Link Building Tips For Local SEO in 2023

It goes without saying that not all businesses can operate throughout the country. There are many companies and entrepreneurs that provide services only in a specific area (state, city, or district). Here are just a few examples: cleaning firms, lawyers and accountants, construction companies, car service stations, restaurants and cafes, hotels, and so on.

If you think that competition among such businesses is not high, you are mistaken, especially if we are talking about big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and others.

A high-quality website that ranks well in search engines can help you stay several steps ahead of your competitors. What do you need to promote your local site? In this article, we will talk about link-building for your business. Why is your link profile so important? Where should you get quality backlinks? What services can make your work easier? Let’s get started!

Local Link Building Features

Local link building is the process of obtaining links from local sources to attract the target audience living in a specific area. Imagine that you are the owner of a beauty salon. You are building a link profile.

You have posted links on a national resource. What is the outcome?

The site is getting traffic, but you are not getting enough customers. For example, you work in New York but receive calls from Chicago, Denver, or Philadelphia. Of course, you won’t go to another city to do a haircut for a potential client. And the client won’t come that far to you either.

The benefits of local link building:

• excellent audience targeting
• the ability to build close relationships with potential clients
• searching for clients in your business area

If you build backlinks through local bloggers or media outlets, you will be surprised that they are more responsive and willing to collaborate than those who work nationwide.

The Best Versatile Local Link Building Tactics

In fact, there are many tactics. However, we will focus only on the most relevant and effective methods of building backlinks. Everyone can use them for the local promotion of any business. 

Get Backlinks Where Your Competitors Are Getting 

You probably already know your competitors. So why don’t you use information about them to your advantage? Do not worry, this tactic is completely legal; you cannot be penalised by search engines for using it. We recommend starting with this link-building method, especially if your business is new in the region. Follow these instructions.

1. Make a list of the most successful competitors. Just enter the business name + region (city, county) into the search bar, for example, Brooklyn restaurants. Organise your results into a table. It’s convenient to use Google Sheets or Excel
2. Find which resources link to your competitors. Simplify the process by using dedicated tools such as Link Intersect from Ahrefs
3. Research how your competitors managed to get a link from those resources to their site

Most local platforms work with businesses through sponsorships, partnerships, or guest posting.

Review the terms and conditions of each resource. Create a compelling and valuable proposition for these websites. You have a high chance of getting mentions if you offer something better than your competitors did.

Look for Guest Posting Websites 

We believe that you, as a business owner, are an expert in your field. For example, if you own a beauty salon, you know everything (or almost everything) about beauty treatments. A lawyer can talk about inheritance, the divorce process, the division of property, and so on. Share your experience and kill two birds with one stone.

Firstly, you will increase business awareness and demonstrate your expertise. Secondly, you will receive backlinks to your site from the resources where your stories are published. 

Now you have only one question. Where to publish guest articles? Search for sites manually or use services like Collaborator. We have several reasons to recommend this platform for guest posting.

• Extensive catalog of websites and telegram channels
• The ability to filter resources by various parameters, including geographical indicators
• A thorough check of each site before adding to the catalogue
• Direct communication with website owners
• Low commission
• User-friendly interface
• Publications are protected from deindexation and deletion

In most cases, posting articles cost the business money in one form or another. If you are ready to provide valuable material but at the same time have a limited promotion budget, you can look for free guest posting sites.

Add Your Website to Local Business Directories

We consider this method to be one of the simplest and most effective. Almost every city has a business directory. Search local directories and add your website to them. Use the following queries to enter into the search bar:

• small business directory [your city];
• business directory [your city];
• catalog [type of business] [your city].

If you provide services only in a specific area of the city, you can clarify your request, for example, the Brooklyn business directory or the Tower Hamlets lawyer directory.

Contact Local Media

Local TV channels, radio stations, magazines, and newspapers (including online ones) can be useful for building backlinks. Of course, it’s unlikely that anyone will agree to advertise your business for free. But you can offer something valuable in return. For example, organise an interesting event and post an announcement about it on all possible channels.

This trick will work for tourism, restaurants, construction, and any other business. We are sure that your company can also interest the public.

Use Social Media (Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.)

It’s understandable that your business should have social media profiles. But this is not the only way to use Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook to promote your business. Try to partner with local bloggers. Be sure their services are cheaper than advertising from bloggers with millions of audiences.

Wrapping up

Link building is an effective way to promote any business, including local ones. You don’t necessarily have to use many tactics to build your link profile. Test different methods and choose those that work best for the reputation and profitability of your business. We have a few more tips to help you achieve great results.

• Be an expert in your field
• Use only white hat promotion methods to avoid search engine penalties
• Sponsor local projects
• Work with mentions without backlinks
• Do some charity work
• Communicate with potential customers on forums and social networks
• Create valuable, interesting content (how-tos, step-by-step guides, infographics, videos, etc.)
• Collaborate with local bloggers and media
• Check your links

A competent strategy for building a link profile will benefit your business. You will be able to increase brand awareness, attract target audiences interested in your offer, get new customers, and increase the loyalty of existing ones. Pay your cards right, and you will succeed.