Basics Of Local SEO Link Building

Link building in SEO refers to the method of embedding backlinks of your website to other websites.

Local link building is similar, but you need to be more interactive with your local community to make it work. You will need help from your local community groups, mom-and-pop stores, and neighborhood watch websites to generate authoritative links.

Why Should Be Doing Local link Building?

Local businesses often feel daunted to practice local link building. The practice requires huge chunks of their time and resources. However, local SEO boosts the organic ranking of companies that have successfully built their links in the local community.

Local Link Building vs. Standard Link Building

Standard link building usually works only when you can get “dofollow” links on other websites. “Nofollow” links do not contribute to your SEO ranking in standard link building.

However, in local link building getting “dofollow” link is not necessary. What is necessary is to build powerful links on authoritative local sites. It can be a community group, or even just a rec center website. The aim here is to inform Google that you are trusted and valued by the local community.

Local events

Get yourself involved in local events. Consider yourself lucky if local governments are involved. The more involved and helpful you are in these events, the more likely online articles or government sites will mention your business.

You can turn these mentions into backlinks to your website. Google will also consider your business an integral part of the community with all these mentions.

Local scholarships

Give something back to your local community by offering scholarships. It can be a win-win situation for the student and your business, but be genuine about your efforts. Remember that your business can thrive only if you remain a valued member of your community.

Most MNC’s to dive out give out scholarships to minorities and marginalized groups. You can do something similar, but on a smaller scale. Give out scholarships to your regular customers or employees who need them. Their goodwill can bring you more brand awareness and local links.

Local sponsorships

You can sponsor local community events. These sponsorships have to be specific to the products or services you are offering. Meaning, you should try to sponsor events that are somehow related to your industry.

For example, if you are a restaurant, you can sponsor a local fair and put up a stall with discounts on your dishes. Similarly, if you are a grocery store, you can sponsor any event related to local farming. There are no specific rules here.

Local connections

Lastly, you should consider building local connections. First, try to find unlinked mentions of you on authoritative local sites. This can be an online local paper or just a local directory.

Second, contact the owners of the site and request for a backlink to your website. If you already have local connections, then take advantage of those, to validate your requests.