Link Building (SEO)

Full Training for Local Service Businesses

Approximate time to implement (for beginners): 2-4 weeks

Note 1: To get the point across easier, I will use a fictitious business called ''ABC Company'' when showing examples.

Note 2: These tips can apply to any service business, large or small or in any industry (construction, beauty, restaurant, finance, etc)

Better Link Building, potential for more revenue

Better link building = more visitors on site, more visitors = more leads, more leads = more revenue

Increasing the amount of quality backlinks, outbound links and internal links on your site is a great way to increase traffic and conversions on site. Improving these features will signal to search engines (Google, Bing, etc) that your site is strong and should be represented at the top of search results.

Optimized Link Building strategies can do the following for your business:

• Increase search volume to site

• Improve ranking of site on Google

• Improve quality of visitors to site (improve lead quality)

Here's an example to show what can be possible with a 50% SEO boost.

Although this is the most difficult of all three SEO strategies discussed in our trainings, link building is the one that can have the biggest effects on your business, and that, for as long as you keep improving it. Even though a 50% boost in traffic might seem unattainable, many businesses have been able to increase their traffic by 1000%+ using link building strategies. For most local businesses 1000% is unreasonable to aim at, but 50% is very possible, especially for under optimized businesses.

This document will share exactly how you can do that for your own service business, or other people's businesses (if you are an agency owner)

Part 1: Introduction to Link Building SEO

What is Link Building SEO

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. These links, called backlinks, act as votes of confidence from other sites. They tell search engines that your site has valuable content.

Why Should you Build Links for SEO

1. Improves Rankings: More high-quality links mean higher search engine rankings.

2. Increases Traffic: Links from other sites bring new visitors to your website.

3. Builds Trust: Backlinks from reputable sites boost your site’s credibility.

4. Helps Discovery: Backlinks help search engines find and index your content faster.

In short, link building helps your website rank higher, attract more visitors, and gain trust online in Google's eyes.

Part 2: Keyword Research

Everything starts with keywords

Trying to do any type of SEO without knowing the right keywords is like trying to hit a target while blind. Having a detailed list of all exact, phrase and broad keywords people use to find your service is the foundation on which the rest is built.

The best keywords have a balance between these 3 aspects:

Search Volume

How many people are typing that keyword in the search results. More search, more people on website, more potential sales

Intent Match

What is the intent of the keywords, and how close is that intent related to your offer. Someone searching for ''business that repairs roofs'' is more likely to buy then someone searching for ''how are roofs made''. Both mention roofs, both have very different meanings

Competition Difficulty

How hard is to compete for, how many competitors are ranking for that keyword? More competitive, more difficult to rank for, less likely to appear no.1

Having the perfect combination of all three of these aspects is what allows you to have the keywords that are most likely to rank your website at the top of Google searches.

How to find the keywords

1. Manual Labor: A free way to find keywords is to think of them of manually search for them. Using platforms like Wikipedia, Google ''searches related to'', Reddit and Forums, Google suggest

2. Looking up Competitors: Looking up competitors websites and seeing which keywords they are using to rank on Google. Copying their title tags, meta descriptions and keywords on site and adding them to your list.

3. Using Tools: Using tools that will search all competitors websites and find their most relevant keywords, as well a generate new ideas for keywords by searching the internet. (link to list of all tools)

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How to rank keywords from best to worse

To get the most appointments booked/calls to your service website through search engines (Google, Bing, etc.), you want to have the keywords that have the most amount of search volume, that are easiest to rank no.1 on Google for.

Simple formula to calculate best keywords:

Value of Keyword Score = (Search Volume)×(Intent to Buy)/(Competition Score)

Search Volume = Amount of searches made to that keywords.

Can be searched in bulk using a tool like SemRush (link)

Intent to Buy: Scaled on 0.01 to 1 (1 being very intent to buy)

Can be qualified in bulk using a tool like chat GPT. Modify this prompt to your industry to get proper results (link)

Competition Score (Competitive Difficulty): Scaled on 0.01 to 1 (1 being hyper competitive)

Can be searched in bulk using a tool like SemRush (link). Divide the scores given to match the scale of 0.01-1

*To fit formula, take scores (1-100) and turn them into a decimal (0.01-1.00)

Example of Value Scoring

Example 1: Roof design

• High in search volume (many people are searching for it) = 12 450 searches/month

• Low intent to buy (someone typing this might not be looking to replace a roof, they might just be curious about roofing designs) = 0.05/1.00 intent to buy

• High competition difficulty (a lot of businesses are trying to rank for it, companies selling roofing supplies, architects, blogs on roofs, etc) = 0.85/1.00 difficulty of competition

