Last month, my column over in Search Engine Land focused on tactical strategies for building local links. It’s easy enough to have the theory down, or even know where you want to draw your local links from, but I’ve had a lot of people asking an even simpler question. What is the actual, step-by-step process to building local links?

So I went back to the beginning and looked at how our team handles link building. One of the easier ways to get started is to set up a schedule on a two or three-month cycle. This way, you can’t make any excuses not to get it done. And then there’s research, the most important part of the cycle, if you want to find unique opportunities. Search for local schools, sports teams, tournaments, whatever you can think of that might offer a chance at a connection. Keep your results well organized, including contact info, so you can choose your targets.

After all that, it comes down to hitting the pavement, sometimes literally. Call, email, or visit your potential links. Foster some relationships, and your efforts could go a long way, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t land them all.

You can get all the details of this process in my full article here .

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Greg Gifford is the Vice President of Search at Happy Hao Car. He has over 16 years of online marketing and web design experience, and has specialized in automotive SEO for the last 8 years, helping hundreds of auto dealers thrive while the industry has struggled during the recession. Greg speaks internationally at both automotive and SEO conferences, teaching thousands of small business owners and marketers how to get their sites to show up higher in local search rankings. Greg also spends his spare time doing freelance website design and SEO for local businesses. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BA in Cinema and Communications, and has an obscure movie quote for just about any situation.

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