If you want to rank (highly) on Google in your local area, there are many on-site and off-site SEO elements that you need to work on. One of those elements is backlinks.
Backlinks are links from one site pointing to another. Google reads these links as signals of authority/credibility and rewards websites with strong backlink profiles with higher-rankings and more traffic.
The backlinks we’re discussing today are citations from directory sites – think Yellowpages, Yelp and alike.
Building backlinks (the right way) from these sites are an important piece of the puzzle to improve your rankings in your local area.
I’ve put together a comprehensive list of over 100 Australian (and some global) directory sites that will help boost your local rankings.
In this post, I cover off the information you need – and why – to build these links and give you a strategy to make it as easy and effective as possible.
1. Collate all your location information
Before beginning the building process, the first thing you need to do is collect your NAP.
Your NAP is your Name, Address, Phone number.
I have created a spreadsheet HERE which can be used to collate all your location information. Simply, fill out this form as thoroughly as possible.
Do this for every location you have.
At this point, it’s important I mention that you will get a lot more out of this process if your NAP for each location is 100% exactly the same across each and every listing.
Consistent NAP’s will boost your local search rankings, as search engines won’t be questioning which name, address or phone number is correct.
On top of that, the last thing you want is to have to go back and fix incorrect citations, because there’s a comma in the wrong spot or something similar. So, triple check that every single location’s NAP is perfect before moving forward.
2. Logos and other images
In addition to the NAP’s, many of these directory sites allow you to add images to build your brand.
At a minimum, you will need your logo.
I recommend going further and collecting photos of your store (if you have one), staff group photos, office photos, etc. Most directory sites allow you to add up to 5 images. The more you add, the higher value your profile will be.
3. Don’t duplicate existing listings
Before building a link on any directory, you first need to make sure your site doesn’t already have a listing. If it does, check if the NAP’s are correct. If they are, you can move on. If they’re not, you will need to attempt to claim the listing and then correct it.
4. Let’s build some links
Now, for the fun part.
HERE is the link to the list of directory listings.
Be warned. This will take some time, but don’t let that stop you! Even if you do ONE each day, your business will be better for it.
I would recommend starting at the top with higher domain authority websites and working your way down.
Conclusion
Links are a vital piece of any successful SEO strategy. This is a great step to take in your march towards improving your rankings locally and generating prospective inbound enquiries.
