Taking advantage of high-quality linking opportunities is an important part of website ranking on Google. Search engines reward quality—and sometimes even punish quantity—so your linking efforts need to be properly focused. The quality, visibility and reputation of the website that provides a backlink to your site will factor into your own site ranking.
When a site receives a lot of traffic and is ranking well organically on search engines, links coming from that site are more valuable. Sites that are related to yours in subject matter or location provide additional relevancy that Google uses to weigh the value of the provided backlink. Maximizing links of this nature is a sure way to prove to Google and other search engines that your website is an authority and thus something that a searcher should see first.
That raises the question: How do I get reputable sites to link back to my small business site?
Why Not Ask?
Rather than simply producing high-quality content (which you should be doing anyway) and waiting for backlinks to happen, you can take a proactive approach. It is particularly easy to do when you or your business are actively involved in your community. What linking opportunities are available?
If you have anything to do with a local charity or nonprofit group, asking for a link to be provided to your site gives you an advantage without really requesting anything tangible back for your charitable efforts. Having the right motive for charity and education is important, so don’t go making donations just to get backlinks. However, asking for a backlink won’t cost the organization you help out a cent, and it can work wonders for your search engine ranking.
Community Links Are Quality Links
Google highly favors links from quality educational facilities and charity organizations. Getting backlinks from that type of an organization is a great way to jump ahead in search engine rankings. After all, it shows that established organizations in your community with no business stake in linking to your site are still willing to do so. That raises your status as an authority site in local search even further.
This is just one of the many opportunities that a small business has to tap into when it comes to acquiring quality backlinks. Just remember, quality over quantity. So the next time your company donates to a cause, either time or financial assets, don’t forget to ask for a simple link back to your website. Most local organizations will be very appreciative and happy to oblige.
