Why Local Backlinks are so Important for Local SEO

As mentioned in my previous blog, backlinks play a critical role in a website's rankings. And when your potential prospects are basically the world, the traditional thought process would be to have as many high authoritative domains as possible to link back to your websites for a higher Google ranking. But, that strategy may not be as relevant for a brick-and-mortar and small business website that depends on just local buyers.

Without local backlinks it’s harder to find you

According to Statista, the number of smartphone users is forecast to grow from 2.1 billion in 2016 to around 2.5 billion in 2019. So having local backlinks on your website is even more essential when you also factor in that 50% of those users who do a local search on their smartphone also visit that local store within a day. And equally important are 34% of computer or tablet users who searched for a local business. All of which goes back to my original point of creating local backlinks for your business, so you can turn up in a local search.

So what’s a local backlink and how can it help your online presence?

Local backlinks have one important intention: Build relevance for a website towards its locality. But also keep in mind the relevance of correcting N.A.P. (Name, Address, Phone Number) information, and the need to build up a list of citations. You should also consider creating hyperlocal content through blogging on what’s new about your product or service and how it’s pertinent to your customers. Doing so allows them to connect to your brand on a personal level. It also gives you more control over your cross-linking strategies.

Crosslinking is like tit for tat. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

And speaking of crosslinking strategies; it’s a great idea to partner with local businesses that offer complimentary services to what you’re selling and put each other’s backlink on your respective websites. For instance, if you’re a local children’s clothing store, it makes sense to have a reciprocal link to a local children’s shoe seller and visa versa. 

These types of actions serve the purpose of establishing a presence within a search engine results page (SERPs) for local terms in the local pack with Google My Business, and the organic search results for geotargeted keywords.

When done correctly, local backlinks and reciprocal backlinks on complementary websites should link back to your website and provide the opportunity to speak to your local audience.

If you’ve already tried some of these ideas and fell a tad bit short, there’s professional help for sprucing up your website with relevant links and targeted content that offer proven results.  

The experts at Xynergy have gained years of experience building up local SEO ranking and creating online presence that gets your product or service in front of prospects who want and need what you have to sell.   Call 505-557-7780 for a free, no-obligation consultation or email us today.