Local Link Building

Local link building is the process of acquiring inbound links from blogs and websites within the locality. If we have built local citations, we have already done some form of link building for our site. Most of the time, these citations will give us a link back to our website. However, keep in mind that links from directories are typically no-follow.

While nofollow links have their benefits, they don’t pass any link juice. There are multiple ways to attract do-follow links as well. Make sure to get these inbound links from relevant, authoritative sources.

Besides the general link-building strategies, there are some additional tips we can follow to get links from local sources. Inbound links from local sources build our local authority in our niche in the eyes of Google. With more links from authoritative, relevant local sources, our business is more likely to appear in relevant searches for our location.

Create and promote linkworthy local content

Here are a few common ways to acquire local inbound links:

Content creation

Create content that could be useful to the community. Include the city name and other names relevant to our target region that might be familiar to the community.

If we’re a gardener in Los Angeles, think in terms of topics that would benefit the people of Los Angeles. Creating a blog on, let’s say, soil type in LA gardens and how to improve it, or the best planting time for summer vegetables in LA is something the locals will find helpful. We can also create posts on local happenings in the gardening world, for instance, an exhibition at a botanical garden. A list of upcoming local events is also something locals would find interesting.

If we have sponsored a local event or been part of a charitable effort, these too will make good topics for blog posts. Any content that the local community will find interesting is worthy enough to attract links from other local websites.

Promotion

Once we’ve created link-worthy content, we have to promote it. Again, general link-building strategies to promote content also work here. The only difference is that we have to focus on pitching to locally-relevant sites.

Engage with related businesses in the community by leaving helpful comments on their blogs. For example, if we run a pet grooming business, we may want to target local veterinarians in our link-building scheme. We can build a stronger relationship by linking to their blogs in our posts. Reach out to them with a personalized email explaining how a particular piece of content on our website could be a resourceful addition to their blog.

Other than reaching out to businesses, we can also promote our content on social media. Find local Facebook groups where we can post our content and attract links.

Do take permission from the group admin if we can post content in the group. They might be more interested in content that’s more relevant to their audience. For instance, if we sponsor a local event in the locality and create a blog about it, locals will be interested to read about it and maybe even link to it.

Contribute to the local community

Interaction with the community is an excellent way to attract links for local businesses. Though it’s not only about the links. Looking at the bigger picture, bringing a positive influence to the neighborhood builds a company’s brand image. Brand image is one of the top priorities of bigger brands. There are a number of ways to contribute to the local community.

Charities

While it might not seem right to monetize charitable efforts, it is an excellent way to contribute to the community and win some support from the locals in return. Many businesses engage in charitable activities; there must be a good reason behind it other than the good feeling it brings. Look for fundraising events in the area and offer our support. Inquire if the sponsors will be mentioned on the event’s website and if we can get a link back to our website.

Sponsorships

Look for sponsorship opportunities in the neighborhood. We might be able to sponsor community events, sports teams, bands, or organizations. They are very likely to give us a backlink in return. These backlinks are powerful and can help boost our local SEO. If we consider hosting a community event on our own, host the event page somewhere other than our website. Here, we can link to our website and also attract others to link to us.

Scholarships

Scholarship campaigns can generate inbound links from the websites of schools, colleges, and websites. These websites are typically hosted on .edu domains. Backlinks from .edu websites can be a huge leap for a website’s SEO. If we promote the campaigns on the media, we can even generate links from authoritative news sites.

Offer an annual scholarship and publish it on the website. Here’s what a scholarships page looks like [64].