Links are one of the most important local SEO organic and map pack ranking factors. If you want your local business to rank higher in Google, you’ll need backlinks.
This guide will show you nine ways to build local backlinks, but first.
What is local link building?
Links are important for local SEO organic and map pack rankings. Backlinks boost Google rankings for local businesses.
This guide shows nine local backlinking strategies, but first…
How many local links do I need?
Local search doesn’t require many links for most businesses. Check Keywords Explorer’s SERP overview for any local query to see which businesses have more than 150 referring domains.
Keywords Explorer can show you keyword competition. Check the SERP overview to see how many links top pages have.
How to build local links
Local linkbuilding requires research, hard work, perseverance, and creativity. Here are nine local link-building strategies:
Get ranking site links
Competitors’ links
Restore links
Localize content and cite it
Local link opportunities
Unlinked references
Buy companies’ websites
Links 1. Get ranking site links
This is Barnacle SEO. You search Google for relevant terms and get links from the results.
Look for aggregator or directory sites, not competitors. People use these sites to find a company. Sign up and add your business to get listed. This is a quick and easy way to get direct business value.
2. Get links your competitors have
There are likely many contextually and locally relevant link opportunities in the overlap of your competitors’ links. Link Intersect checks this. Simply enter your site and competitors to see which sites link to them (but not to you).
Find niche-specific links and directories. Many local citations include your name, address, and phone number.
3. Reclaim lost links
Find niche-specific links and directories. Many local citations include your name, address, and phone number.
Websites change over time, so you’ll often find dead links. By redirecting old pages to new ones, you recover lost links and value. How-to:
Site Explorer domain
Visit Best by Links.
Filter HTTP 404 responses
“Referring Domains” is how I sort.
] 4. Create locally relevant content
Content creation involves planning, creating, and publishing content to attract your target audience. Consider business- and audience-relevant local content.
You could write about the best grass for your area, the most common pests, or the cost of services.
This type of content doesn’t naturally attract many links. Email outreach makes link-building easier.
5. Get local citations
Link Intersect provided some of these opportunities. There are many citation services, but you may want to start with these for the US. Many of these websites feed data to others and are considered important citations. Main US aggregators:
- Data Axle
- Localeze
- Foursquare
Other major players:
- Google My Business
- Bing
- Apple Maps
- Yelp
- Yellowpages
- Dunn & Bradstreet
- TomTom
6. Pursue other local link opportunities
Links from related websites. I’ll write a follow-up article with a process to find these opportunities.
I’ll list some possibilities:
Universities/colleges (e.g., job postings, scholarships, club sponsorships, discounts, alumni links)
City-specific directories
Local news, mags, podcasts
Some sites are state or local.
Community organisations (e.g., Reddit, Facebook groups, Nextdoor, etc.)
Awards local
Leverage existing connections. This includes supplier testimonials and case studies. It could be churches, businesses, or people. Locally, ego bait works well for expert roundups.
7. Claim unlinked mentions
Unlinked brand mentions are when other sites mention your company or employees but don’t link to you. This tactic works best if you’re in a niche that gets news coverage, like lawyers or your company, and/or people are already active in the community.
Find unlinked mentions with our complete guide.
8. Buy companies, or at least their websites
Local mergers and acquisitions are rare and situational. Sometimes companies sell their existing website or let a domain lapse. By acquiring these, you can have two ranking sites or one better site. Locally, Sponsorships (e.g., sports leagues, races, meetups, charities, etc.)
9. Add internal links
You control your local website. Internal links are a link-building powerhouse. Check out our link-building guide.
Final thoughts
People want to skip these basic link-building tactics and go straight to trendy or fun ones, but that’s riskier and rarely pays off. As the company grows, add creative and fun tactics.