--- name: commercial-cleaning-local-backlink-research description: >- use this when researching ranked local backlink, citation, listing, and relationship-link opportunities for any commercial cleaning company and delivering them as an Excel workbook --- # Commercial cleaning local backlink research Act as a local SEO researcher and outreach strategist for a commercial cleaning company. Produce a downloadable Excel workbook (.xlsx) of ranked, actionable opportunities for relevant backlinks, local citations, business listings, and local visibility. ## Inputs (fill before starting) - `BUSINESS_NAME`: exact legal/brand name of the regional business. - `WEBSITE`: the regional website or location page to start from. - `CANDIDATE_CITIES`: cities to verify as the service territory. - `TARGET_COUNT`: number of qualified opportunities (default 50). - `COMPETITORS` (optional): 2 to 3 local competitor domains for gap analysis. - `SEO_DATA_SOURCES` (optional): whatever SEO or backlink data is available — any tool, API or connector (for example Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, DataForSEO, Ubersuggest, SE Ranking, Majestic, BrightLocal, Google Search Console), or an AI model or agent with web search. None is required; use what is connected and name it. - `LANGUAGES` (optional): local languages with meaningful business media (e.g. Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese). If the business is a franchise location, treat the regional location as the business. Never send recommended links to franchise-sales pages, another territory, or the national homepage when a suitable regional page exists. ## Deliverable rules - The .xlsx workbook is the primary deliverable. Do not stop at a Markdown report, a chat table, a research plan, code, or instructions for building a spreadsheet. - Create the actual file, verify it opens and the counts match, and attach it. If file generation is unavailable, say so immediately. Never invent a download link. ## Step 1. Establish the business Before any prospect research, inspect the live website and record: - Current business identity, NAP (name, address, phone), and website destinations. - Services actually offered and customer sectors actually served. - Office location versus verified service territory. - Existing content or resources that could earn links. - People who could act as quoted experts (owner, operations manager), only if publicly verifiable or supplied by the user. Do not invent certifications, customers, partnerships, expertise, service capabilities, case studies, donations, or performance claims. Target buyers are facility managers, property managers, commercial building owners, office administrators, purchasing decision-makers, and operators in the sectors the business actually serves. This campaign is about winning commercial cleaning customers, not franchise or employee recruitment (except where a workforce partner page yields a genuine link; see category 8). ## Step 2. Verify geography - Verify each candidate city against official business sources (site service-area pages, Google Business Profile, licensing). - Do not assume countywide coverage or expand to neighboring regions without evidence. - Keep similarly named cities distinct (e.g. North Miami vs. North Miami Beach). An office location does not make every surrounding city a service area. - If official sources disagree on identity, contact details, destinations, or territory, record the conflict in the Notes & Conflicts tab. Never silently merge different locations. ## Step 3. Baseline and existing link audit Do these before hunting new prospects; they are usually the fastest wins. 1. **Competitor gap analysis.** If `COMPETITORS` are given and any source in `SEO_DATA_SOURCES` can list backlinks, pull referring domains for each competitor and list local or industry domains that link to competitors but not to the business. Without a tool, search for competitor brand mentions on local chambers, associations, news, and directories. 2. **Link reclamation.** Find broken links and links to old or moved URLs for the business (common after franchise site migrations), and recommend a redirect or link update. 3. **Unlinked mentions.** Search for the exact business name on local news, community, and association sites that mention it without a link. 4. **Existing listing fixes.** Find existing citations with wrong NAP, wrong destination URL, or a missing link that can be corrected. ## Step 4. Research categories Research every category below before finalizing. Do not let easy generic directories crowd out relevant local organizations or earned editorial opportunities. ### 1. Local chambers of commerce - Start with https://www.uschamber.com/co/chambers and follow through to each chamber's official site. Supplement with local searches; the directory is not exhaustive. - Cover city, county, regional, neighborhood, and ethnic or language-based chambers (e.g. Hispanic, Haitian-American, Asian-American, LGBTQ+, women's or minority business chambers) within the territory. - For each, check commercial cleaning eligibility, membership tiers, public member-directory profiles, website-link availability, member spotlights and welcome articles, educational contributions, events, sponsorships, and current dues, fees, and upgrades. - Do not count the U.S. Chamber directory itself as a placement unless a verified route exists. Distinguish real chambers from commercial directory brands such as ChamberofCommerce.com. ### 2. Relevant associations and business organizations - Cover facility management, commercial property management and building ownership, commercial real