Why Backlinks Are An Essential Part of Local SEO

Most small businesses underestimate the importance of backlinks for local SEO. Think of backlinks as a vote of confidence, a recommendation from another website. Obtaining a backlink to any page on your website indicates to search engines that your website and especially the linked page shares value. When you get multiple websites doing this, you’ll undoubtedly reach the SERPs for your local targeted word (depending on the competition). Sounds easy enough, right?

Acquiring backlinks from any old website is extremely easy, but easy isn’t always good. In the ideal world, you want to target high-quality backlinks. These are backlinks from highly established websites that already have a high domain ranking and are related to your niche or location. To better understand where you’re able to obtain local and relevant backlinks related to your website, see the examples below.

Where to find high-quality and relevant SEO backlinks

As mentioned above, finding the correct SEO backlinks is an important step of mastering local SEO. Therefore, you’ll want to consider trying to achieve backlinks with the following options:

• Local publications – Build strong and healthy relationships with local publications. Local and national newspapers are becoming less popular in their traditional paper format. Due to this, they resort to creating content both on paper and online. Luckily for you, most local publications are well-established, making them a perfect backlink opportunity. To work your way into a local publication, sponsor an event, give to a local charity, offer free workshops, etc. 

• Industry publications – Additional to the above, you can work your way onto an industry publication. This is ideal as it’s super related to your niche. Local publications are excellent because they verify that you’re targeting a specific location, but industry ones confirm what type of person you’re targeting. 

• Client’s websites – If you work for large agencies, local businesses, or anything else related to that matter, ask them to backlink to your website. Something as simple as a few photos or just a banner is superb. To enhance the possibilities of this happening, you could always provide the client a deal if they provide you a backlink. 

• Local organizations – Including the mentioned, work with local organizations and get them to write articles about what you’re helping them with—for example, charities, schools, hospitals, etc. 

• Niched blogging websites – Lastly, find highly reputable blogging websites within your niche. You can branch out here, as the primary purpose of this link will be solely to confirm your industry to search engines. Try to aim high, ask to guest blog, or offer them discounts for their viewers, etc. 

As you can see, there are various opportunities you can consider when trying to get backlinks. When doing this, be sure to always offer value in exchange for a link. By following this strategy, you’ll notice a much higher chance of one of the above offering you a backlink. An example of some things you can offer includes guest posting, special discounts to their users, free workshops or charitable events.

Conclusion: backlinks are essential for local SEO

The importance of backlinks for local SEO is becoming more and more each day as new competition arises. According to Impact Plus, 91% of all web pages never receive organic traffic because they don’t have any backlinks. From this statistic alone, you should develop a better understanding of the vitalness of obtaining them.

Generating backlinks is essential but creating local SEO content is also. However, creating local SEO for multiple different targeted areas has never been easier. With our number one rated plugin, you’re able to great a multitude of location-specific web pages under one template. If you want to enhance your local SEO through content, check out our plugin SEO Generator.