One SEO factor that is sometimes overlooked is the out going links from your site and in particular the anchor text used in the links. And this is easy for you to fix since you have complete control over where your site links to.

For example, if your main keyword/ key phrase is ‘plumber in Kent‘ it would make your site look like an authority on ‘plumber in Kent’ if it linked out to related sites using the anchor text ‘plumber in Kent’. The problem is that these related sites are going to be competitors and you really don’t want to send them your potential customers.

The obvious way around this is to link to sites related to your product or service which are not direct competitors. Continuing the plumbing example, these would be sites offering plumbing equipment, sites about plumbing training, DIY, home improvement, plumbing forums etc.

You can also be a bit creative with the anchor text you use (providing it is not a link exchange). So you could link out to a plumbing supplies company with the anchor text ‘plumber supplies’ or ‘Kent plumber supplies’.

Perhaps a little less obvious is linking to sites offering the same product or service but outside the area you cover, so they are not direct competitors. If you offer a service nationally you could link to sites based in other countries. Of course this isn’t an option if you are an international business, but if you are an international business, you won’t be reading this little site!