Where To Get Your First 10 Solid Backlinks - Plumber SEO | Internet Marketing for Plumbing Contractors

Regardless of what you hear, backlinks are still very important to an SEO campaign. A few years ago link building was highly abused. Black hat SEO's (the guys who make promises they can't keep and try to game the system) took advantage of a loophole in Googles algorithm. Links were known to be very important, so everyone went out and got tons of links, links that had nothing to do with their industry. An entire industry of link brokers were created, selling links based on page rank. The more links you had the higher you climbed in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).

Then one day Google swept in and burst the bubble. It devastated the industry, very much like the hit the real estate industry took just a few years ago. Now websites that were on page 1 in Google were gone. I mean gone from existence. Sandboxed out of the Google search index. You might have been affected by this. We had some clients come to us with a messy link structure that required hours and hours of picking out bad links from a sites profile. I personally spend two weeks on one project as they had 16,000 links pointing to their website, many of which were what Google considered suspect links.

Shorty after Google swept in and punished all these sites, links became the devil. So what is one to do? The truth is links are still very much important, and understand that you cannot control the sites that link to you. So if Gary your most hated competitor down the street wants to sabotage your listings. Could he just point bad links at your site? Yes and no. The amount of time it would take would be crazy for him to waste. Pointing just a few bad links at a site does not kill a sites listings.

So how does one get good links to their website? Well Googles definition is to just write great content and people will link to it. But can a plumbing company write content compelling enough to attract good links, or any links at all? It depends on the content you write. Very few people will link to your home page or service pages. Pages on a plumbing website that can attract links might be good a informative blog post, resource pages and don't be afraid to post a few very basic DIY pages. A home owner who wants to change a washer in their faucet does not want to call a plumber to do it for them. But they would like to know how to simply do it themselves. When you become the resource of information for them, a couple of things happen. 1. When a bigger job comes along you are the one to hopefully get it because they remember you. 2. You get a link because great resources attract links.

But just writing great content is not enough, here are 20 ways you can get solid links that will help your site move up in the rankings.

1. Chamber of Commerce

Are you a member of your local Chamber of Commerce? If not join today. It's a couple hundred dollars a year. You don't have to attend any of the meetings, and the you'll be hard pressed to get any business from it, but a link on their website is solid.

2. Join the BBB

Known as the biggest scam in modern business history the BBB does little for your business but the link holds a lot of weight. It's a must have link for a small local plumbing company.

3. Press Releases

Writing a press release and sending over to PR Newswire for SEO purposes is a thing of the past. But drafting a good press release for your local market and sending to a few local papers might get you some good links.

4. Suppliers Websites

Are you an authorized dealer for supplies that you install? If so you should be listed on the suppliers website. Some charge for this but most don't. In any case it's a good industry related link.

5. Social Media Profiles

Most social media sites have a no-follow link structure, meaning the links don't pass the google authority to your website. In any case they are still solid and good to have. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn are all great social sites to be a part of.

6. Local Directories

If you have a business location for your shop, then it's a must be listed in local the directories. Local directories serve 2 purposes. First you need them to help your NAP (Name, Address and Telephone Number across the Internet). Because you add your URL to the listing it creates a great link opportunity. The main directories you should be targeting are Yellow Pages, Bing, Google, Foursquare, Super Pages, Yelp, Citysearch, Merchant Circle and Manta just to name a few.

7. Associations

Associations are gold, do you belong to QSC, PHCC, Nexstar or Service Roundtable? These associations usually have a membership directory.

8. Online Trade Sites

All the big trade magazines have a website to supplement their print issues. They are always on the lookout for great content. Connect with one of them and ask how you can write a monthly article. The by line would link back to your website.

9. Sponsorship

Turn to the the local college to see if they have a plumbing certification course or classes. They may have sponsorship opportunities. Listed on their website as a sponsor is a great link pointing back to your website.

10. Friends in other industries

Do you have a friend who has and HVAC company in your city? If so, offer a link exchange with him. It's a similar industry and a nice link to add to your list.

It just takes a little creativity to capture some good quality links that could help your website rise to the top.

Are you struggling to get your company listed in the search engines? There are a lot of little things that need to be done on a consistent basis. If this sounds overwhelming, we have the solution to help you tackle this. PlumberSEO has been helping plumbing companies get more calls back taking their Internet Marketing to the next level. 

Interested in learning more about how we can help your company grow? Contact us today at 866-610-4647.

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