When businesses invest in SEO they experience a boost in the ranking of their website which seems to be magical. But a lot of effort is required to make that magic work. And among many ones is local link-building activity. It just gives a quick push to the website and makes it easy to list on the first page of google.
At PeddleWeb, we know how to make this magic work and have a proven track record of catering to many businesses to build quality links using local SEO opportunities. In this blog post, we have listed nine offbeat and less-explored link-building opportunities for local businesses.
If you intend to adopt innovative link-building methods, read on to know how you can build high-quality links.
- Build citations
Citations are the mentions of your business’s NAP (name, address, and phone number) on other websites. The process of sending accurate, consistent, and relevant information about your business to various listing directories is known as citation building. It will help your website rank higher for local searches. There are many ways to build local citations. Start with finding out niche directories, general directories, and other core sites and submit business information. List the business with major data aggregators. Use local citation platforms such as Brightlocal, Moz Local, Yext, and Whitespark to find trustworthy citation websites.
- Leverage link building tools and find prospects
Building high-quality links would be difficult without the right tools. But thankfully, some tools can help local businesses in finding suitable and high-quality links and prospects. Some extremely effective free tools can streamline the link-building processes. Some excellent examples are Ahrefs, Hunter.io, Majestic, MozBar, Ubersuggest, and more. They can help in building a list of prospects and finding the right ones.
- Partner with a local non-profit and participate in volunteer opportunities
A majority of successful businesses take part in volunteering activities. It not only helps in team building and improving the community but also gives a goldmine of opportunity for link-building. All you have to do is partner with a local charity (or a not-for-profit organization) and take part in some volunteering activities. This would encourage them to provide a link to your business and its website.
- Leverage review websites
Review websites such as Angi, Google Customer Reviews, Yellow Pages, and others help potential customers find high traction and most reviewed businesses. Local businesses can leverage these sites for link-building. Here are some ways to review websites. Visit one or more review sites and search businesses in your locality. Look out for the most active and updated ones as they are the ones you should be listing your website on. Submit the website and business information to them and ask your team members and customers to review your business.
- Take part in speaking opportunities
If you aim to build quality links, consider participating in speaking gigs at local events and conferences. Search on the internet for local conferences, expos, events, meetups, and networking groups. Ask for permission to be a guest speaker. Once you get selected as a speaker, you will get the links to your social media profiles and business website in the bio section.
- Apply for Local business awards
Local business awards are excellent for local link building. Many cities and towns have councils that acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary local businesses and award them for their services. Search for the councils that award local businesses in your area and apply to them. Submit all relevant information and description that makes the business eligible as a nominee. If your business wins an award, all kudos and congratulations are in order. But if it doesn’t then don’t be disheartened. Being a nominee can help you get a link and appreciation. It can also provide you access to some exclusive business associations.
- Check out tourism websites and see if they feature local businesses on their listings
Local tourism websites provide immense local link-building opportunities for local businesses. The websites pertain to travel and tourism and they are among the best resources to gain quality backlinks. Search your city’s tourism resource or (visitor bureau) and find out the ones that have local business listings. Approach them with the proposal to be featured on their sites.
- Guest posts on local websites
Guest posting (or guest blogging) is one of the most effective link-building tactics. Find out local websites in your industry that are relevant to your business and approach them with the proposal to write a guest post for them. If you get the nod to submit guest articles for them, it will allow you to hyperlink some of your web pages in the content as well as allow you to place your business’s website URL in your bio.
- Team up with local bloggers
Won’t it feel great when some leading bloggers and influencers in your area speak about your business? It certainly will. With immense followers, they can enhance your business’s brand awareness and take it to many potential customers. Find out some reputable and popular bloggers and influencers in your industry and locality and approach them with a partnership proposal. Give them some of your products or services and ask them to mention your business and website in their blogs (or vlogs). Influencer marketing entails paid promotion so discuss monetary compensation with them.
Summing up,
Local SEO is incomplete without local link-building. Building quality links is one of the key ranking factors. At PeddleWeb, we have helped many businesses to link-build using local SEO opportunities. If you intend to adopt innovative link-building methods, use any (or all) of the nine offbeat and less-explored link-building opportunities. If you need the expertise of a professional local SEO agency, contact us today to know how we can help.
