As a local business, you are always searching for better and more effective ways to reach your audience and increase your exposure. You may have heard of other high-profile aspects of online marketing, but one of the lesser-known ways to achieve success in your website is through the use of backlinks as part of an SEO strategy. According to Moz, links have the strongest association with higher search rankings of all the attributes used by Google as part of its core ranking algorithm. Google views those backlinks to your site as a sign that your website is valuable to searchers, which boosts your site’s authority as well as its SEO.

Let’s take a look at how you can build high-quality backlinks for your local business. There are many aspects of backlinks that you should consider, such as those from:

Local business partners: Check out businesses with whom you interact on a regular basis. Whether they sell some of the same things you do, or they have a blog posted every day, ask them to include a link to your site on THEIR site or blog.
Local events partners: If you choose to participate in or sponsor an event, such as a fundraiser like a walkathon, ask your fellow event partners to include links to your site; do likewise for them. Not only is this an effective way to boost brand awareness and recognition, it sets you both up for a future collaborative partnership that you can count on for every event.
Industry resources and directories: For every industry, there’s an association or two to go with it. Those associations likely have a business directory that includes the name and contact information of all local businesses that participate. Make sure your company is on that list. Most of these are free, but some are paid. Be wary of the paid ones before shelling out money. Research them first and ask around about their effectiveness.
Social media: This is a big component of your business simply because it can garner you so much exposure. While backlinks in this realm are generally considered “nofollow,” Google does place some importance on links you may get through your social media accounts.
PR and press: Use local news media to your advantage. If you are featured in a press release or news report, your website link is typically included. You can get this coverage by flat-out asking for it, do something that piques the interest of the local press, or pay for a business profile or press release.

Blogs:

High-profile bloggers in your industry have a lot of power online. If they frequently mention your type of business in their blog, ask them to include a link to your website when mentioning that product or service.

Guest posts:

If you’re good at writing, consider writing a blog for someone else. You can add your link to the blog and generate traffic to your website.

Your trusted web design professional can help you with all the above areas, to result in high-quality backlinks for your local business.