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Earn Local Links: The Key to Link Building for Small Businesses

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In today’s world, networking is essential to business growth. Building relationships with the right people can open the door to amazing opportunities that will take your success to the next level. As a small business owner, you rely on networking to get the word out about your products and services and drive more foot traffic into your store. 

Link building is digital networking. Whether through relationships you have fostered with other business owners over the years or by becoming an authority in your field and producing quality content — hopefully, a combination of both — you can earn backlinks from other reputable sources. For those who are still new to the search engine optimization (SEO) side of marketing, backlinks are links found on other websites that lead readers back to your site. 

Backlinks are one of three building blocks of SEO because they are an organic form of increasing website traffic. The most important thing to remember about backlinks is that you should always prioritize quality over quantity

Google does not treat all backlinks equally. In fact, it prioritizes high-quality backlinks over okay or poor backlinks. This makes perfect sense if you think about it: having a handful of credible sources link back to your website is way more valuable than having thousands of spam websites links back to you. The latter will actually hurt your Google ranking and might even get your flagged. 

For the most part, you won’t have to worry about spammy backlinks too much as a local business. However, do keep this in mind as you expand your digital presence. 

The key to link building for small businesses is geography. The more backlinks you have from good local sources, the better! This tells Google you’re a trusted business in your particular area. 

Fantastic! Now, how do you get great local backlinks? You have to get out there and start networking. 

Smart Strategies for Small Businesses Owners

Local Link Outreach

You can’t expect valuable backlinks to fall into your lap. Local link outreach is essential to growing your backlink portfolio. Take the time to determine which local businesses may contribute to your backlinks, then get in touch with them. Here are a few strategies you can use.

  • Partner with local businesses: A lot of your local backlinks will come from other business owners in the community who are willing to recommend your products or services because they believe in what you’re selling. In this case, it’s good to build those local relationships as much as possible. 

You may also be interested in developing a partnership with a complementary business. For example, if you run a small inn or resort, you can partner with a local cab company and promote each other’s services. 

  • Get the word out via local newspapers: It’s always great to be featured in a local online newspaper or magazine. Not only do you get the backlinks, but you also get the word out about your business. 
  • Sponsor local events: This is a favorite among local businesses who want to promote their brand while giving back to the community. You may choose to partner with a school, a charity, or another local organization that you support. The great thing about this strategy is taking advantage of the domain authority that public institutions hold. As trusted sites, they will provide you with high-quality backlinks. 
  • Connect with local influencers: Are there any local influencers whose recommendation would drive people to your store? Connect with them ASAP!

Monitor Competitors

What are your competitors doing that allows them to rank higher than you on Google? You can’t outright ask them — unless they’re willing to share their secret to success — but you can do a little sleuthing and find out for yourself. There are tons of free internet tools that allow you to check out backlinks on other websites. Do this for a few of your local competitors and check out what they have in common.

Create Relevant Content

Content is king!

At least, that’s what we say in the SEO field. 

Content is the second building block of SEO because relevant and engaging content tells Google and readers that you’re an expert at what you do. This will, in turn, boost your Google ranking and help you come out on top when someone searches for the products or services you provide.

Creating high-quality content is an art form. There’s a fine line between writing for Google bots and writing for actual humans like you and I. If you have trouble balancing the two, we can help!

1SEO is your go-to source for high-quality content and SEO, in addition to a plethora of other digital marketing services. We were a local start-up once upon a time as well, so we understand the commitment that goes into building an effective online marketing strategy. We’re willing to put that same level of dedication into growing your small business! Contact us to learn more.

About the Author: 

Kejsi Prifti is a Senior Content Creator at 1SEO by day and a rom-com junkie by night. She can often be found singing off-key in her car, baking just about edible desserts, spending time with her cats, and generally marching to the beat of her own drum.

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