Small Business Websites and Link Building
When it comes to websites, there are two different types of SEO that should be done: on-page and off-page SEO. On-page SEO deals with the structure and relevance of the content on the site while off-page SEO deals with building authority outside of the site. Having credible links to your site from other sites shows search engines how trusted the site is. For small businesses, link building can be realistic and targeted and can make a difference over time.
Links and Why They Are Important
Google’s first breakthrough was understanding that the most credible and useful websites were those that were linked to by other authoritative websites. This is still the case today. One link from an unrelated site is worth hundreds of links from low-quality or unrelated sites. When it comes to links, quality over quantity reigns supreme.
Online Directories for Local Businesses
The most simple and beneficial way for small businesses to market their products or services is to stay updated and register with reputable online directories. This can be done for Google Business Profile (which is a must for local SEO), Bing Places, Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, as well as any specific directory for your niche. Each of these provides links to your site and helps reinforce your business’s name, address, and phone number across the web, which is called NAP consistency, an important factor in local search rankings.
Consistent Contact Information Across Platforms
In every directory, use the same business name, address, and phone number to avoid confusing search engines
Links From Partners and Suppliers
Lots of small businesses already have relationships they can use to obtain links.
Inquire whether the manufacturer’s product you’re stocking or installing has a “find a local dealer” page that connects to authorised companies.
Collaborative partnerships with other non-competing businesses are an opportunity to share links on websites, if appropriate and natural.
Local Publications and Community Websites
Getting local news blogs, community websites, and blogs from business associations to reference you is a great way to earn quality backlinks. Sponsoring local events, joining as a member in the chamber of commerce, and providing expert commentary (i.e., op-ed pieces) in local news blogs are all ways to acquire quality backlinks as well as gain referral traffic from local readers.
Guest Posts and Thought Leadership
Writing an article or guide for an industry publication, a website of a trade association, or a blog of a non-competing business can earn you a valuable backlink and gain you visibility. The intention should be to provide very useful content rather than a thinly veiled advertisement to promote something. A well-written guest post on a reputable blog can generate direct referral traffic and boost your domain authority for the long term.
Social Networking Sites
Profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other relevant social networking sites in your industry should all be technologically up-to-date, even though links from them are generally “no-follow” (i.e., do not pass ranking authority). These social networking site profiles appear in the search results and help reinforce your brand while providing referral traffic.
Risks
Some methods of building links are not only unethical, but they are downright unsafe.
Google can penalise you for buying links, private blog networks, and generating thousands of links with software to create mass low-quality links. This can result in losing visibility in the search engine results pages.
Your long-term visibility will be enhanced by link building based on genuine relationships, good content, and honest directories.
—
Gradual Link Building
Building links is a long-term activity. Every month, allocate time to identify additional linking opportunities. Investigate new directories, locate links from referenced press articles, and discover new opportunities for guest posts. It takes sustained effort over months and years to build the authority necessary to enhance your search rankings.