Local Link Building Tactics for Improved Online Visibility

Local link building is a crucial strategy for improving your online visibility, especially if you're targeting a local audience. According to the article, a study found that 72% of online consumers trust local businesses that have a presence on review sites.

To start building local links, it's essential to claim and optimize your Google My Business listing. This will not only improve your local search rankings but also provide customers with accurate information about your business.

Local citations, such as those found in online directories, can also help boost your local link profile. Research shows that having a consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) across these citations is crucial for local search engine optimization (SEO).

By focusing on local link building tactics, you can increase your online visibility and attract more local customers to your business.

Local links come from individuals, businesses, and organizations of all kinds in a local community. This can include service groups, small businesses, sports teams, schools, and religious groups.

News media can also be a source of local links, which is especially valuable for small businesses. By gathering links from these sources, you can help Google understand your business's trustworthiness and relevance to local searches.

In fact, it's even more important to get links in your business's geographical location and within the communities where your customers are.

A link is essentially a hyperlink to your business surroundings, also known as your business locality. This is what makes a website more relevant to people in the area.

Local links are built to make your business more visible in local search results. To achieve this, you need to make changes to your NAP (Name, Phone Number, and Address) information.

Creating a list of sources and generating more local content are also essential activities for building local links. These activities help ensure your business appears high in search results for local terms in the organic search results for geo-targeted terms.

A local link must meet two requirements: it needs to give your local audience a chance to hear from you and ensure a link back to your website.

Local links are crucial for marketing a local business, and they come from various sources within a community. These can include service groups, small businesses, sports teams, schools, religious groups, and news media.

Local links are especially valuable when they're specific to a business's geographical location and the communities where its customers are. For example, if someone searches for "San Diego Dentists", Google algorithms rely on trust and other signals to rank the results, and local links help Google understand which web pages are most trustworthy.

Some examples of local links include:

While gathering links within your industry is valuable, it's even more important to get links in your business's geographical location. This is why local links are paramount to marketing a local business.

Claiming your Google Business Profile is a must, as it gets you a backlink with Google and improves your chances of getting in the coveted three-pack. You can sign in to your Google account on Google Maps, search your address, click "Add your business", and follow the instructions to add your business.

Listing your business on local directories is a great way to get started with local link building. You can search for "top [industry] directories" on Google and join the top ones. For example, if you're an electrician, you can search for "top electrician directories."

You should also get listed on your local council and Chamber of Commerce websites, as these websites have huge domain authority and manually vet each application. A backlink from your city council or Chamber of Commerce provides strong local relevance signals and helps search engines associate your website with that location.

To get listed on structured citations, you can use data aggregators like Express Update, Neustar Localeze, and Factual. These companies collect business information and distribute it to various local citation options. Using these tools can save you time as you build your link profile.

Here are some popular local directories to get listed on:

Remember to get your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) information consistent across all listings, as this will help search engines verify your business and improve your local SEO.

Building relationships with local businesses is a key aspect of local link building. This can be done by partnering with complementary businesses, such as a coffee shop and a bookstore, to run joint promotions and create reciprocal backlinks.

One way to build relationships is to create a mutual promotion agreement, where both businesses promote each other's products or services. For example, a coffee shop could offer a discount to customers who show a receipt from a local bookstore.

You can also build relationships by hosting joint events or workshops, offering bundled deals, and sharing loyalty programs. For instance, a pet supply store could partner with a local vet to offer a packaged gift set for the holidays, and display the vet's contact cards at the registers in the store.

Here are some ideas for building relationships with local businesses:

You can find online mentions of your business by using a specific search operator that looks for mentions of your business name in text, but not on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. Simply type "intext:[Your Business Name] -[Your Business Website] -twitter.com -facebook.com -pinterest.com -youtube.com" in Google.

Some sites may have misspelled your business or quoted it but haven’t linked it yet, so search for online mentions to find these opportunities. You can also use Google search to find places people are already talking about your company or brand.

Encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews on popular review websites or directories can generate organic backlinks, as other businesses or websites may reference or link to positive reviews about your local business. Customer reviews can play a crucial role in local link building by providing valuable user-generated content.

