Link Building for Local Search

Local search link building can help small business owners and local web sites to gain traffic. This method is different from link building and SEO for traditional global search engines, as the links sought are related to local search and are not generic. For example, the keyword term “Paris car rental” is different from “car rental” in that it refers to a specific physical location. Building links for local search can be accomplished through avenues other than Google, Bing, or Yahoo Search. These include local directories such as Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp, or Citysearch.

Building links with these local directories can help you to gain a notable boost in traffic, provided that you are aware of the appropriate keywords to use. Another way to build local links would be to run a search for web sites or member directories that are organized around content related to the niche you are targeting, or even to a local web site that discusses or provides information on unrelated search terms. For instance, a web site providing generic information on the city of Paris might be an excellent place to build a link back to your Paris car rental company. Your business can benefit greatly from local search because the traffic you gain will usually have a higher rate of visitors searching specifically for what you are offering.

Photos and Addresses

When using local search to optimize page ranking, it is important to be taken seriously. A great way to make the business you are optimizing look relevant is to make sure that an accurate address is listed on the local search profile. Adding telephone numbers and e-mail addresses is also relevant. Along with this, a clean snapshot of the business’s physical location can help to improve page ranking as well, whether through the actual algorithm or further on when traffic increases. A profile page for a business or company that contains detailed information, with a relevant photo and full address (and preferably with an official web site) is a profile page likely to be valued.

Local Search Reviews

When it comes to local search directories, the links that are usually valued highest are those that refer to an actual physical location or business and those that have received more reviews. A restaurant in the center of your city with numerous reviews will likely show up higher on Google Pages than a less-known restaurant that has never been reviewed before. This is where traffic can help to promote your small business. Consider encouraging your readers or customers to review your business on these local search pages, and you will gain further exposure in the process. Although it is argued that reviews affect readership more than the search engine algorithm, it is definitely a good idea to have some quality content related to the business you are attempting to promote, written by a third-party.