valuable backlinks and expose your brand to new audiences.

Action steps to follow:

• Partner with influencers for shoutouts, interviews, or joint content.
• Get your brand featured in their blogs and social media.

7. Forum & Q&A Participation

Answer questions on platforms like Quora, Reddit, and industry-specific forums.

Add genuine value, share your expertise, and include links to your site where it’s helpful (never spam!).

Action steps to follow:

• Answer questions on Quora, Reddit, and relevant forums.
• Add value and share your expertise (include links when appropriate).

8. Content Marketing

Develop high-quality infographics, eBooks, or original research that others want to reference and link to.

Action steps to follow:

• Create shareable assets like infographics, eBooks, and research studies.
• Promote these resources for natural backlinks.

9. Monitor & Disavow Toxic Links

Regularly audit your backlinks using tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs.

Spot and disavow toxic or spammy links that could harm your rankings.

Action steps to follow:

• Regularly audit your backlink profile.
• Disavow spammy or harmful links using Google Search Console.

10. Local SEO (if applicable)

Claim and optimize your Google My Business profile, and get listed in local citations.

Action steps to follow:

• Optimize your Google My Business profile.
• Get listed in local citations and directories.

Suresh’s Pro Link Building Tip: Focus on building genuine relationships and creating valuable content—quality backlinks and mentions will follow naturally.

Final Thoughts

Off-page SEO is all about building relationships, trust, and authority beyond your website.

Focus on quality over quantity, and always avoid manipulative tactics.

Combine this checklist with my on-page SEO guide for a holistic SEO strategy that gets real results.

Got questions or want to share your own off-page SEO wins?

Drop a comment below or reach out, I’d love to hear from you!

About Suresh