Collaborating with others is a great way to build relationships and get your business noticed. You can start by reaching out to local businesses that complement yours, but aren't direct competitors. For instance, a coffee shop might collaborate with a local bookstore.

To create a mutual promotion agreement, identify businesses that align with your values and target audience. For example, a coffee shop and a bookstore could run joint promotions, like a free coffee with every book purchase or a discount at the bookstore with every coffee shop receipt.

Partnering with other local businesses can also help you gain exposure to new audiences. You can spotlight features on your website, sharing the story, products, or services of your partners and why they matter to the community. In return, request a similar spotlight on their website.

Here are some ideas for collaborating with other local businesses:

By collaborating with other local businesses, you can build relationships, create mutual growth opportunities, and get backlinks to your website. For example, if you're a local pet supply store, you might choose to offer a packaged gift set for the holidays to customers of local vets in the area. In turn, you might display the vet's contact cards at the registers in your store.

Remember, building relationships is all about finding common ground and creating mutually beneficial opportunities. By working together, you can achieve more than you could alone.

Creating social media profiles is a no-brainer, especially if you want to connect with customers when they're not on your website.

Set up profiles on the main social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Having many backlinks from social media sites with high domain authority can significantly boost your website's backlink profile.

You can also use social media to include your business' NAP (name, address, phone number) information, which helps search engines verify your business information.

Creating content that attracts links can be a challenge, but targeting local keywords can make it easier. By creating valuable content that mentions the towns you serve, you can increase your chances of earning backlinks naturally. This method is especially effective for businesses with a strong local presence.

To create local content, focus on writing about topics that are relevant to your local market. For example, if you're a California-based gym, you can create a guide about the highest protein fast foods in California. This type of content can attract links from other websites that reference your resource.

You can also create local content by writing about events, local businesses, and charity events in your area. Consider hiring a professional writer if content creation is difficult for you.

To get started, consider the following types of local content:

These types of content can help you establish your business as a trusted resource in your local community, and increase your chances of earning backlinks from other websites.

Directories and Listings are a crucial part of local link building. To get started, you can list your business on aggregator sites and directories like Google Business Profile, Data Axle, Foursquare, and Neustar Localeze.

You can also join online business directories that are specific to your industry, such as Justia for lawyers or Yelp for various businesses. Additionally, you can look for local business directories like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) or Higher education directories for .edu links.

Here are some examples of directories and listings you can consider:

Remember to also list your business on your local Chamber of Commerce website, which can have a high domain authority and provide strong local relevance signals to search engines.

Reaching out to your alma mater can be a great way to get a quality local backlink by listing your business on their alumni directory. Many educational institutions showcase success stories or local businesses owned by former students on these pages.

You can also find opportunities to appear on local resource pages, which can be a valuable opportunity for some industries. For example, a realtor might have a page of recommended contractors, home inspectors, and mortgage lenders.

Research is key to finding these opportunities, so take the time to see who has resource pages and reach out to see if they'd add you.

Listing your site on aggregators is a great way to get more visibility and credibility online. You can start by listing your business on sites like Google Business Profile, Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar Localeze, YellowPages, Bing Places, Yelp, Apple Maps, and Social Media Profiles.

To find more directories to list your business on, simply search for "top [industry] directories" on Google, and join the top ones. For example, if you're an electrician, you can search for "top electrician directories" and join the top ones.

If you have a specific location, such as Denver, you can search for "top Denver business directories" and list your business on those sites. This will help you reach a local audience and improve your local search rankings.

Here are some data aggregators that can help you get listed on structured citations:

These companies collect business information and distribute it to various local citation options, saving you time and effort.

Directories are a crucial part of getting your business listed online. You can start by listing your business on aggregator sites and directories like Google Business Profile, Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar Localeze, YellowPages, Bing Places, Yelp, Apple Maps, and Social Media Profiles.

To get listed on local directories, search for "top [your city] business directories" and join the top ones. For example, if you have a roofing company in Denver, search for "top Denver business directories" and list your business.