estate, multifamily housing, relevant customer sectors, cleaning and building services, local business alliances, and business improvement districts. - Investigate local chapters of BOMA, IFMA, IREM, apartment associations, CCIM, NAIOP, and similar groups where they exist. These are leads, not automatic qualifications. - Check supplier eligibility, membership categories, vendor-category limits or waiting lists, public supplier directories, newsletter and resource contributions, speaking opportunities, exact placement benefits, and costs. - Separate buyer access from industry reputation. A cleaning-industry association (e.g. ISSA, BSCAI) gives credibility but few cleaning buyers. ### 3. Local news websites - Cover city, neighborhood, county, and regional news, community papers, local business news, independent publishers, broadcast-station business and community sections, and non-English local media matching `LANGUAGES`. - Investigate editorial coverage of genuine developments, expert commentary, local business profiles, contributed articles with editorial review, resource pages, and unlinked mentions. - Give each prospect a realistic story or contribution angle. If the angle needs an event, original data, a practitioner interview, or a case study that does not yet exist, label it as a prerequisite. - Separate earned coverage from paid advertorials, sponsored content, and press-release distribution. A release submission is not a promised article or backlink. ### 4. Local community websites - Cover neighborhood publications, civic associations, community organizations, downtown and business-district sites, community resource guides, and relevant local directories. - Prioritize audiences that include business owners, commercial property stakeholders, or people who refer commercial work. Flag mainly residential audiences as lower relevance; shared geography alone is not strong fit. - Do not invent charitable activity, partnerships, or community relationships. ### 5. Local event websites - Cover business-event calendars, commercial property and facilities events, business expos, networking events, community events with sponsor, exhibitor, or partner pages, and educational workshops for local businesses. - Verify the placement route: public event listing, speaker bio, sponsor or exhibitor profile, partner acknowledgment, event recap, or published presentation. - Distinguish the organizer's own site from third-party event platforms. - Record event date, application deadline, audience, requirements, cost, comparable placement, link availability, and whether the placement stays archived or is temporary. - Do not invent an event, sponsorship, speaker qualification, or participation; mark participation as a prerequisite when needed. ### 6. Nonprofit organizations Local nonprofits often have high-authority domains and strong local relevance. - Targets include United Way chapters, food banks, Habitat for Humanity and ReStores, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, hospital and health-system foundations, shelters, community foundations, and arts or cultural organizations in the territory. - Routes: sponsor and donor recognition pages, in-kind service donations (e.g. donated cleaning for a facility or event), volunteer-day recaps, community-partner pages, and event sponsorships. - Record the giving or participation level required for a public, linked recognition, and whether the link is dofollow, nofollow, or a logo without a link. - A donation, sponsorship, or volunteer commitment is a prerequisite. Never claim one exists unless verified or supplied by the user. ### 7. Government, economic development, and small-business support Paid .gov links are not available; legitimate routes are narrow but real. - Public vendor or supplier directories that display business profiles. - Small-business certification directories (city, county, and state small, minority, women, veteran, or disadvantaged business programs) that publish certified-firm listings. - Economic development organization "local business" or member pages. - Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and SCORE success stories or case studies. - Business improvement district and downtown development authority member listings. Certification often requires eligibility (ownership, size, revenue). Record requirements and whether a public profile with a link results. Procurement registration with no public placement goes in the Sales Leads tab, not the backlink list. ### 8. Education and workforce partners - Colleges, universities, and school districts: vendor pages, career-fair employer pages, employer-partner lists, and athletics or program sponsorships. - Scholarships: a genuine, funded scholarship can earn .edu links. Flag it as a real financial commitment, not a link trick, and skip scholarship-link farms. - Workforce boards (e.g. local CareerSource / American Job Center), second-chance and reentry employer programs, veteran hiring programs, and apprenticeship programs that publish employer partners. ### 9. Complementary vendors and referral partners - Pest control, HVAC, restoration and water damage, commercial roofing, landscaping, security, office furniture, and property-management software companies with "preferred vendors," "partners," or "resources" pages. - Reciprocal or referral pages are acceptable only when a real referral relationship exists or is planned. Avoid link exchanges with no business relationship. ### 10. Linkable assets and expert sourcing Plan content the business can genuinely produce that local media, property managers, and associations would cite. Each asset must rely on real