{"id":705,"date":"2017-09-20T13:09:33","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T13:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/09\/20\/how-to-create-a-kickass-link-building-strategy-for-local-seo\/"},"modified":"2019-11-18T07:07:54","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T07:07:54","slug":"how-to-create-a-kickass-link-building-strategy-for-local-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/09\/20\/how-to-create-a-kickass-link-building-strategy-for-local-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create a kickass link-building strategy for local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/06\/07\/what-are-the-true-goals-of-link-building-campaigns\/\">Link-building<\/a> is a tried and tested SEO tactic, and although there are a number of dubious ways to go about it, at base developing a strong link-building strategy is a smart and very necessary way to get your site ranked above your competitors. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is particularly true of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/category\/local\/\">local SEO<\/a>, where a few savvy tactics for building links and relationships with other local businesses can give you a huge visibility boost in <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/09\/25\/qa-with-mozs-sarah-bird-and-rob-bucci\/\">local search<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors, inbound links are <em>the most<\/em> important ranking signal.<\/p>\n<p>But if you\u2019ve run through all the usual methods of getting inbound links, what can you do to give your site \u2013 or your client\u2019s site \u2013 a leg up in search?<\/p>\n<p>At Brighton <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/08\/07\/seo-101-11-tips-you-need-to-know-when-you-optimize-your-site\/\">SEO<\/a> last Friday, master of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/23\/how-to-get-started-with-local-seo\/\">local SEO<\/a> Greg Gifford shared some \u201crighteous\u201d tips for a kickass link-building strategy, in his signature flurry of slides and movie references \u2013 this time to 80s movies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/totally-excellent-local-links.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-69457\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/totally-excellent-local-links.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"628\" height=\"350\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>How link-building differs in <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/08\/29\/check-google-search-results-for-locations\/\">local SEO<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>With local small businesses, said Gifford, you have to think about links in something other than pure numbers. Which is not to say that quantity doesn\u2019t help \u2013 but it\u2019s about the number of <em>different<\/em> sites which link to you, not the sheer number of links you have full stop.<\/p>\n<p>With<a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/23\/how-to-get-started-with-local-seo\/\"> local SEO<\/a>, <em>all local links<\/em> are relevant if they\u2019re in the same geographical area as you. Even those crappy little church or youth group websites with a site design from the 1990s? Yes, especially those \u2013 in the world of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/01\/11\/voice-search-optimization-guide-2019\/\">local SEO<\/a>, local relevance supersedes quality. While a link from a low-quality, low-authority website is a bad idea in all other contexts, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/08\/07\/seo-101-11-tips-you-need-to-know-when-you-optimize-your-site\/\">local SEO<\/a> is the one time that you can get away with it; in fact, these websites are your secret weapon.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">With local SEO, all local links are relevant &#8211; if they&#39;re local, it doesn&#39;t matter if the business is unrelated <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GregGifford?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GregGifford<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BrightonSEO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BrightonSEO<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mDxmZOlAfM\">pic.twitter.com\/mDxmZOlAfM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Search Engine Watch (@sewatch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sewatch\/status\/908696218783580161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 15, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Gifford also explained that local links are hard to reverse-engineer. If your competitors don\u2019t understand local, they won\u2019t see the value of these links \u2013 and even if they do, good relationships will allow you to score links that your competitors might not be able to get.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about real-world relationships,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>And once you have these relationships in place, you can get a ton of local links for less time and effort than it would take you to get a single link from a site with high domain authority.<\/p>\n<p>So how should you go about building local relationships to get links? Gifford explained that there are five main ways to gain local links back to your business:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Get local sponsorships<\/li>\n<li>Donate time or volunteer<\/li>\n<li>Get involved in your local community<\/li>\n<li>Share truly useful information<\/li>\n<li>Be creative in the hopes of scoring a random mention<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Practical ways to get local links<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>These five basic ways of getting local links encompass dozens of different methods that you can use to build relationships and improve your standing in local search.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/lightning-round.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69459 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/lightning-round.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"350\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is just a sample of the huge list of ideas that Gifford ran through in his presentation:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local meetups<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Go to meetup.com and scout around for local meetups. A lot of local meetups don\u2019t have a permanent location, which gives you an opportunity to offer your business as a permanent meeting venue. Or you can sponsor the event, make a small investment to buy food and drink for its members, and get a killer local link in return.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local directories<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Find local directories that are relevant to the business you\u2019re working with. Gifford emphasized that these should not be huge, generic directories with names like \u201cxyzdirectory.com\u201d, but genuine local listings where you can provide useful information.