You can also get listed on your local council and Chamber of Commerce websites. These websites have huge domain authority, making a link from them very powerful. They manually vet each application, and Google knows that! So, make sure to contact them and get your business listed.

Some local business directories include Yelp, Help a Reporter Out (HARO), Higher education (Look for schools to get .edu links like law schools), Justia, Avvo, FindLaw, LawInfo, Superlawyers, LegalZoom, and Lawyers.com.

Here are some data aggregators that can help you get listed on structured citations:

These companies collect business information and distribute it to various local citation options. You can get listed with these, which is free to do with the first two and costs a small amount with Factual. Your site will get listed on many of the local citation locations.

Finally, don't forget to look for local business directories that may not be using aggregators. These have less impact on local rankings but are still a good idea and don't hurt your overall local SEO strategy.

Community Involvement is key to local link building. By becoming an active participant in your community, you can increase exposure and generate valuable backlinks.

Research shows that activities like sponsoring a little league team or participating in local events or festivals often lead to mentions on local news websites or blogs.

Attending local charity events can also get you in front of your local audience and potentially get organic links on local sites. You can even invite the local news to the event, and you may get a link to your site on their website.

Sponsorship opportunities are plentiful, and you can find them by using simple search operators like "inurl:sponsors "City name"" or "intitle:sponsors "City name"". This can highlight pages in your city that have a section dedicated to sponsors.

You can also sponsor local businesses or charities, which can help brand you as a helpful business and give you backlink opportunities with a strong local focus. Giving a donation to a local small business startup or a charitable local organization can also earn you a link on their page.

Here are some types of groups your business could help:

Donating to local charities is also a great way to get backlinks, especially if the charity has a high domain authority website. A generous donation might get you listed on their site along with a nice juicy backlink pointing straight at yours.

By being active in your local community, you can build relationships and earn links that will help your business thrive.

To build quality links for your local business, you'll need the right tools. Ahrefs is a top choice for SEO pros, offering features like rank tracking and a powerful keyword search tool.

For a user-friendly backlink tracker, consider Linkody, which boasts a good link index. GroupHigh is another option, helping you find bloggers in your niche to link to your site.

To identify relevant pages for each website or domain, Google's Advanced Search feature is a valuable resource.

Using a tool can make a huge difference in your local link building efforts. Ahrefs is a powerful tool suitable for link building, especially for SEO pros, with features like rank tracking, content explorer, and keyword search.

You can also use Linkody, which is a user-friendly backlink tracker with a good link index. Google's Advanced Search feature is another tool that can help you identify relevant pages for each website or domain.

To find the best link tool for your brand, consider the features you need. Ahrefs, Linkody, and GroupHigh are three tools that can help you with local link building.

Here are the key features of each tool:

Using Google's Advanced Search feature can also help you find relevant pages on a specific domain or website that use your chosen key term or phrase.

Hiring a digital marketing agency can be a daunting task, especially if you're new to the industry.

You'll want to consider the four pillars of digital marketing: PPC, SEO, Website Design, and Digital Marketing. These are the core services that a reputable agency should offer.

To get the most out of your agency, look for experts who can provide a free consultation, such as the team at Array Digital, who can be reached at 757.333.3021 or through their online contact form.

If you're unsure about what to expect, consider the qualities to look for in a digital marketing agency, such as experience in PPC, SEO, and Website Design.

Ultimately, hiring the right agency will make all the difference in your online marketing efforts.

White Hat Services help improve law firm SEO through Google and are considered a good link building strategy. They drive traffic to your website from a search engine using proven strategies.

These services incorporate sharing links on relevant websites, typically with high-quality content. This is a very good investment in your website.

White Hat Link Building strategies focus on adding value to the content and enhancing the reader's user experience. This helps improve search engine rankings.

Here are some top White Hat Link Building strategies:

Ahrefs is a suitable link tool for link building, especially for SEO pros. It features rank tracking, content explorer, a powerful keyword search tool, and technical audit-based SEO.

For a user-friendly link tracker with a good link index, consider using Linkody.