Lesson 4: Synergizing With Other Businesses In Town

Backlinks | Reviews | Social Media Interaction | Blog Posts | Citations

🧭 Boosting Your Visibility: Back-links, Reviews, Social Media, Blog Posts & Citations

You’ve got your foundation — now it’s time to expand your online footprint and authority. These five key areas help search engines (and people) find, trust, and engage with your business. Here’s what each one is, why it matters, what to watch out for, and how to keep everything healthy and growing.

📱 Social Media Interaction

What it is: How people engage with you on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok (likes, comments, shares, DMs, tags).

Why it matters: Active social accounts keep you top of mind and humanize your brand. Plus, social signals help SEO and brand awareness. You can also tell google what your social media page is, both through your google business page and through something called a “Site Schema” Which is a piece of code you can embed to your website that organizes your information to / for google.

What to avoid:

• Posting and ghosting (post regularly, but engage too)

• Over-selling every post (mix it up with value and personality)

How often to update/monitor:

• Post at least 3–5 times per week

• Check messages and comments daily

• Track engagement monthly

🔗 Backlinks

What it is: A backlink is when another website links to your website. Think of it as a vote of confidence from one site to another.

Why it matters: Quality backlinks signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable. More trusted links = higher rankings.

What to avoid:

• Spammy, low-quality links (especially from irrelevant sites)

• Buying backlinks (Google can penalize you)

How often to update/monitor:

• Check your backlink profile monthly

• Keep building fresh backlinks through content, partnerships, and press releases

Add Website Backlinks

Collaborate with other businesses to include backlinks between your websites.

• Why It Works: Backlinks increase trust and authority on search engines, improving your local rankings.

• Easy Ideas:

  • Create a “Local Partners” page with links to your favorite local businesses.

  • Write guest blog posts or include a partner's link in your FAQs.

  • Use back-end coding for invisible links if your corporate branding requires discretion.

• Need Help?: If you're unsure how to implement backlinks effectively, reach out to Lane for tailored advice!

⭐ Reviews

What it is: Public feedback left by your customers on platforms like Google, Yelp, Zillow, and Facebook.

Why it matters: Reviews build trust, improve your local SEO, and often influence whether someone contacts you or not. The more local the review the better.

What to avoid:

• Fake reviews (they’re against most platform policies)

• Ignoring bad reviews — always respond calmly and helpfully

• Flooding reviews, google penalizes “suspicious/spammy behavior” avoid getting 30 reviews in 10 minutes, things like that.

How often to update/monitor:

• Check reviews weekly

• Respond to every review (good or bad) within 48 hours.
  
  

📍 Citations

What it is: A mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on another site — usually local directories like Google Business Profile, Yelp, YellowPages, etc.

Why it matters: Consistent citations build trust with search engines and help with local SEO.

What to avoid:

• Inconsistent business info across directories

• Duplicate listings

How often to update/monitor:

• Audit citations quarterly

• Use tools like Whitespark or SEMrush’s Listing Scan to check for errors or missing listings

📝 Blog Posts

What it is: Articles or updates on your website that educate, inform, or help your audience. Both about your business and about other business’s in town especially if you do something collaborative.

Why it matters: Blogging improves SEO, positions you as an expert, and gives you content to share on social or email.

What to avoid:

• Keyword stuffing or writing just for Google

• Irregular posting or outdated content

How often to update/monitor:

• Publish 1–2 new posts a month

• Review old posts quarterly and update if needed

🎯 Homework Time: Take Action This Week

Here are 5 simple things you can do to start building momentum in all the areas above:

1. Follow 3 local professionals in your industry on social media (agents, lenders, inspectors, etc.) and engage with one of their posts.

2. Write 3 honest reviews for businesses you’ve recently used (real estate-related or not).

3. Update your Google Business Profile with a recent photo or post.

4. Make a list of 3 blog ideas you could write that would help your ideal client.

5. Run a free citation scan using Whitespark or SEMrush to see where your business info might be missing or incorrect.

Strategies to Continue Growing After the Lesson

1. Schedule Events with Other Businesses: Create opportunities for cross-promotion and in-person networking.

2. Press Releases: Build awareness by sharing news about collaborations or events.

3. Engage Regularly: Set reminders to follow additional local businesses or update your Google reviews weekly.

Keep the Momentum Going

Now that you’ve completed this lesson, keep finding small ways to connect and collaborate with local businesses. This steady and sustainable approach ensures Google continues to recognize your business’s authority in the community.

Let’s grow together—one action at a time!

The local business community thrives when we work together to boost visibility. Small, consistent actions—like leaving reviews or exchanging links—create exponential benefits over time.
As new business open up in Lansdale, through building this foundation online we can create an easy launch pad for them. As well as help the existing businesses in town stay relevant and grow their reach.