"Off the Page" Factors
Link Analysis
In order to maintain an accurate representation of web pages indexed in a search, search engines also use link analysis to determine relevance. By analyzing how pages link to each other, a search engine can often determine what a page is about and whether that page might be important, resulting in a rank increase. This is considered an “off the page” factor, as it cannot be as easily controlled and manipulated by web designers.
Click Through Measurement
Another “off the page” factor is click through measurement. This refers to the way search engines watch what someone selects from a list of search results. Search engines will eventually drop high-ranking pages that do not attract clicks, while promoting lower-ranking pages that generate more. As with link analysis, search engines have systems in place that will identify artificial links created by unethical web designers