When it comes to SEO for small businesses, building links and authority is often the toughest challenge. Keyword research, on-page optimization, and local SEO are more straightforward and mechanical, but elevating your site’s authority is more complex.
The significance of links is well-known, but Google’s guidance can be perplexing. We’re encouraged to "ensure other sites link to yours" while being warned against "link building as it can do more harm than good." So, what’s a small business to do?
In this article, I will briefly explain why links influence search results and outline a simple strategy for building them. The aim is to assist small businesses in building authority and targeting the important commercial search terms.
Creativity is necessary, but my goal is to offer a simple strategy for improving authority and organic search visibility.
Importance of Links in 2017
According to Moz’s Search Engine Ranking Factors, domain-level and page-level link features remain the top two ranking factors. While keywords and content are important, they are easier to control. For local businesses, factors like address, citations, NAP consistency, Google My Business, and reviews also matter. Links, however, rank as the second most important factor in the Moz Local Ranking Factors study, despite being more challenging to influence.
Even recent insights from Google’s Andrey Lipattsev highlight that links, along with content and RankBrain, are still among the top ranking factors, making them just as crucial in 2017 as they were in 1998.
Penalties, Spam, and Link Quality
While Google continues to tackle issues of penalties and spam, the relevance and quality of links remain crucial for long-term success. Aim for authentic links from legitimate sites that appear in search results and attract real readers.
Get Everything Else Dialed In First
Before focusing on link building, ensure all other aspects of your site are optimized. This includes maximizing local SEO and on-page optimization.
On-Page Optimization
Optimize your site’s elements such as page titles, meta descriptions, and navigation. Google’s SEO guide is a helpful starting point.
Leveraging Existing Assets & Relationships
Small businesses often need only a few high-quality links. Consider links from suppliers, trade organizations, web directories, and industry-specific portals or directories.
Small Business Guide to Link Building
The strategy presented here is designed for small businesses and has been used successfully to help many rank in the UK. It focuses on developing anchor text that naturally includes primary keywords, building organic traffic, and increasing authority.
Link-Building Philosophy
Change the way you think about link building. First, create something worthy of being linked to. Then, connect it naturally to other relevant content.
Approach
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Step 1: Create Valuable Content
Develop content that provides value to your target audience and can be integrated into your marketing strategy. It should include the commercial keywords you aim to rank for. - Step 2: Promote This Content on Relevant Sites
Publish articles on high-quality, relevant sites with links to your content using descriptive anchor text.
Specific Tactics
- Guest Blog Posts: Find relevant sites to contribute to, focusing on quality and treating it like digital PR.
- Digital PR: Utilize tools that identify link-building opportunities for both branded and descriptive links.
A Warning
Quality is paramount. Ensure you publish on reputable sites that enhance your visibility like PR rather than just SEO.
Quantity
As a small business, focus on quality over quantity by aiming for a few strategic links per month.
Summary
Link building often challenges small businesses, but by creating linkable assets and promoting them wisely, you can improve organic visibility. Focus on creating valuable content, using descriptive anchor text, and building a solid SEO foundation.
