Why is Local Link-building Essential for Your Small Business?

Customers want to connect and engage with nearby businesses. In 2022, 87% of consumers utilized Google to find information about local businesses. Furthermore, Google reports that searches containing “near me” have increased by 500% annually. 

The question is why these stats are important for small local business owners.

For every small business aiming to reach local customers, it’s crucial to ensure their customers can discover their business online. One effective way to achieve this is by utilizing local link-building.

In this article, we are going to discuss what link-building is and what benefits small businesses can reap from an effective link-building strategy.

Let’s get started!

What is Local Link Building?

Local link building involves obtaining relevant links from local websites to enhance your local SEO efforts and ensure that your business ranks well for location-specific keywords. These links are referred to as “backlinks” (also known as “inbound links” or “incoming links”).

Depending on your link-building objectives, backlinks can assist in directing traffic to your website, boosting brand awareness on local sites, and enhancing your brand reputation. There are two types of links: 

• Follow/ DoFollow Links 
• NoFollow Links

The former can affect your site’s rankings, whereas the latter does not influence rankings but can provide other SEO advantages.

Local link building differs from conventional link building. Primarily, it originates from sources pertinent to your geographical area. For instance, if you operate a pet supply store in Los Angeles, obtaining a link from a pet adoption center in New York City would qualify as a relevant local link.

One highly effective strategy for local link-building is engaging with the community. You can achieve this by sponsoring local events, contributing to local charities, or taking part in activities that will lead to mentions and features in local news websites and blogs. This approach will boost your visibility and keep your brand top-of-mind for potential customers. 

[Also read: Link Building Basics for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide for SMBs]

Benefits of Link-building for Your Small Business Website

Local link-building is essential for the success of your digital marketing strategies. Securing relevant backlinks from local sites can significantly elevate your business’s position in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Here are seven reasons why every small business should incorporate local link-building into its SEO strategy.

1. Boost Search Engine Rankings

Backlinks enhance your likelihood of appearing at the top of search results pages, which can lead to an increase in organic traffic to your site. This is the primary objective for any business aiming to connect with customers online. Studies indicate that under 0.44% of Google users click on links from the second page. 

If you wish to boost your click-through rate and search engine traffic, it’s essential for your business to land on Google’s first page.

So, what is the impact of backlinks on your SERP rankings?

It primarily relates to the concept of referral traffic. If your backlinks generate significant referral traffic from reputable sources, you will begin to rank for relevant keywords. For instance, if you operate a gym in a neighborhood in Chicago and receive substantial referral traffic from a directory or an article highlighting the best gyms in Chicago, your business could eventually rank as the top gym in Chicago, leading to increased foot traffic and sales.

2. Increase Website Domain Strength

Domain authority (DA) estimates the overall strength of your website on a scale of 1 to 100. A higher score indicates a healthier and stronger website. DA serves as a ranking factor that determines where your business’s website will rank in the SERPs. Numerous platforms such as Moz and Ahrefs can assist you in evaluating your website’s DA score.

Search engines evaluate various elements when assessing the DA of your website. Some of the factors include your website’s security, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), content quality, and, most importantly, the caliber of your backlinks.

When local, relevant, and high-authority websites with substantial DA links to your site, this signals search engines to boost your DA. Ultimately, helping you achieve higher rankings and sustained business growth.

You can also improve your DA by:

• Producing high-quality content that addresses the concerns of your target audience, increasing social shares, and earning backlinks.
• Conducting research and producing white papers related to your business that other higher DA sites might want to reference.
• Eliminating harmful links pointing to your site by utilizing various tools that allow you to disavow spammy links.
• Ensuring your website is user-friendly to reduce your bounce rate, is another factor that Google considers when evaluating the quality of your site.

3. Increase Audience Interaction and Engagement

Building links assist you in connecting with current clients while also drawing in new ones. By listing your business in local directories and review aggregators, you acquire backlinks and create additional opportunities to interact with customers. You can respond to their inquiries and feedback, keeping your brand active online. Prospective clients will notice such efforts.

Furthermore, engaging with your clients also helps establish trust, which can boost brand loyalty. By interacting with your customers, you gain valuable insights into their needs, which can lead to business improvements.

When you address customer needs, they tend to feel satisfied. Satisfied customers are more likely to leave positive reviews, enhancing your reputation and helping you rank in Google My Business’s Local Pack. 

