Let's face it: link building can feel like a daunting task, especially for local businesses. More often than not, you have to compete with the big players in your niche, who have the skills, money, and expertise to boost their websites and maintain it in top positions.
Even when you have the budget and resources needed to build quality links, it still takes a lot of sweat, tears, and creativity to cultivate the right reputation through SEO.
Other people are reading: How to Use Social Profiles to Get Quality Links
But, although it takes a lot of stress and hard work, link building is vital to the success of your local business. Not only that links are a core Google algorithm that can boost your position in search engine results, but they can also increase your authority and help you drive traffic, leads, and ultimately sales.
If you are new to this concept and want to develop a more in-depth understanding of what it entails, here you can learn more about the top link building strategies for 2017.
Now, that you are up to speed with the best ways to generate quality links, let's see how we can apply this knowledge to your local business.
Does Link Building Differ for Local SEO? Yes! Here's How
When it comes to link building, quality trumps quantity. In other words, a few backlinks from authoritative sites weigh more than having tons of shady sources linking back to you. While this rule still applies to local businesses, there is a major difference: all local links are valuable, regardless of their source.
For local SEO, local relevance is more important than quality. While a link from a low-authority site might affect your business' ranking and reputation, things are different when it comes to local SEO.
Be careful, though: while the rules of local link building are rather lax, that doesn't mean that you should stop caring about the quality of your backlinks.
Develop a long-term strategy and consider the possibility that you may want one day to expand your business to new markets. Don't cheat and don't take shortcuts. Instead, work diligently to boost your local business' ranking and turn it into one of the most authoritative places in your niche.
How to Build Links for Your Local Business
Here are the best link building strategies that could benefit local businesses.
1. Get Links from Local Directories and Review Sites
If you are serious about improving your local business' position in search engine results, then you must begin with optimizing your site for local directories. Here's the thing: according to Google, about 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. That's huge!
So, if you want prospects to find you, then you must submit your website to local directories and start getting links from these valuable sources.
Begin by optimizing your Google My Business Page. Make sure to include all the relevant information to your local audience, such as your name, address, and phone number, the hours of operation, photos, a map to your location, and so on.
Along with Google My Business and other local directories, also make sure to include your site on some of the most popular review platforms, such as Yelp, Angie's List, and so on.
2. Partner with Local Influencers
Success requires more than just hard work and dedication. It's also a matter of knowing the right people and building the right connections.
The beauty of local influencers is that they can reach out to their audience in a meaningful way and recommend them certain products or services. Because prospects have faith in the influencer, they are more likely to trust their suggestions over any advertising message or sponsored post.
For you: Ingenious Ways to Build Links Through Relationships
Reach out to local influencers that are relevant to your niche and try to build a meaningful relationship with them. Something as simple as contributing to their blogs and occasionally linking back to your website can make a world of difference to your Google SERP position.
3. Obtain Local Partnerships
Another excellent way to find local link building opportunities is to create local partnerships. Figure out if the partnerships you already have in place can benefit you or if you need to build some new ones. Reach out to local companies that provide complementary products to the ones you sell, so that the alliance benefits both of you.
For you: Secret List of Best 2.0 Sites to Create Free Blog for Backlinks
For example, if you sell gardening tools and supplies, connect with a landscaping company in your area. They could recommend you to their customers and link back to your website on their Preferred Vendors page.
4. Create a Resource Page
There was a time when just mentioning the name of your competitor was considered a sin. In the digital age, collaboration and establishing yourself as a helpful resource are the key to success.
Here's what we mean by that.
Create a resource page that includes useful information about the relevant local businesses in your niche. For example, if you're a wine retailer, you can list the best wholesalers in your city. Don't worry if your competition is on the list. When you create valuable content, even they will link to your resources page. And, the more links you get from authoritative and relevant sites in your niche, the better.
5. Create Relevant Local Content
The rules are pretty straightforward: if you want to get backlinks from major publications in your area or leading local blogs, then you need to create high-quality content. I've tested this strategy at Opportunity Planet and it has proven its effectiveness time and time again.
However, try to go beyond the regular blog posts and see what you can do to provide value to your community.
For example, if you own a bakery, you could create a guide with the best restaurant, bars, and museums in your city. Or you could create a local events calendar and update it weekly with fun local activities or festivals that may interest your audience.
Creating quality content takes a lot of hard work and resources, but it's an excellent way to get backlinks to your local business.
Conclusion
In the end, instead of a conclusion, here's a word of advice: the rules of local search engine optimization are constantly changing. The link building strategies that work today may harm your website tomorrow.
If you want to improve your local business' ranking, then the best thing you can do is to keep up with the latest trends and changes.