Local links vs general good quality back links?

[eshad]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering whether anybody has seen a clear indication that acquiring links from local sources, rather than good quality general links, has an even more positive impact on local rankings?

So, would a link from say a DA10 local website take preference over a DA30 general website because it has a local element?
Or do Google just recognise the fact that it is a good link whether or not it is local.

Thanks

Edward

 

[Tyson Downs]

That's not something I've seen, but I'd like to see what others say, along with the evidence either way.

 

[Amanda Putney]

Both are important but serve different purposes. I treat local links as a way to reinforce local relevance instead as a DA tactic.

Not sure about everyone else and looking forward to seeing how they treat them as well.

 

[CarrieHill]

I think the consideration I give them differs based on what the client needs.
If most of their links are good ones, but on national/non-local sites - then a local link with DA-10 is much more valuable to me to help convey local relevance & prominence.

I NEVER look at DA with local linkbuilding - mostly just make sure it's not spammy, ranks well locally, and the opportunity shows my client's brand well. I don't really even care much if they're dofollow or nofollow.

 

[WesM]

I'm with Amanda is believing they serve different purposes and both should be desireable and considered wins.

I treat high-quality links from general sites as great boosts for overall DA and it's my opinion they help with organic search. These are the ones I'll place a client on in the 70+ DA range, although there are many sites below that threshold that still have great traffic and recognition. You'll often see many of the top-performing sites in a metro will have their digital PR game on point and have secured earned media links from a variety of outlets. These placements also help a ton with branding on the site, providing you with shareable assets for social media (instead of a generic/forced share for the sake of sharing), and provides nice authority in your space.

However, being featured on a local domain on let's say a list like "10 Best Burgers in Breckenridge, CO" can have a great influence on your local SEO, as Google's algo is smart enough to make those connections. We've seen examples where businesses are featured on relatively small but hyper-local sites and the content within those articles transfers over into Map rankings and gives them a boost.

In the same month for one client, I've secured DA25 links and DA90 links and both get the same attention, they just help with different things. That said, if it's earned media (not paid for placements), non-toxic, and provides value to the reader, it gets my vote of approval.

Happy to chat more if you have other questions or thoughts to bounce around.

 

[Tyson Downs]

Both are important but serve different purposes. I treat local links as a way to reinforce local relevance instead as a DA tactic.

Not sure about everyone else and looking forward to seeing how they treat them as well.

Do they serve a different purpose? If you are link building, you are doing it to increase rank in Google. And the OP mentioned about local links, so we can presume they want to rank locally.

For a linkbuilder, they serve the same purpose, increasing visibility in the SERPS.

You can dissect it more if you want, but in reality, that's the purpose.

 

[Amanda Putney]

Do they serve a different purpose? If you are link building, you are doing it to increase rank in Google. And the OP mentioned about local links, so we can presume they want to rank locally.

For a linkbuilder, they serve the same purpose, increasing visibility in the SERPS.

You can dissect it more if you want, but in reality, that's the purpose.

I don't disagree however, local linkbuilding efforts aren't about improving DA which the OP was using to determine which would have more value. My response was to change that mindset and think about them, not as DA builders but local relevance builders. Yes, both will improve search visibility but for different reasons and it is valuable to understand those reasons.

 

[Tyson Downs]

I don't disagree however, local linkbuilding efforts aren't about improving DA which the OP was using to determine which would have more value. My response was to change that mindset and think about them, not as DA builders but local relevance builders. Yes, both will improve search visibility but for different reasons and it is valuable to understand those reasons.

I didn't read it that his goal was to improve DA for his site. He simply wanted to know if a local link with low DA was different than a non local link with higher DA. He didn't mention his goal was to improve DA, but he specifically said the goal was to improve rankings.

 

[eshad]

Thanks for you comments everyone.

To clarify, like Tyson eluded to, the purpose of the link building for me is primarily to improve rankings, not the domain authority of my clients site. Sorry I didn't make that point particularly clear, and probably confused things a little throwing in DA of sites.

My point is, for a hyper local client I have, would links from sources like local newspaper as opposed to a national blogger, provide a more noticeable improvement in ranking?

Is Google smart enough yet to see this distinction between the two.

I couldn't agree more that both link sources are important, and serve a different purpose to a point.

Thanks again,

Edward