How Do You Get Local Links?

Matt Stoddardt of Linkworth offers these tips on how to get local links:

Get the obvious local links

• BBB

• Chambers of Commerce

• Search city+state+associations to find relevant local organizations. There are hundreds of listings for realtor groups, legal groups, medical groups, etc. Chances are there is something that is relevant for your business

Leverage social

• Local directories/classifieds/review communities- see The Local Review Spammer’s Guide

• Join region-specific groups within large social sites. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

• Find local & niche bloggers and interact. Use Techonorati or MyBlogLog to find bloggers who might be relevant.

The interaction and participation is the key. Nothing is going to happen overnight. It takes time to build relationships but over time it pays off and earns in-bound links.

Buy links

• Search for relevant, non-competing businesses to buy directly from

• Buy from a linkbroker

• Buy links from Google! Buy Google’s mini-search appliance and you could get a link from Google on their testimonials page.

Be Creative

• Donate to local charities and request a link

• Sponsor a youth sports team and ask for a link

• Talk to other local businesses like a dry-cleaner and offer to give their customers a deal on your business if they give you a link.