Broaden Business Relationships  

Attracting interest in your business can be challenging, but local link-building can assist you with that. How does this work? It provides a chance to network and collaborate with other local brands, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships. Since you cater to a similar customer base, they may recommend your business to their audience, and you can reciprocate.  

Local partnerships help increase your brand’s visibility to prospective clients by exchanging backlinks. However, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you should swap backlinks with every local business. Focus on relevant companies and ensure your links are integrated naturally on their websites.  

Lastly, remember that not every collaboration needs to involve links. If obtaining a backlink from a local site could negatively impact your SEO goals, but still provide exposure, consider using nofollow links and brand mentions without including hyperlinks. 

Enhance Brand Trustworthiness

As a small business, your reputation is crucial. A significant 83% of consumers research online prior to visiting a physical store. These consumers are searching online to determine if they can trust your business. When executed correctly, local link-building can bolster your brand’s credibility.

One key takeaway when developing your local link-building strategy is that not all links hold the same value. Prospects and search engines evaluate the origin of your links. Engaging in low-quality link-building practices may deter customers and lead to your site being de-indexed by Google.

Link building can enhance your brand’s credibility only when the links come from high-authority sources. Such sources include local news outlets, respected local blogs, and other nearby businesses. Additionally, your links should appear organically on these types of sites. 

Backlink Analysis tools like Semrush, Serpstat, or Majestic can assist you in monitoring your backlinks. If you identify any incoming links from a low-quality site, you can reach out to request their removal.

Improve Brand Exposure, Customer Visits, and Sales

Regardless of whether you manage a physical store or operate an online shop, establishing a strong online presence is essential for your business. It serves as the optimal method to broaden your market reach, connect with a larger audience, and ultimately boost your cash flow and profits. Local link building provides an avenue to drive increased traffic and sales.  

Backlinks allow retail businesses to attract visitors to their websites through referral traffic. When potential customers notice your links on external websites and click through to your site, you can draw them into your sales funnel. Referral traffic is crucial as it helps you achieve your three main objectives in local link building.  

Firstly, when individuals recognize your business on reputable websites, it enhances your visibility and brand awareness. Secondly, if those individuals engage with your backlinks, it will result in higher traffic to your website. Lastly, referral traffic translates to more qualified leads. When a visitor arrives at your website from a reliable source, they are interested in learning more about your business and may even seek your store’s address.  

When looking for link-building opportunities for your small business, make sure you follow these tips:

• Avoid spamming your links on regional forums or in the comment sections of local blogs.
• Steer clear of backlinks from irrelevant sites that do not align with your business.
• It is important to target local sites with strong domain authority.  

These actions will save you from Google penalties and streamline your long-term goal of organically attracting customers. 

Strengthen Brand Recognition

We’ve already discussed how link-building can aid in attracting customers and maintaining your business visibility. However, when it comes to enhancing brand awareness, its benefits extend even further. Local link building allows you to launch a distinctive and impactful brand awareness campaign that solidifies your market position.

Link building can assist in boosting your brand awareness, which is crucial for developing client loyalty and familiarizing potential customers with your business. Increased brand awareness keeps your business top-of-mind for consumers, a key factor when aiming for repeat business and providing an edge when new customers are ready to make a purchase.

Through local link building, you can create various touchpoints with clients. Ultimately, consumers tend to select the brands they recognize as they reach the end of the sales funnel and are prepared to convert, especially when all options appear similar. Enhancing brand awareness via local link-building can help tilt the balance in your favor.

Lastly, depending on your overarching business objectives, increased brand awareness can also draw in investors. When your brand is consistently highlighted as the premier choice in your industry across various reputable websites, the perceived value of your brand rises. With a strong brand, you’ll be positioned better for expansion and raising capital.

[Also read: Advanced Link Building Tactics for the Ambitious SMB]

Conclusion 

Link building is a continuous effort and demands a strategic approach if you want long-term success. To achieve that you must adhere to Google Search Essentials (formerly Google Webmaster Guidelines) for link-building and overall SEO practices. 

Remember, you don’t need an overwhelming number of backlinks to improve your rankings in Local Packs or organic searches. Many local businesses thrive with fewer backlinks because quality holds far more weight than quantity.

Now that you understand the importance and process of link building, it’s time to take action. Stick to the right strategies and steer clear of harmful practices that could do more harm than good.