Rankings are heavily influenced by links. Despite this common knowledge, many entrepreneurs continue to discount or even ignore the significance of link development. Google takes into account a number of variables when determining a page’s rank, but two of the most important are the number and quality of incoming links and the age of the domain. If you care about your search engine rankings, you should focus on creating high-quality links.
Changing how you establish links on a local scale
Local SEO and local link building in particular require some tweaks because Google uses a different algorithm to return location-specific results for queries with “local intent,” such as “pet store near me.”
According to Greg Gifford, DealerOn’s Director of Search and Social, location is far more important than the origin of the connections leading to your site. That is to say, focus on regional link building to increase your standing in the eyes of web surfers in that area. Even though regional and national connections are still helpful, they are viewed as bonuses.
1. Learn how your rivals are linking to their sites
Who doesn’t relish the chance to snoop on the competition? The SEOs. The best link building strategy to begin with is to reveal the backlink profiles of your top rivals. Due to two factors:
You should take advantage of this chance to learn about your regional rivals.
You can discover potential backlinks that have already been screened by your rivals.
With SEO SpyGlass in your toolkit, you can spy on your rivals’ backlinks in an instant.
2. Share your expertise on regional blogs
Needless to say, the popularity of content marketing shows no signs of slowing down. Although guest writing takes time and effort, the benefits of increased links, exposure, a wider audience, and targeted traffic are well worth the investment. However, the first step in writing high-quality guest posts is to look for appropriate openings. With LinkAssistant’s help, you can find what you need quickly and easily; all you have to do is select a search technique.
3. Utilize loosely connected references
Customers who write positive reviews about your business online may not always follow through and include a connection to your site in their posts. As a result, it’s likely that there are numerous unlinked brand references that are only marginally contributing to your bottom line. My advice is to look for unlinked references and convert them into linked ones.
It used to be incredibly inconvenient to monitor unconnected brand references. A programme like Awario makes it simple to monitor, categorize, and capitalise on your brand’s mentions.
4. Get your company mentioned in appropriate directories
One more effective method of amassing local backlinks is through the creation of citations. Users can find local businesses with the assistance of citations a lot easier. Additionally, they can help you rise higher in neighbourhood search results. To clarify, a citation is simply the mention of your company’s name, location, and phone number in the same context.
Local directories, websites, mobile applications, and social media channels are all potential outlets for a citation. However, local company directories present the simplest opportunity to construct citations, so that’s where we’ll focus.
5. Discuss things that are happening in your area
Adding to your backlink profile can also be accomplished by producing link-worthy material. You may want to add a “blog” part to your site, for example, because you know that people are always interested in what’s happening near them.
Local news and activities can be announced there. People who are interested in things like flea markets and garage shops are likely to include you in their links. In this way, you can increase site visitors and build regional backlinks simultaneously.
6. Contact influential people in your area
Unsurprisingly, the use of influencers in advertising is only growing. BrightLocal claims that establishing and maintaining connections with local companies and opinion leaders is the best method for increasing the quality and quantity of local backlinks.
Some government websites, local news media, and even bloggers in your region may come to mind when you think of local influencers in your niche. The ideal case scenario is when they directly relate to what you’re selling. You could try contacting sites that compile information about local restaurants if you own a coffee store in the area. You can collaborate with bloggers by offering them your product or service in exchange for a connection.
Keeping score of your progress is essential
While link development is crucial, monitoring your existing links is just as essential. Your connections should be monitored to ensure they are still active and have not been set to nofollow. And SEO SpyGlass is the best software for that.
Final Thoughts
I can assure you that link development will remain an important SEO tactic for the foreseeable future. While it’s true that link building is a time-consuming process, it’s well worth the investment if your goal is to improve your search engine results and maintain them.
Keep in mind that it is preferable to look for connections that originate in your area if you are engaging in local link building. It won’t take long for your rankings to improve if you prioritise high-quality connections that are pertinent to your niche.
If you have any questions or comments about these link building strategies, or if you have any other suggestions for developing links in your local area, please let me know.