Local SEO competition: How would you beat this site?

[randybishop]

So there is a local company that I trying to displace from the #1 keyword position.
It is a local franchise and their webpage that is at the #1 spot is a page on the franciser's
website.

So it's setup like this:

franciser.com/franchise/lasvegas_NV_plumber.php

The franchise site has about 19 backlinks (according to ahrefs.com).
The franciser site has 25,000 backlinks (according to ahrefs.com).

What would be your strategy to beat this franchise site?

 

[Nigel Farage]

What would be your strategy to beat this franchise site?

If the phone number to the local business is the "national" franchise number, you might actually have an easier time of it, as their NAP is going to be less consistent than what your's could be.

The "formula" in the beginning is the same as if the business were not a franchise. Your focus is off target. Unless you are firmly at Letter "B", you don't have one competitor, you have an entire city of competitors. I would not let the Letter "B" business distract you from this fact.

Except for, you might look into whether or not the business is using any blackhat methods, and if they are report them to Google. I've seen a lot of local businesses ranked at Letter "A" that only get their through blackhat methods. I've knocked several businesses down by doing this, however there is always another one that creeps up into page 1 to take their place.

The "secret" to ranking well locally is no secret. Just practice the Local SEO methods more comprehensively and with greater intensity than everyone else. Most of the top-ranked businesses in competitive niches get extra special boost from local media (TV, radio and newspaper) doing "feature stories" on them, they donate to local charities, hold special charitable events, etc... One good way to rank a plumber is to have the plumber get a local TV station to do a feature on him donating his expertise to a worthy cause. Fix the pipes in a church or something.

Is your client a member of the BBB? The local Chamber of Commerce? Google REALLY likes these kinds of "traditional" connections to local institutions.

 

[randybishop]

Nigel-

How do you find out if competition is using blackhat methods?
How would I report them to google if they are?

 

[jrenzi]

If they're ranking using a subpage, then I'd create a website targeting the exact match keyword and building a site around that kw, you'll have a much better shot that way.

Example:

your competitor -> www.franchise.com/dentist-in-ohio
your site would be -> www.dentistinohio.com

Make sure to properly optimize your site for SEO, then with doing some link building you should be fine to outrank them.

PM the URL if you like and I'll take a look at how hard is your competition.

 

[jrenzi]

Just re-read your post again. If he has only 19 backlinks it should be pretty easy to outrank him.

 

[victor9021]

You should try to get a few high PR backlinks and you should outrank him.