Evolving Technology with Ash Young
Local link building is the process of getting other sites to link back to your website, in a targeted local region. It’s an important factor for local search optimisation, and it’s not as scary as it seems to get started.
Most importantly, don’t pay websites to add backlinks to your business (or hire an agency who uses this tactic). Google can penalise you for doing so, and there are plenty of other ways to build links naturally without paying them to do so.
Leverage local relationships and get involved in the community
Leverage any existing local partnerships – get in contact with local professionals that are more than likely already a brand advocate and want to support local businesses. Considering you already have a strong relationship, it’s likely they will be eager to help you out with a natural link.
The best part about these links is they’re difficult for your competition to replicate!
Could you utilise any of the following existing partnerships?
- Does a local company use your products or services? They may list you as a local source.
- Are you a vendor? Wholesalers or manufacturers may link to you on their site as a vendor of their produce.
- If you’re happy with a local business relationship, add a positive testimonial and ask for a link in this.
In a post-COVID world, I’d recommend sponsoring local events in the community. Often, they have an online event page, where there’s high potential for a link.
Offer a discount
Customers love a deal! You can secure some easy local links by offering a discount or special offer for those in the area. If your town or city has a high student population, perhaps offer a student discount. You could also choose to do a limited time discount for everyone in the area, or an exclusive for readers of specific local publications.
Local news coverage
- Do you have a heartwarming or incredible personal backstory about how you started your business?
- Are you offering an opportunity to locals or can you provide anything educational about your industry?
- Have you helped the local community or raised money for a local charity?
- Do you have products or services that need trialling by locals?
These are all things that could get news coverage in the local press, and can often lead to a natural link.
Reactive PR (Newsjacking)
Monitor news about your industry (both locally and nationally), so you can spot opportunities to put you or your business in the centre of the conversation. When something newsworthy or prominent happens, contact the journalists writing about this, and offer an expert, authoritative comment. You need to be fast and useful to jump on the story, but links via insights and expert tips, help to build trust with Google.
If you need help with local SEO and link-building, contact the Evoluted team today.
