SEO: What is local link building?

When it comes to search engine optimisation, one of the most integral elements is link building. As you would expect, this is the same with local SEO. If you want to ensure your website shows up in relevant local searches, you need to engage in local link building. 

What is local link building?

In general, the link building process is getting websites to post links that go back to your site. As for local link building, this follows the same methodology just with one significant difference: the focus is on gaining links from local listing sites and businesses. 

For your local link building strategy, there are two main aims: 

  • Produce valuable content that connects with both local customers and search engines. 
  • Gain local links which point back to your site. 

As for the former of the two, it’s likely you already have an understanding about valuable content. If not, you will find a detailed guide here about crafting on-page content that’s optimised for local SEO. These pages will serve as landing pages for your backlinks. 

The following link building guide will focus on local link building tips and tricks for gaining those all-important local links. 

What’s a local backlink?  

As you will already be aware, a backlink is a link from a website to your website. They help boost your website domain authority and drive relevant traffic to your site, which makes Google view your website as a trusted source, increasing your position on search engine results pages.  

Local backlinks are different from regular link building that might come from guest blog posts or social media. The backlinks come from websites in your local target market and service area. You will want to build ‘backlinks near me’ to get your website seen in local searches. Any local linkbuilding guide will tell you that this type of link building requires lots of outreach, and while this is an effort, it encourages you to build relationships within your local area which is always good for business.  

Citation vs Backlink 

As already mentioned, a backlink is a link from another website to your website via a relevant anchor text to an appropriate page on your site. A citation is different. It is when an online directory features your business name, address, and phone number – sometimes, it will also show your business website. When this happens, your website receives both a citation and a backlink. 

Putting together a link building directory list

As a starting point, you should put together a list with websites to target. Fortunately, part of the job has already been done by Whitespark. They have listed the top local citation websites for different countries. In the UK, the top ten sites are: 

  1. Google My Business 
  2. Bing Places 
  3. Apple Maps 
  4. co.uk 
  5. BT.com 
  6. co.uk 
  7. com 
  8. Factual 
  9. com 
  10. com 

If the above doesn’t feature enough listings for your liking, you can also manually find more with relevant Google searches. For example, say your business location is Liverpool. You could conduct the following searches: 

  • Liverpool directory 
  • Liverpool business directory 
  • Liverpool business listings 

You could also add further keywords to narrow down your search results. This is what you might search if you run, say, an Italian restaurant: 

  • Italian restaurant directory Liverpool 
  • Restaurant directory Liverpool 
  • Liverpool restaurant business listings 

As mentioned above, it’s not only listing sites you want to focus on with your link building. There are also local platforms – such as local news sites and local bloggers – that can give your link building efforts a significant boost and give your restaurant business relevant backlinks Liverpoolbusinesses could only dream of – this will get your business seen by more potential customers.  

Tactics for acquiring local links

You know about local link building. You’ve established a list of websites to target. Now it’s a case of putting together a strategy to get local links. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind in this local edition of our link building guides: 

Claim your Google My Business listing

As noted above, the #1 local citation website is Google My Business. Due to this, your first aim should be to claim your GMB listing – assuming you haven’t already done so. 

GMB has several advantages for a local business. Most importantly, in this case, you gain a backlink with Google. Considering the search giant is the internet’s most significant entity – and one you need to impress – this is a local link you need to acquire.  

Your GMB listing should include the correct Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) information for your business as a minimum.  

Having a GMB listing is vital for all businesses, and local businesses are no exception to this. With a business profile, you can easily manage how your important business information is displayed on Google searches. In order to have a GMB listing that shows up on Google, you must verify your profile first.  

You can add or claim your business using Google Maps. To do this, there are two different methods to follow. Here’s how to do it using a computer.  

To claim your business on Google Maps:  

  1. Open Google Maps 
  2. Search your business name 
  3. Select your business name  
  4. Select ‘Claim this business,’ then ‘Manage now’ (If your business does not appear or you want to choose a different business, select ‘I own or manage another business) 
  5. Choose a verification option and follow the steps on-screen.  

