Does your dealership really need to work about inbound links?
With Google’s new emphasis on “prominence” as a ranking factor for local businesses, it is more important now than ever before to make sure that your name is out there in the online community.
But how does a local vehicle dealership build inbound links?
Here are fifteen real ways you can build backlinks to boost your automotive SEO campaign:
- Keep your blog updated.
One of the best ways to encourage people to post a link back to your blog is to make sure that your blog is regularly updated and that the content is worthy of being shared.
The more share-worthy your content is, the more likely it is that someone will link back to it naturally.
- Put links on your blogs to other blogs.
Has another blog or website in your area written something that you think your readers might find useful? If so, share a link on your website or blog.
How does this help you?
It encourages that blog to return the favor.
Naturally, you cannot cover every relevant topic on your own blog. Linking out to another that does cover a relevant topic is mutually beneficial.
- Become a guest blogger.
There are lots of opportunities for you to write a guest post for and post on another person’s blog, with a link back to your own blog.
Write the post before you start trying to become a guest poster on another person’s blog.
When someone accepts the post, they’ll usually be more than happy to provide you with an inbound link.
- Curate content.
Curated content, especially when it is presented in a list format, is a great way to build links.
This content is highly shareable and because you’ve already done all the work, lots of other bloggers will be inclined to just link to your collection of useful information and links, rather than taking the time to make their own.
- Build relationships with other local businesses.
The majority of your buyers are going to come from the local area.
One good way you can build local inbound links is to work with other businesses in your area.
These links will be seen as relevant because they are from your local area and usually provide your local buyers with great information about that area.
- Answer forum posts.
There are two kinds of forums that you should be looking for.
The first is forums where people as questions about vehicles and the second is local forums where people are asking questions about the local area.
Both of these places give you the opportunity to answer questions with authority and include a link back to your website when relevant.
- Create visual content.
Visual content like images, infographics, and videos are more likely to be shared, especially if they are compelling.
- Make it funny.
Want your post or piece of content to be shared quickly and broadly?
Make it funny. People prefer funny content, even if they do not really connect with the subject matter.
For example, did you ever see that Dollar Shave Club video?
They were literally a two-man company that made a funny video which then went viral.
Why?
Not because of what they were selling, but because the video actually was quite funny.
- Write op-ed pieces for your local paper.
If there is a topic relevant to your industry that you think you could write an opinion piece about, write one and see if your local papers will publish it online, including a link back to your website.
- Partner up with a related business.
For example, if there is a great carwash in the area, why not create a partnership with them and put a link to their website or social media page on your website, in exchange for them putting a link to you on their webpage—just don’t get involved in any link exchange schemes, even on the local level.
- Ask for reviews from local bloggers.
Local bloggers are always looking for great topics to write about.
Why not reach out to someone who is blogging about your local area and see if they won’t write a review of your dealership?
- Look for people already talking about you.
Are there people online that have already mentioned your business, but haven’t posted a link back to your website or blog?
If so, why not reach out to them and ask them if they would do that.
Of course, you only want to talk to people who actually seemed to like your dealership.
- See who is linking back to your competitors.
You can weasel your way into your competition’s link territory by monitoring their backlinks and emailing those webmasters to see if they might consider adding your backlink to their website, as well, since they already have added one of your competitors.
- Make it easy to share your content.
Does your blog have social share buttons?
If not, you need to include them right now.
This makes it extremely easy for someone who liked something to tweet it, post about it on Facebook, share it to their Google+ circles, etc.
- Do a contest.
Offer some sort of special or discount to the person who gets the most likes on a link to one of your blog posts or who brings you the most followers.
Your link will be blasted to the friends of your social media followers, at very little cost to you.
