Key 'Takeaways' From This Post
-
89% of local SEO experts prioritize link building for their local business clients
-
100% of local SEO experts think link building is effective for boosting businesses' local search rankings
-
Experts name local news sites, community sites, and industry sites are the most valuable link sources for local businesses
-
Short personal emails have become more important in link building, while detailed emails have dropped in popularity
-
The most valuable strategy for building local backlinks is through relationships with businesses and influencers, while sharing on social media is least valued
It’s clear, local link building is a vital factor when trying to achieve success in local rankings. But, how do leading local marketers approach getting backlinks, and what do they think makes a good local link?
To find out, we asked a small group of local SEO experts to share their opinions and experiences of local link building – and their insights are fascinating.
This is the second year we’ve run this report, so this year, we’ve compared both year’s findings to see what’s changed in local link building. To note, there was a slightly different number of experts taking part this year, so small rises or drops may be attributed to this, rather than big link building trend shifts.
A huge thank you to the SEO experts for sharing their excellent insights, including Megan Lindsey and Cory Agular from Search Influence. If you have any ideas or experiences you’d like to share about your local link building experiences, please let us know in the comments below.
Questions
- Is local link building a task you prioritize for your local business clients?
- How effective is local link building for boosting local businesses’ search rankings?
- Are links more or less important to local business search rankings than 12 months ago?
- Will acquiring links become easier or more difficult this year?
- What is the biggest problem or misconception about the value of links to local SEO?
- What are the most valuable link sources for boosting search rankings for local businesses?
- If a local business asked you how many links they should aim to get each month, what would you say?
- How valuable are the following strategies when building new backlinks to local business sites?
- How valuable are the following attributes when building new backlinks to local business sites?
- Approximately how much should local businesses aim to be spending to acquire each link?
- Which link building outreach processes do you find most effective?
- In your opinion, what makes a local business link building campaign successful?
Is local link building a task you prioritize for your local business clients?
Since last year, there has been a slight growth in the proportion of experts reporting link building as a priority for their clients. While there was a slight dip in the number of experts saying that it isn’t more important than other optimization tasks, it’s clear that for most, link building is key to local SEO success.
And it’s no wonder the experts put link building first. In the latest Moz Local Search Ranking Factors Survey, link signals were rated the most important localized organic ranking factor, and the second most important local pack factor.
Expert Insights
"Gyi Tsakalakis"
AttorneySync
How effective is local link building for boosting local businesses’ search rankings?
Link building is an effective way to boost local businesses’ performance in SERPs. Every expert in the panel agreed link building boosts local search rankings, with more experts saying this year that this is ‘very effective’.
Expert Insights
"Joel Headley"
PatientPop
"Carrie Hill"
Ignitor Digital
"Casey Meraz"
JurisDigital
Are links more or less important to local business search rankings than 12 months ago?
Links remain as important to local search rankings as they were in 2018.
This year, 11% of the panel report link building being more important than last year, while in 2018, 25% of the experts said it had become more important. But with a growing number of experts believing link building to be very effective at boosting rankings, it’s unlikely link building could be much more important to local search rankings.
Expert Insights
"Carrie Hill"
Ignitor Digital
Will acquiring links become easier or more difficult this year?
For the second year running, it seems like link building’s set to get tougher.
Securing quality backlinks can be time-consuming, and often leads to rejection or being ignored. But, when you do achieve that ever-important link, it can feel pretty rewarding!
For local businesses with low budgets and limited time, it may be tempting to prioritize more immediately gratifying marketing tactics.
While local businesses may be less likely to have multiple links, they may be a little more aware of the benefits of citations and reviews to your local search rankings. This means that those building great backlinks have a great opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Expert Insights
"Dan Leibson"
Local SEO Guide
"Mary Bowling"
Ignitor Digital
"Casey Meraz"
JurisDigital
What is the biggest problem or misconception about the value of links to local SEO?
Experts were asked to share their thoughts.
Expert Insights
"David Mihm"
ThriveHive
"Dev Basu"
Powered by Search
"Joy Hawkins"
Sterling Sky
"Phil Rozek"
Local Visibility System
"Alex Jones"
Hallam
"Colan Nielsen"
Sterling Sky
"Mary Bowling"
Ignitor Digital
What are the most valuable link sources for boosting search rankings for local businesses?
The experts were able to choose up to three choices.
In the last year, local news sites have improved in perception among the experts, now being the most valued among the panel. Agencies should be aware of the local sites that present the biggest opportunity for the client’s local area – beyond the biggest local paper.
Interestingly, .edu and .gov sites saw a drop. Could this be in part down to the comparable difficulty in achieving these links?
