The number of links pointing to your site is a significant factor for Google when determining where to position your website in search listings.

Links are the ninth most important factor in local SEO ranking factors, as shown in the diagram below.

Thus, to achieve high rankings, you need to learn how to build links to your pest control site.

Now it’s important to note that you don’t want to build many links haphazardly. The quality of the links you have also plays a significant role.

So, how do you determine the quality of a link?

Well, multiple factors play a role in deciding the quality of a link.

The source of the backlink can have a significant impact on the quality of the link.

You should look to link with sites and pages having a domain authority (DA) or page authority (PA) score of 20 or higher. You can figure this out using SEO tools like Moz or SERPed.net.

The relevance of the website providing you with a backlink is also a significant factor.

Getting a backlink from a site related to men’s clothing will pack less of a punch than a backlink from a place associated with pest control, pest, home improvement, and other related niches.  

The link type can also significantly impact the ‘effectiveness’ of a particular link.

Certain kinds of links are deemed better than others. For instance, a connection in the middle of a paragraph is often better than a link in the comments of a blog post. Ideally, you want a branded link using a service like Rebrandly.

How Is Link Building Different from Citations?

Citations and link building have many things in common, but they differ.

Before we jump into differences, let’s first look into the similarities between backlinks and citations:

• Both appear on 3rd party sites. These sites are not directly associated with your business.
• Both work as online references for your pest control business.
• Both can affect your ranking negatively if not built following the best practices.

Now we know the similarities, let’s look at the difference between backlinks and citations:

• A citation must include your Business Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP), but it is not compulsory for a link.
• A link must be clickable and should redirect readers to your website, whereas a citation doesn’t have to turn someone to your site.
• Your citation profile must be consistent. On the other hand, the link profile should be diversified.
• Links improve rankings for both the organic search results & map packs, whereas citations mainly improve rankings in map packs.

Now that you know what creating backlinks does for your website let’s dive deeper and look into link-building methods you can use for your pest control business.

How to Build Authoritative Links for Your Pest Control Business

There are many link-building methods on offer.

It would be best if you used a mix of these methods, as in doing so, you’ll build up a healthy variation in links, thereby making your site seem more credible in the eyes of Google.

1) Reach Out to Non-Competitive Competitors.

What is a Non-Competitive Competitor (NCC)?

• [Type-1] A NCC is someone in more or less the same business as you, but not exactly.
• [Type-2] A Non-Competitive Competitor is someone in the same business as you but in a different location or targeting another market sector.
• [Type-3] A Non-Competitive Competitor is also someone in the exact location as you but in a different business.

For example – 

• [Type-1]  Your business provides pest control service in Miami: A NCC could be a similar business offering a pest control service that you don’t deliver in Miami  => Both companies, in this case, are ‘Non-Competitive Competitors.’
• [Type-2] Your business offers pest control services in Miami: The NCC would be a similar business offering pest control services in any other city or state, say in ‘San Diego’ => Both sites, in this case, are ‘Non-Competitive Competitors.’
• [Type-3] Your business offers pest control services in Miami: NCC, a similar business selling products used for pest control in Miami  => Both sites, in this case, are ‘Non-Competitive Competitors.

Because you’re dealing with other small businesses, you’ll find it easier to attract the links. It’s easier to contact the founders and ask them for a link. For example, this would be hard to do if you’re dealing with a Fortune 5000 company.

2) Scholarship Campaign

A scholarship campaign is a goldmine for building super-high authority links. They are tricky to execute but worth it if done well.

You may need to shell out $1000 or more (depending on you) as a scholarship prize, but trust me; it is well worth the money.

A scholarship campaign for link-building has multiple professional and societal benefits.

• You earn super high authority links. Google rates educational institution websites very highly.
• Your website gets an impulse push in organic ranking.
• Increased visibility. Your pest control business gets visibility as you promote your scholarship program to multiple universities.

Here is a screenshot of the Scholarship campaign by intelligent folks at Natural Resources Pest Control:

The great thing about such campaigns is leveraging PR and news coverage to get additional results. As these campaigns are not about you or your service, they may likely get picked up by PR and news media.

Getting in the news on local and national stages is a great way to attract attention and links to your site.

3) Guest Posting

Guest posting is when you create content for other sites.

When such sites publish your content, they often let you link it to your place in the author bio.

This method can be a great way to get some links on high-profile sites, as good sites always search for good content.

Another good thing about these links is that they can produce clients. That’s because people might read your pest control content and want to check out your services and become a customer.