practitioner knowledge or original data. - Asset ideas: regional seasonal facility checklists (e.g. hurricane, winter storm, wildfire smoke, pollen), humidity and mold guides for local commercial buildings, cleaning frequency and cost guides by industry, return-to-office or flu-season hygiene guides, and local survey or data studies. - For each asset, list the prospects most likely to link to it and the prerequisite (who writes it, what data is needed). - Expert sourcing: journalist-request platforms (e.g. Qwoted, Featured, Help a B2B Writer, Source of Sources) for topics like office hygiene, illness season, and storm recovery. Requires a named, real practitioner. ### Additional opportunities - Legitimate business directories and citation platforms (data aggregators, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, BBB, industry directories). - Genuine customer, supplier, or manufacturer references (e.g. supplier "find a distributor/customer" pages, customer testimonials pages). - Relevant professional resource pages. - National platforms qualify when they offer useful local profiles or strong topical relevance; label them National. ## Research and verification standard Inspect live official pages wherever possible. Search snippets alone never establish pricing, eligibility, contacts, placement availability, or links. For each prospect, establish: 1. Audience and geographic fit. 2. The specific placement route. 3. Eligibility of the business. 4. A comparable placement, where available. 5. Whether an external website link is supported. 6. Link attributes: dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, or logo-only, where observable. 7. Persistence: permanent, archived, or temporary. 8. An authority metric from any available source (Domain Rating, Domain Authority, Authority Score, Trust Flow or similar), with the source and metric named. Use one source and metric across all rows so scores compare. Label values estimated by an AI model or inferred from search results as **Estimated**; a number is **Measured** only when it comes from a link index or tool. Leave blank rather than invent a figure. 9. Costs and prerequisites. 10. The correct contact or application route. 11. Existing listing or link status for the business. 12. A useful next action. Classify link evidence as one of: - **Observed**: clickable external link seen in a comparable or existing placement. - **Stated**: link offered in official benefits or membership material but not observed. - **Unlinked**: placement shows name or logo without a link. - **Unverified**: link availability could not be confirmed. ## Scoring and ranking Score each prospect 1 to 5 on these factors, then compute the weighted total out of 100: | Factor | Weight | 5 means | |---|---|---| | Buyer relevance | 30% | Audience is mostly commercial cleaning buyers in the territory | | Link likelihood | 25% | Observed dofollow link on a comparable placement | | Authority | 15% | High authority relative to local peers (same source and metric across all rows; Estimated values count, but are labeled) | | Cost | 15% | Free or very low cost | | Effort and speed | 15% | Can be completed in under an hour with no prerequisites | `Score = (relevance*30 + likelihood*25 + authority*15 + cost*15 + effort*15) / 5` Rank by score. Ties break on buyer relevance. Assign each prospect a tier: - **Quick win**: directories, citations, listing fixes, reclamation, low-cost chambers. - **Relationship**: associations, nonprofits, education, workforce, complementary vendors, government and economic development. - **Earned**: news, expert sourcing, and linkable-asset outreach. The final list must include all three tiers and every research category that produced a qualified prospect. If a category produced none, say why in Notes & Conflicts. ## Workbook structure Tab **Opportunities** (one row per qualified prospect, `TARGET_COUNT` rows, ranked): Rank | Score | Tier | Category | Organization | Placement URL or route | Geography | Audience fit | Placement type | Eligibility | Link evidence | Link attribute | Persistence | Authority (source · metric · Measured/Estimated) | Cost | Prerequisites | Comparable placement URL | Contact or application route | Existing status | Recommended destination URL | Angle or pitch | Next action | Source URLs checked | Date verified Tab **Link Reclamation**: broken links, outdated URLs, unlinked mentions, listing corrections, with the fix for each. Tab **Competitor Gaps**: domains linking to competitors but not the business, with the route to each. Tab **Linkable Assets**: asset idea, why it fits the territory, prerequisite, owner, and the prospects it targets. Tab **Sales Leads**: procurement registrations and supplier onboarding with no public placement. Tab **Notes & Conflicts**: territory conflicts, identity or NAP conflicts, empty categories, and assumptions. Tab **Methodology**: inputs used, scoring formula, every data source and tool used (including AI models), which values are Measured versus Estimated, and date range of research. Format each tab with a bold header, frozen header row, filters, and readable column widths. ## Final verification before delivery - The workbook opens and every tab is present. - Opportunities has exactly `TARGET_COUNT` rows, or a stated reason for fewer. - No row contains invented contacts, prices, links, or relationships. - Recommended destination URLs all point to the regional business, not franchise sales, another territory, or the national homepage. - Attach the file and summarize: count by tier and category, top 10 by score, and the biggest prerequisites the business must complete.