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Why Backlinks Are an Important Part of Local SEO

 

Backlinks are an important part of local SEO because they send a signal to search engines that other websites value your website’s content.

 

Think of backlinks as a vote of confidence. When multiple websites link to the same webpage, search engines can assume that the content is valuable and that it’s worth ranking on a search engine results page (SERP). The more high-quality websites that link to your own, the more confidence Google, Bing, and other search engines have in your website.

 

Local business websites with strong backlink profiles pick up traction and take off more easily than those without, and that’s partly because backlinks figure so highly in local search ranking factors.

 

Link signals, including inbound anchor text, linking domain authority, and linking domain quantity, are among the most important factors in local SEO. When it comes to localized organic ranking factors, link signals are the most important factor.

 

The process of earning backlinks is known as “link earning” or “link building.” The best backlinks are ones that come naturally, from legitimate websites. You can learn more about why backlinks from reputable websites are more valuable than backlinks from link farms in SOCi’s Guide to Offsite Ranking Factors.

 

 

Local Advantages Using Backlinks for SEO

 

Most brands underestimate the importance of backlinks for local SEO. While all backlinks from credible websites are valuable for organic SEO, there are a specific subset of websites that have the most influence over local SEO.

 

Backlinks from local publications, such as newspapers and magazines, local organizations, and clients in the community are useful for boosting local SEO. These are all examples of websites with geographic relevance. Having inbound links coming from websites with geographic relevance will improve the performance of a brand’s local landing pages in local search. For more information on local SEO, check out our local SEO audit.

 

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