Simple Local SEO Strategies
All consumers want to connect with local businesses, and according to Google itself, searches that include the “near me” keywords have increased by 500% each year. Additionally, over 80% of customers have used Google to search for more information on local businesses in the last year. That means companies that are hoping to reach local customers need to ensure that those customers will be able to find that business in various digital spaces, including search engine results pages (SERPs). To do that, companies have to work hard to propel their content to the top of any relevant local search rankings on Google. One way to achieve a goal is through link building for local SEO.
Local SEO link building
Link building is any effort from a business that generates links from other websites back to the company’s business website. These links are also known as inbound links or backlinks, and they’re very helpful in increasing website traffic. With local SEO, companies optimize their business websites to attract region-specific customers. That means local SEO link building is the process of securing links from other local businesses to generate more traffic from local customers and boosting a company’s visibility in local searches.
Importance
There are three big reasons why local link building is so important for companies. The first reason is that Google considers the number of backlinks a company’s website has when it’s trying to determine the ranking of that website. If a company has a high number of quality backlinks, is going to increase its chances of securing a ranking on the first page of search results. And most business owners know that the largest amounts of organic traffic are generated by the results that show up on that first page. The second reason is that link building helps companies drive very targeted and specific search engine website traffic. When companies are able to target the right people, they’re more likely to draw them in and get them to make a purchase. Lastly, local SEO link building is a great way for companies to organically build their brand visibility. According to marketing research, it takes about seven times for a consumer to come across a brand before they decide to take action. That means the more visibility a brand has, the more likely it’s going to be for potential leads to become customers.
Blogging and reviews
Local SEO link building means companies have to communicate with other local businesses. That means either reaching out to local publications directly, inviting the representatives of various local outlets, hosting events, sponsoring contests, and even sponsoring and creating campaigns with local influencers. The right strategy will largely depend on the company’s marketing budget and which option is going to appeal to the target audience. Blogging is another great way for companies to naturally build links over a long period of time. That means the company should be striving to create engaging and valuable content on a regular basis, and utilizing local keywords in that content to optimize it for SEO.
