As a Charlotte web design company, we understand the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is how people find you in this day and age. There are many technical things you can do to boost your SEO, which we can help you with, but think of SEO in terms of strategy. It’s not only putting keywords in your page titles, for instance, it’s also how your website is structured, writing great content, and getting backlinks.

Backlinks, also called link building, inbound links, or incoming links, are what they should like – whenever another website links to yours. This helps drive traffic to your website because Google and other search engine results pages (SERPs) will rank your website higher the more quality links you have. Search engines want to show people the most relevant information possible and if other businesses, blogs, publications, and customers are talking about you, that signals to Google that you’re someone who can be trusted and thus you get a higher page rank.

The thing is though, we’re not in the early days of the internet where you would google “web designer” and only one result would pop up. No, these days the name of the game is local, local, local. Instead of trying to rank for “web designer,” aim for local SEO, which is why you’ll notice I frequently write “Charlotte web designer.” Local SEO drives specific, highly targeted search engine traffic.

The How

The best way to drive search engine traffic, rank higher in SERPs, and nab backlinks is to write great content. (Psst, if you’re looking for a freelance marketing content writer, I’m available.) Research the topics your audience cares about and then write articles they’ll find useful. After that, promote it on social media as well as reach out to bloggers and publications that might find the information interesting. You can have the greatest content in the world but if no one reads it, that’s like screaming into the void.

As you’re writing stellar content your audience will gobble up, be sure to link internally, or in other words, link back to your own website. This serves up more relevant content to readers AND encourages people to spend longer on your website, which is a good thing. These links also help Google to understand the structure of your website, including the relationship between pages and how relevant they are.

And More

Other ways to increase link building as a local business are to:

• Ask for customer reviews on review websites such as Yelp
• Hold special events or campaigns such as sponsoring a local sports team, hosting a charity fundraiser, running a workshop, or creating a contest
• Pitch yourself to local business roundups that already exist (e.g., “The 10 best web designers in Charlotte”) that haven’t been updated in six months

So there you have it. A few simple strategies to help you link build as a local business. And if this feels too cumbersome, your favorite Charlotte web design company (aka, us), is here to help. Get in touch with us via email or call (704) 336-9113.

Are you ready to transform your online presence? Get expert guidance on link building as a local business from Web Symphonies and take the first step today!