Building Bridges Part Two_ A Creative Entrepreneurs Guide to Local Link-Building

Building bridges part two: A creative entrepreneurs guide to local link-building

Welcome back to the exciting second part of our link-building journey for our Ultimate SEO Makeover #180DaysOfSEO campaign. We’re taking 180 days to work on our own SEO as an agency and showing you step by step how we are doing it. Find out more about this SEO journey here.

Before we go into this installment, let’s do a quick recap from part one. We discussed the basics of link-building and covered do’s and don’ts, and the things you need to consider when assessing a link.

Now for part two, we will focus on the local community! Let’s direct our attention to the techniques of local link-building, the best tool to use, and how this can benefit you as a creative entrepreneur

As a digital marketer who’s all about local SEO, we are stoked to share some valuable insights with you.

Let’s talk about the power of local links for your business in the Western Massachusetts community. As a local creative entrepreneur, the goal is to build a strong presence and gain the trust of your fellow locals. 

And guess by what? Local links play a massive role in achieving just that!

Set aside the traditional approach of chasing after big-shot domains. Instead, focus on earning links that matter right here in your neck of the woods.

How to get your local SEO right

As local SEO pros, we swear by some key tasks that can boost your presence within the community:

Building Bridges Part Two: A Creative Entrepreneurs Guide to Local Link-Building

1. Rock those citations

One of the foundations of Local SEO is making sure your business is listed in directories. The first challenge often comes in not being listed. Get listed! List your business on reputable local directories and let potential customers find you easily. 

There are tools like SEO Actionz that help you manage your directory listings all from one place.

2. Get your NAP right

The second challenge with listings is being listed in different directories with different contact and address details. Google doesn’t like that. Correct your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) info across directories to avoid any confusion. 

3. Speak to your locals 

Create content that resonates with your local audience and speaks to their interests and needs. A lot of content on the web is generic and there is a flood of it. On the contrary, localized, relevant and useful content is often hard to find.

For instance, I can find a hundred thousand blogs on buying birthday gifts for dads, but it is much harder to find a blog posts about great birthday gift ideas for dads in Amherst MA.

4. Local love from others

Aim for links from other local websites that show they trust and endorse you. This is a good vote of confidence both for search engines and for your visitors, who are constantly looking for trust signals.

Great Strategies for Local SEO

When you’re building these local links, keep a few smart strategies in mind:

Link to the right pages

Direct those links to your location page or the most relevant page. That way, folks can easily find what they’re looking for. For a restaurant, you may want to link users directly to the menu as you know this is what most people will be searching for.

Give ’em a CTA

Add a Call-to-Action on the linked page, so visitors know what to do next—think “Contact Us” or “Get Yours Today!” Never underestimate the power of telling your visitors exactly what you want them to do. Calls to action are a proven way to increase conversions.

Quality over quantity

Forget about fancy metrics like Domain Authority (DA) for local sites. Instead, focus on building genuine relationships within your community. The mantra is simple: Relevant links from relevant local sites.

Unleash your creativity

Embrace your uniqueness as a small local business and think outside the box for link-building opportunities. If you’re a web developer you could partner with a local accounting firm since you know their clients would most likely need your services. The accounting company can add a link to your website on theirs.

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Next level local link-building

But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there! Time to get creative and hunt down those golden local link opportunities. Here are some ideas to fire up your creative juices:

1. Local media magic

Have some newsworthy developments in your business? Reach out to local newspapers and media outlets to feature your business. Get some awesome links and a dose of publicity!

2. Blogger love

Collaborate with local bloggers who have a small yet dedicated following in your area. Their influence can work wonders for your business.

3. Event pages & co.

Jump into local event pages, tourism sites, and more. They dish out content about what’s cool in the area—and you can secure some fantastic links.

4. Biz BFFs

Connect with other local businesses willing to feature you on their “Local Partners” or “Businesses We Love” page. 

5. Business networking

Another great way to get links is by joining your local Chamber of Commerce of another newrogking organization like Business Network International (BNI). 

It will cost you, but the value is often worth it. For instance, with Artist Dynamix, our listing on the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, ranks on page on of Google for some key local digital marketing searches.

6. Heartfelt charity

If you sponsor or volunteer for local charities that showcase their volunteers, check to see if your business has been listed on their sire. You’ll earn links and show off your community spirit.

Ready to rock this link-building gig? Time to research, analyze, and adapt!

A Great Way To Manage Your Local Link-Building

Artist Dynamix offers a cutting edge ai-powered SEO application called SEO Actionz to help you with your local link-building. SEO Actionz will fire up your SEO game by helping you understand your competitors’ link-building strategies, among many other features. 

The backlinks tool helps you find mutual and unique links—so you can see opportunities for new links. For instance, if your competitor has links from different directories that are relevant to your sector, you can get yourself listed there too. 

Sign up here to get your hands on the power of SEO Actionz!

So, fellow creatives, let’s embrace the creative power of local link-building. Show your local community some love, and they’ll reciprocate in ways you never imagined. 

Go forth with confidence, rock those local links, and let  the spotlight shine on your creative endeavors. Build those connections, and watch your online presence skyrocket!

Editor

The AdX Content team includes researchers, writers, and digital media developers from the USA, Zimbabwe, The Philippines, and the United Kingdom. We may use automation technology to create outlines & scripts for some of our content, but each article is contextualized, edited, fact-checked, and proof-read by a real live human.