 To add your business on Google Maps:  

  1. Sign into Google Maps 
  2. There are 3 ways you can add your business:
    • Type your address in the search bar. In the Business Profile, select ‘Add your business’  
    • Right click anywhere on the map, then select ‘Add your business’  
    • Click on the Menu on the top left of the page and select ‘Add your business’  
  3. Follow the instructions to finish adding your business profile.  

Gaining valuable local backlinks through Google will help boost your business visibility online. However, there are other important benefits to having a GMB profile, and these include the following:  

  • Your business will appear on Google Maps and Google Local Pack listings (the list of business names that appear at the top of Google when you search for places).  
  • It allows people to leave reviews on your business which will influence future customers to choose you, and according to Moz, reviews make up 10% of how search engines decide to rank results.  
  • It’s visible; Google Local Pack takes up a lot of space on the first page of results on Google, so it has a great chance of connecting you to your target audience.  
  • GMB provides insights that will give you important information on how well your business is being seen in search engine results. GMB provides you with numbers on views, search queries, engagement, audience, and website link clicks.  
  • It’s easy to use and free.  

Talk to the local press

Going the press route is a recommended option for any managed SEO campaign. As well as gaining visibility for your business with positive stories, it can also result in gaining backlinks from prominent local news platforms. This is particularly the case if the local news section is a subsidiary of a major news outlet. 

The only issue is trying to give these news platforms a hook to actually write about your business – or post your press release. Thankfully, there are many different ways in which you can give them something juicy to report. Consider the following: 

  • Organise or participate in community events. 
  • Interview an eminent local figure. 
  • Start a mentoring program. This can be to educate local schools or the community. 
  • Speak at a major local conference or trade show. 
  • Release a new innovative product or service. 

When a local news outlet agrees to publish your story, ensure they actually include your backlink! It’s all too easy for them to ignore this, or post your website address without the link pointing to your site. 

Local newspapers and media outlets are great for building backlinks for local service business. Going back to the restaurant example, if your local media outlet does features on local eateries or tourism, then that could be a great press opportunity for your business. Similarly, many local news sites like to do spotlight articles on local businesses they love – being featured here could also help your local SEO efforts.  

Partner up with charities

Partnering up with a local charity has numerous benefits. Not only do you get to feel good that you’re supporting a worthy cause, but this philanthropy also reflects favourably on your business with prospective customers. Furthermore, you can leverage this partnership to gain backlinks. 

You don’t have to work hard to gain these backlinks. It could be as simple as having your business represented by an advert or for it to fall under the charity’s “Our Partners” section on their site. 

As well as charities, you could also sponsor a local business. The theory is pretty much the same, and it can result in precious backlinks to your website. That said, before selecting a business, check to see what type of web authority they possess. If they have a non-existent page rank on Google, for instance, that local business link is going to be an expensive one that produces minimal results at best. 

Network with bloggers and businesses

There’s also the option of networking with local bloggers and businesses. If you’re willing to help each other out, both parties can profit. If the local blog has a small following, but that following is in your target area, that could prove incredibly valuable when building links to your site, as this audience could convert into customers.  

For instance, you could agree with a blogger to produce guest posts on their website. They receive free content their audience can enjoy, and you gain a valuable backlink to your site – it’s a win-win. However, you have to make sure the blog content is, you know, high-quality and worth reading. They won’t post any old fluff piece. Don’t feel you can produce guest posts with value? You can always enlist our content writing team to do the job for you! 

Look at your competitors’ backlinks 

Monitoring your competitors’ backlinks is a great way to spot gaps in your own backlinks. You will need to use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to be able to do this. However, you’ll be able to view your competitors’ backlinks, domains, pages, and domain authority. From here, you can reach out to the domains that do not currently link to your site but link to that of your competitors.  

If you need any other help with your local SEO link building, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our team of marketing experts can help organise your Google My Business profile, produce guest posts, arrange local link SEO promotions, and more.