Value of keyword to business= (12 450) x (0.05)/0.85= 732

Example 2: Metal roof repair in 7 days for residential roof

• Low in search volume (such a specific search that maybe 50 people will search it in a year) = 20 searches/month

• High intent to buy (person searching this is highly motivated to change their roof) = 0.99/1 intent to buy

• Low competition (only other businesses offering that exact service would rank for it) = 0.02/1 difficulty of competition

Value of keyword to business= (20) x (0.99)/(0.02) = 990

Example 3: Roof repair Montreal

• Medium in search volume (Only people in area of Montreal are searching this) = 560 searches/month

• High intent to buy (the searcher is looking to repair their roof) = 0.85/1

• Low competition (only other roofing companies in Montreal will compete for it) = 0.08

Value of keyword to business: (560) x (0.85)/(0.08)= 5950

Since you only have limited space on your site to include keywords, you want to discriminate the keywords by deciding which ones can generate the most sales. Knowing this, you benefit from creating a list of all the keywords people would use to find you, from highest value to lowest.

Part 3: Link Building Introduction

There are three main types of links on a website. Links that link out to other site (Outbound Links), links that link throughout your site (Internal Links) and links that link from other sites to yours (Backlinks). So how do we maximize/optimize the effects of each three on our site?

Types of Links

Brief summary of what, why and how to use links on site.

Outbound Links

What are they:

Links on your site that link out to other sites.

Why is it important:

Outbound links serves to balance your site, allowing your site to less likely be banned by Google.

Internal Links

What are they:

Internal links are links that link throughout your own site.

Why is it important:

Helps the flow of ''link juice'' flow through all parts of your website

Backlinks

What are they:

Backlinks are links from other (preferably authoritative) sites, linked to your own.

Why is it important:

Increases your rankings on search engines, by transferring some of the ''link power'' from other sites to yours.

Considerations that apply to all linking strategies:

• Link Authority: If the site your are linking to, or is linking to you is of low authority, it can affect your rankings negatively. (authority checker​)

• Do Follow vs No Follow Links: Some links allow ''link juice'' to flow through them, while others don't. For example, links from Facebook and Wikipedia do not transfer ''link juice''. Although you can get traffic from those links, in Google's eyes you won't get the benefits. (follow status checker)

  
  

Part 4: How to Optimize Outbound Links

Here are a few strategies to optimize your outbound linking strategy on your website.

Outbound Links

What Are Outbound Links? Outbound links are the links you have on your website that link out to other sites. Usually they link out to affiliate sites, partner sites or sites that you believe ads value to users reading your content.

Why Are Outbound Links Important? Outbound links have three major purposes.

• To get people who are reading your content to receive more information about what they are searching for, improving their experience.

• It serves for you to link to affiliates, partners and any other business you want to promote. Can potentially allow you to capture some affiliate revenue.

• Reduces the chances of Google finding your site suspicious. If you have an unbalanced ratio of backlinks to your site and not enough outbound links, Google might consider your site to be of less high quality, in turn, ranking you lower

Best Practices for Using Outbound Links

To maximize the benefits of outbound links, follow these best practices:

1. Link to Relevant and High-Quality Sites: Ensure that the external websites you link to are reputable, authoritative, and relevant to your content. This helps to maintain the credibility of your site and provides value to your users.

2. Open Outbound Links in New Tabs: When users click on an outbound link, it's a good practice to have the link open in a new tab. This keeps users on your site longer and reduces the likelihood that they will leave your site altogether.

3. Use Descriptive Anchor Text: The anchor text of your outbound links should clearly describe what users can expect when they click the link. Avoid generic phrases like "click here" and instead use specific, descriptive text that ranks high in your keyword list.

4. Limit Outbound Links: A rule of thumb is to use one outbound link for every 30-230 words of content you write. As to not overwhelm users with links and not arise suspicion from Google.

5. Monitor Outbound Links: Regularly check that your outbound links are still valid and pointing to relevant content. Broken or outdated links can harm the user experience and affect your SEO.

Part 5: How to Optimize Internal Links

Here are a few strategies to optimize your Internal linking strategy on your website.

Internal Links

What Are Internal Links? Internal linking is a fundamental yet often overlooked aspect of SEO that can significantly boost your website’s performance. By strategically linking pages within your site, you can improve your site’s architecture, distribute “link juice” effectively, and enhance both user experience and search engine rankings. Here’s how to do it right.

Why Internal Linking Matters

Internal links are hyperlinks that point to other pages within the same domain. They help Google discover, index, and understand your site’s content, while also distributing page authority ''link juice'' to key pages. Done correctly, internal linking can:

• Improve SEO: Helps Google find and index your pages, and distributes PageRank to important pages.