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local review sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>These are easier to get onto than bigger review websites, and with huge amounts of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/04\/03\/hyperlocal-seo-what-is-it-and-how-can-you-make-sure-you-do-it-right\/\">hyperlocal<\/a> relevance.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Event sponsorships<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Similar to sponsoring a local meetup, a relatively small investment can get you a great link in return. Event sponsorships will normally include your logo, but make sure that they also link back to your site.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local blogs &amp; newspapers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Local bloggers are hungry to find information to put on their blogs; you can donate time and information to them, and get a killer blog post and link out of the equation. The same is true of local newspapers, who are often stretched for content for their digital editions and might appreciate a tip or feature opportunity about a locally relevant business.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local charities<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Local charities are another way to get involved with the community and give back to it \u2013 plus, it\u2019s great for your image. By the same token, you also can donate to local food banks or shelters, and be listed as a donor or sponsor on their website.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local business associations<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Much like local directories, it\u2019s very easy to get listed by a local business association, such as a local bar dealer\u2019s association \u2013 make sure there\u2019s a link.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Local schools<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>These are great if you\u2019re on the Board of Directors, or if your child or your client\u2019s child is at that school. Again, getting involved in a local school is a good way to give back to the community at the same time as raising your local profile and improving your local links (both the <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/05\/31\/image-optimization-for-seo\/\">SEO<\/a> and the relationship kind).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Ethnic business directories<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re a member of a particular ethnic community who runs a local business, you can list your business on an ethnic business directory, which is great for grabbing the attention \u2013 and custom \u2013 of everyone in that community.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it goes without saying that you should only do this if it genuinely does apply to your business.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/ethnic-business-directories.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69458 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/ethnic-business-directories.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"626\" height=\"349\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gifford\u2019s presentation contained even more ingenious ideas for local links than I\u2019ve listed here, including local guides, art festivals and calendar pages; you can find the full list on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/GregGifford\/righteous-tips-for-building-totally-excellent-local-links\">Slideshare<\/a> of the presentation.<\/p>\n<p>Gifford advises creating a spreadsheet with all your link opportunities, including what it will cost or the time it will take you. Make sure you have all of the relevant contact details, so that when it comes time to get the link, you can just go and get it. Then present that to your client, or if you\u2019re not working on behalf of a client, to whichever individual whose buy-in you need in order to pursue a link-building strategy.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Gifford has even put together a pre-made spreadsheet ready for you to fill in, and you can download it here: <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/badass-link-worksheet\">bit.ly\/badass-link-worksheet<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Decide what links to go after, and go and get them; then, after three months, wipe the spreadsheet and repeat the process.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Some important points to bear in mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So, now you\u2019re all set to go out and gather a cornucopia of local links, all pointing right at your business, right? Well, here are a few points to bear in mind first.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of times, the people you approach won\u2019t know what <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/09\/10\/image-link-building-tips\/\">SEO<\/a> is, or even what digital is. So be careful about how you go about asking for a link; don\u2019t mention links or <a href=\"https:\/\/sewprod.wpenginepowered.com\/2019\/06\/14\/five-backlink-analysis-tools\/\">SEO<\/a> right off the bat. Instead, focus on the value that will be added for their customers. \u201cThis is not about the link; this is about the value that you can provide,\u201d said Gifford.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/keep-it-simple.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69460 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/09\/keep-it-simple.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"628\" height=\"348\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Once again, for the people at the back: it\u2019s about building up long-term, valuable relationships which provide benefit to you <em>and<\/em> to the local community. When it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/06\/17\/local-seo-guide\/\">local SEO<\/a>, these relationships and the links that you can get will be worth more than any links from big, hefty high-domain-authority (but locally irrelevant) websites.<\/p>\n<p>Or in Gifford\u2019s words: \u201cForget about the big PR link shit. Go really hard after small, local links.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors, inbound links are the most important ranking signal. At Brighton SEO last Friday, master of local SEO Greg Gifford shared some \u201crighteous\u201d tips for a kickass link-building strategy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,13],"tags":[29,689,50,137],"content_type":[27095],"class_list":["post-705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-local","tag-brighton-seo","tag-greg-gifford","tag-link-building","tag-local-seo","content_type-news"],"acf":{"tad_independentcommercial":false,"tad_content_format":false},"post_info":{"name":"Rebecca Sentance","title":"","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/local-search-strategy-120x90.jpg","category":"Events","timeago":"8y"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}