Once you have your onsite SEO taken care of it’s time to start looking for ways to boost your SEO strategy by building inbound links. The best way to do this is by sourcing links from high-quality sources. However, finding the right kind of links to boost your local SEO can be a little difficult.
In this post we’re going to examine five sources of links that are commonly overlooked, that you can utilize to improve your search engine rankings.
1. Local Schools and Non-Profits
Most schools and non-profits have a donations page on their websites that feature every single contributor. These sponsorship opportunities are fairly easy to find, and can be incredible valuable links. Google places a lot of value on .edu and .org links.
Not every school or non-profit you’ll come across will have a donor page. But, in cases like this it doesn’t hurt to ask. Donations can usually be as small as $20, and can go a long way.
2. Source Links From Your Distributors and Partners
By working together with local business and distributors you’ve been working with for years, you can gain incredibly valuable local links. If your business relies on any distributors, or subcontractors, then you could ask them to link to your business on your website.
With this kind of link exchange you’ll be providing either a testimonial for their services on their website, or you’ll be featured on their recommended distributors list. Either way this is a strong link with a local connection.
3. Create A Local Resource
Local resources are blog posts, or pages, that provide ultimate round-ups for certain parts of your city. these will feature local individuals, or businesses and will give recommendations about the cool parts of your town or city.
Once you’ve created this “epic list” style of content just make sure you promote it across the relevant social media channels, and reach out to everyone who was mentioned in the list.
4. Apply To All local “Best Of” Awards
In your town or city there are probably numerous “best of” awards. These are usually handled by local news outlets, newspapers, and magazines. Usually, you can apply to as many categories and subcategories as possible. So, make sure you apply to every single category that makes sense for your business.
Once the time comes to vote, make sure you call on your customers and any social media fans to help your company win the contest.
5. Get Local Press From News Outlets
Getting featured in a local story can provide a lot of good press for your business, along with a very high quality link. The best way to get featured is to stay up to date with local news. For instance, if there’s an issue in your town where you can contribute your expertise, then get in touch with a local news station or paper.
Another great way to become a source for a local news report or paper is to sign up for a service called HARO. This services sends links to your email inbox of people looking for high-quality sources for their articles and news pieces.
If you’re interested in moving forward with a professional local SEO strategy, then get in touch with our team today.