• Enhance User Experience: Guides visitors to related content, keeping them engaged and on your site longer.

• Boost Rankings: Strategic internal linking can elevate the visibility of your most important pages.

Best Practices for Effective Internal Linking

1. Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text: Unlike backlinks, using keyword-rich, exact-match anchor text in internal links is beneficial. This helps both users and search engines understand the linked page’s content. However, avoid using the same anchor text for different pages to prevent confusion.

2. Link to Important Pages: Prioritize linking to pages that are crucial for your site’s SEO. Use tools like Semrush (link) to identify your best-performing pages and create internal links from these pages to the ones you want to rank higher.

3. Diversify Anchor Text: Ensure you use different descriptive anchor texts for linking to various pages. This practice helps Google differentiate between your pages and understand their unique content better.

4. Front Load links: Position your most important internal links high on your pages. This can increase the average time visitors spend on your site, signaling to Google that your site is valuable and improving your rankings.

5. Ensure All Internal Links are Dofollow: To pass ''link juice'' effectively, make sure all internal links are dofollow. Avoid nofollow tags as they prevent the flow of link authority within your site. (​link​)

6. Conduct Regular Audits: Use Google Search Console to audit your internal links. This helps identify which pages are receiving the most internal links and ensures your link structure supports your SEO goals.

7. Link Strategically from Your Homepage: Your homepage is typically the most authoritative page on your site. Use it to link to other key pages to distribute authority effectively.

8. Maintain a Logical Site Architecture: Internal links help create a logical site structure that is easy for both users and search engines to navigate. Group related pages into categories and ensure they link to each other.

Advanced Tips for Internal Linking

• Add Links to Old Content: Regularly update older pages with links to new content. This keeps all your pages interconnected and relevant. Old blog posts linked to newer blog posts.

• Limit the Number of Links: While internal links are beneficial, too many can dilute their value. A rule of thumb is to have 5-6 per average page.

  
  

Part 6: How to Optimize Backlinks

Here are a few strategies to optimize your Backlining strategy on your website.

Backlinks

What Are Backlinks? Backlinks are links from other sites (preferably high traffic/authoritative sites) to your site. Backlinks is one of the greatest SEO strategies as it permits for ''unlimited'' traffic to your site. The more backlinks you have, in theory the more your site ranks.

Why Are Outbound Links Important? Backlinks have three major purposes.

1. They serve to get ''link juice'' from other sites, to yours. Helping your site rank higher.

2. They serve to get traffic from other sites. If you have a backlink to you from a popular blog, newsletter, etc. You benefit from the traffic that content receives, as you get some of that traffic, linked to you.

Backlink General Tips:

• High Rank Backlinks

  • Main backlinks are best to be pointed at you main page, extra or less authoritative backlinks can be linked to other pages. Will lower the chances Google finds your backlinks suspicious. Best to avoid banned or flagged links, linking to your website.

• NAP Similarity

  • Name. business address, phone number, e-mail, links benefit from all being written the exact same way across all platforms and backlinks to ensure Google can retrace your business across all platforms.

• Do Follow vs No Follow Links

  • Links from places like Wikipedia and Facebook are no follow links. Meaning that the link doesn't transfer any of it's authority or ''juice'' to your website. Still important to have because they make you seem more natural in Google's eyes and still can lead clients to click on your website and purchase. Inspect link to see in code if link is do follow or not.

• Anchor text

  • Variation of anchor text helps make backlinks seem more natural to Google's eyes. A good split for anchor text is the following:

    • How to split them

      1. branded anchors: 70%

      2. generic anchors: 5%

      3. partial match anchors: <5%

      4. exact match anchors: <1%

    • Where to use them

      1. Branded Anchors: Link from social media

      2. Naked URL's Anchors: Foundation Links, Web 2.0's

      3. Generic Anchors: Guest Posts, .edu1.gov links, Press Releases

      4. Partial Match Anchors: Regular PBN's (powerful and semi-public, network)

      5. Exact Match Anchors: Heavy Hitter Links (Niche Edits, Big boy links)

• Tips for backlinks not to get removed.

  • Add images when they allow you to

  • Fill in all the required fields

  • Add a proper bio (SEO optimized)

  • Don't link to anything illegal

  • Create them to look like real assets

How to Optimally set up Backlinks

Setting up Foundation Backlinks first

What Are Foundation Backlinks? Foundation backlinks are links that you build before starting aggressive backlinking strategy. These links are free to set up, relatively easy to create.