High domain authority sites are also less important compared to last year. While many local business clients may be impressed with a backlink on a high DA site, ultimately, it’s better to focus on the local or industry-specific sites that potential customers use.
Expert Insights
"Blake Denman"
RicketyRoo
"Tom Waddington"
Wachae
"Steve Wiideman"
Wiideman Consulting Group
"Phil Rozek"
Local Visibility System
"Ben Fisher"
Steady Demand
If a local business asked you how many links they should aim to get each month, what would you say?
Experts were asked to share their thoughts.
Expert Insights
"Dan Leibson"
Local SEO Guide
"David Mihm"
ThriveHive
"Joy Hawkins"
Sterling Sky
"Casey Meraz"
JurisDigital
"Blake Denman"
RicketyRoo
"Steve Wiideman"
Wiideman Consulting Group
"Ben Fisher"
Steady Demand
"Adam Dorfman"
Reputation.com
"Will Scott"
Search Influence
"Brian Barwig"
IntegrateDigitalMarketing
How valuable are the following strategies when building new backlinks to local business sites?
Most Valued Link Building Strategies
- Building relationships with local businesses and influencers (#4 last year)
- Creating research-based content (#5)
- Sponsoring local charities and organizations (#1)
- Creating resources with a local focus (#3)
- Hosting community events (#6)
Least Valued Link Building Strategies
- Sharing on social media
- Links in social profiles
- Creating infographics
- Advertorial
- Commenting in blogs and forums
This year, building relationships with local businesses and influencers has become the most highly-valued local link building strategy.
Creating research-based content has also become more valued by link building experts. Local businesses can attract a lot of links by demonstrating their expertise, and providing original insights into industry-relevant topics. However, this can require a higher time investment than some of the other ‘paid for’ strategies.
Expert Insights
"Tom Waddington"
Wachae
"Steve Wiideman"
Wiideman Consulting Group
"Joy Hawkins"
Sterling Sky
"Ben Fisher"
Steady Demand
"David Mihm"
ThriveHive
"Dan Leibson"
Local SEO Guide
How valuable are the following attributes when building new backlinks to local business sites?
Quality and authority is the most important attribute of a good local backlink. However, remember to split these across a diverse range of sources, rather than just one great source.
Expert Insights
"Dev Basu"
Powered by Search
"Alex Jones"
Hallam
"Adam Dorfman"
Reputation.com
Bud Clark
Deerfield Beach, FL
"We have looked at several resources to help our agency with citation management. BrightLocal's platform is the best. Highly recommended."
4.8 / 5 from 125+ reviews on Capterra
From $2 per site
Approximately how much should local businesses aim to be spending to acquire each link?
Experts were asked to share their thoughts.
Of course, there’s no one size fits all answer for this. Respondents suggested between $100 to $1,000, but as any local marketer will know, it depends.
Expert Insights
"Mary Bowling"
Ignitor Digital
"Phil Rozek"
Local Visibility System
"Carrie Hill"
Ignitor Digital
"Will Scott"
Search Influence
"Casey Meraz"
JurisDigital
"Steve Wiideman"
Wiideman Consulting Group
Which local link building outreach processes do you find most effective?
The experts were able to choose up to three choices.
A slow-burn approach to building relationships is the most effective outreach approach among this year’s panel. Focusing on building real, reciprocal relationships over time pays dividends – but, of course, takes time.
Interestingly, detailed personal emails are significantly less valued among experts than last year, while short personal emails have become slightly more effective. Popular websites and contacts are likely to receive a high number of outreach requests, so perhaps it’s more valuable to receive shorter, to-the-point, messages.
Expert Insights
"Carrie Hill"
Ignitor Digital
"David Mihm"
ThriveHive
"Dev Basu"
Powered by Search
In your opinion, what makes a local business link building campaign successful?
Experts were asked to share their thoughts.
Expert Insights
"Joel Headley"
PatientPop
"Mary Bowling"
Ignitor Digital
"Alex Jones"
Hallam
"Brian Barwig"
IntegrateDigitalMarketing
"Will Scott"
Search Influence
"Gyi Tsakalakis"
AttorneySync
"Blake Denman"
RicketyRoo
"Colan Nielsen"
Sterling Sky
"Dev Basu"
Powered by Search
"Ben Fisher"
Steady Demand
For local businesses, local link building can be incredibly helpful in standing out from the crowd. Links directly impact both local pack, and localized organic rankings, and yet, aren’t a focus for many local businesses. It’s great to see that local SEO experts prioritize link building – but do most local businesses?
We hope the insights above help marketers demonstrate the importance of links to their local business clients. Local link building can be tough, but in the long-run can really help local businesses rise above their competitors in local search rankings.