Why Are Foundation Backlinks Important? They serve to create a foundation that will reduce the chances of Google affecting your more aggressive backlink building strategies. They slightly help with search engine rankings but are mostly used as protection.

Rule of Thumb for foundation links (to not arise suspicion from Google)

1. Have branded, naked URL or generic anchors 90% of the time

2. Exact and long tail keyword links 10% of the time (try and use these with strongest backlinks)

Foundation Link List (checklist)

• Video Sharing Links (16x)

• Article Sharing Links (12x)

• Press Release Distribution Links (10x)

• PDF Sharing Links (10x)

• Social Sites (16x)

• Classified Ad Posting Links (10x)

• Social Bookmarking Links (9x)

• Directory Links (10x)

• Audio Sharing Sites (7x)

• Image Sharing Links (15x)

• Web 2.0 Blog Posting Links (14x)

• Google Entity Stacking (10x)

After Foundation Links

After setting up all foundation links, you then want to begin your more aggressive backlink strategies, here is a list of all potential backlinks you can use.

Types of (Do Follow) Backlinks:

1. Comments (Posting link on comment section of Blog)

   1. Can find blogs related to service or in same area and comment on their blog with valuable information, while linking to your site or having a profile that links to your site.

2. Sponsorship/Charity Links

   1. Can contact charities or sponsors and for a donation get backlinked from them

3. Web 2.0 (creating sub domains)

   1. Using platforms like Wix, Google business sites and others to generate websites using their shared domains. Allowing you to get a backlink to your website from their domain.

   2. Creating a google business site to help rank. Utilize keywords, rich content, my map embeds, video embeds, outbound links to all pages of website, etc. Use all of Google's assets and embed into website. Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Drawings, Forms, Slides, Public Folder, PDF, Blogger. Have them interlink all between each other, as well as link to website. Also links to social medias and other important links

4. Guest Posts (Posting as guest on blog or info website)

   1. Find business that speak on the subject of your service (a blog or newsletter) and ask to have a guest post on their site. Can either find them through competitors or searching for them online. Ask them to post full NAP.

   2. To get backlinks, contact blogs within your niche through their contact form and ask them the price they charge to be featured for a month on their site

5. .edu, .gov

   1. Links from government or institutional websites

6. Video, Audio, Article (PDF), Image, Slide (PPT Presentation)

   1. Links from palforms like Youtube, Vimeo, Spotify, PDF sharing sites, etc.

7. Press Releases (from authoritative news sites)

   1. Press releases, once per month is a recommended frequency. Cost money to get them but create great traffic.

   2. Best to ask press release to use: Main keywords in their title, long tail specific keywords in their text, embed of your map, list of service areas, link to website and link to main social media. Can create great ''link juice'' as well as help viewers of press release to find you and your services easily.

8. PBN (Private Blog Network)

   1. PBN (Private Blog Network) is a conglomeration of websites or blogs that are used to give ''link juice'' to the main website of the business.

   2. To avoid suspicion, PBN's should not interlink between each other

   3. PBN benefit from having content related to main site (Recipe content and linking to a restaurant for example)

9. Expired Domain Links

   1. Getting expired powerful domains and make them link to your site

10. Niche Edits

    1. Can ask local businesses you know (friends/family) to link to your website. Even if their content isn't related to yours.

11. Crowd Sourcing Links

    1. Get Crowd sourcing links by posting in forums across the internet related to your niche. Many forums for different industries. Can get you organic traffic to your website as well as builds up backlinks to your site.

12. Cloud Stacking

    1. Building Cloud sharing links and linking them to main website. Linking every single cloud to one another as well.

Easiest ways to get backlinks:

• Can look up competitors websites and find backlinks that they are getting. Can then contact those people and see if they can't link to you as well. Ubersuggest to track backlinks of competitors (link)

• Can create infographics, tools, calculators and other valuable content to get people to backlink to your site organically. Ex: A free mortgage calculator on your site if you are a real estate agent

• Can set up all the free foundation links (explanation at the end of this section)

  
  

Conclusion - Link Building SEO

What link building SEO can potentially do for your service business.

Whether you have a hair salon, construction business, restaurant, accounting firm or any other service business. These tactics can (and most likely will) help your business grow. Here is a visualization of the effects of properly optimizing link building SEO.

If you’d like to learn more about optimizing your business online, we offer 12 free trainings on subjects ranging from SEO, Website Optimization and even Sales. 

Click the link below 👇

https://vizonsdigital.gumroad.com/l/12Trainings

If you are looking to outsource the work and get us to optimize these parts of your business, visit our site for more information, and book a discovery call with our team. 

Click the link below 👇

www.vizionsdigital.com