If you run a local business and want more people to find you online, you’re on the right page. In this article, let me share with you practical link building strategies that can help you rank higher in local search results. You’ll learn what local SEO link building is, why it matters, and easy ways to get started—even if you’re new to the industry.

I get it—local SEO can feel confusing at first, especially when everyone is talking about backlinks, citations, and Google rankings. But I promise to keep it simple. You won’t find any fancy jargon or overwhelming steps here. Just clear, helpful advice you can use immediately to improve your visibility online.

We’ll go over proven strategies like reaching out to local blogs, joining directories, and using community connections to your advantage. I’ll also share tools that make things easier, mistakes to avoid, and tips that your competitors might not be using yet.

Whether you’re just starting or want to improve what you’re already doing, this guide will help you get more eyes on your business and bring in more local customers. Let’s get into it.

What Local SEO Link Building Means and Its Importance

Local SEO link building is simply getting other websites within your area to link back to your site. Think of it as local businesses and organizations giving you a “digital thumbs-up.”

Unlike traditional SEO, which involves chasing links from big national websites, local SEO focuses on building connections with websites that matter in your specific community.

When I first started helping small businesses with their online presence, I quickly realized that a link from the town newspaper or the neighborhood business association often did more for local rankings than a mention from a big national site. These local links tell Google, “Hey, this business is trusted here in this community.”

The power of local links comes from their relevance. If you run a pizza shop in Portland, Maine, links from other Portland websites signal to search engines that you’re a legitimate part of that community.

In such a way, it’s like getting a recommendation from your neighbors rather than from someone who lives across the country.

Local link building matters because:

• It helps Google understand where your business operates
• It establishes trust and confidence with search engines and local customers
• It puts you ahead of competitors who aren’t thinking locally
• It drives actual local customers to your website, not just random traffic

How Local Backlinks Help You Rank in Google Maps and Local Results

You’ve hit local SEO gold when your business shows up in that coveted “Google Maps pack” (those business listings with the map at the top of local searches).

And guess what? Local backlinks play a huge role in getting you there.

When deciding which businesses to show in local results, Google looks at three local SEO ranking factors: proximity, relevance, and prominence.

Proximity is how close you are to the searcher. Relevance is how well you match what they’re looking for. Prominence is how important your business is in the community.

But prominence—that’s where your backlinks shine. When local websites link to you, they tell Google, “This business matters here.” The more quality local links you have, the more prominent Google considers you.

Businesses jump from page three to the local pack by getting links from several highly respected community websites. These links don’t just improve your Maps rankings—they boost your organic listings, too.

Remember, Google wants to show searchers the best local options. When the chamber of commerce, local news sites, and nearby businesses all link to you, you’re sending a clear signal that you’re a trusted local authority.

Foundational Links You Shouldn’t Skip

When I work with new clients, I always start with these essential local links. Think of them as your local SEO backlink foundation—skip them, and your whole strategy might collapse.

Citations That Matter 

First up are citations—consistent mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across the web.

These aren’t always traditional links, but they’re crucial for local SEO strategy:

• Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): This is your absolute must-have
• Yelp: Still incredibly powerful for local businesses
• Bing Places for Business: Don’t forget about Bing users
• Apple Maps: It is essential for your iPhone-user customers
• Industry-specific directories: Like TripAdvisor for restaurants/hotels or Avvo for lawyers or any legal services

Local Directories Worth Your Time 

Next, focus on truly local directories:

• Your local Chamber of Commerce website
• Neighborhood or community business associations
• Local newspaper business directories
• City government business listings
• Regional business journals

The key here isn’t quantity but quality. I’d rather see you on five trusted local sites than fifty spammy directories.

Automation Tools 

Building citations manually is tedious. Trust me on this!

Here’s what I use to save time:

• BrightLocal: This is my go-to for managing citations across dozens of sites
• Whitespark: Excellent for finding citation opportunities
• Moz Local: Simple but effective for the major platforms

These tools aren’t free, but they’ll save you countless hours of manual work while ensuring your business information stays consistent across the web.

If you’d rather work with a team that specializes in this, The Blueprints is a trusted link building agency that helps businesses build high-quality, locally relevant backlinks.

7 Best Local Link Building Strategies That Work

Strategy #1: Partnering with Local Influencers

I’ve found that local influencers can be gold mines for quality backlinks. These aren’t necessarily Instagram celebrities—think more along the lines of respected business owners, community leaders, or popular bloggers in your area.

Last year, a client of mine (a coffee shop) sent free coffee samples to five local food bloggers. Three wrote about the shop on their websites, linking back to my client’s site. Their Google rankings jumped within weeks.

A quick tip: Look for influencers who already talk about businesses like yours. Always reach out to them with a personalized message, not a generic template. 

Strategy #2: Getting Links from Local Media

Backlinks from local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels are excellent targets. They all have websites that need fresh content. I’ve helped many businesses get featured by sending journalists interesting story angles.

A landscaping client of mine created a “Drought-Resistant Garden Guide” specific to their region. We sent it to the local paper, and they published an article about it with a link back to the full guide on my client’s site.

How to get started:

• Follow local reporters on social media
• Sign up for Help A B2B Writer or Qwoted
• Create a simple press release template you can customize for different stories

Strategy #3: Hosting or Sponsoring Community Events

Community events are link building opportunities disguised as good deeds.

When you sponsor local events for a backlink, like a marathon or a workshop, your business is listed on event websites, community calendars, and social media announcements—all with links.

A good example: A dental practice that hosted a free dental screening day got links from the city website, two local news outlets, and several community groups.

Strategy #4: Donating to Local Charities

I always tell clients that charitable giving is good for their souls and for SEO. That’s because most local charities list their donors on their websites.

A small hardware store I worked with donated building supplies to a Habitat for Humanity project and was featured on the charity’s “Our Supporters” page with a link.

As a bonus, the charity shared the story on social media, leading to even more links.

Charities that often provide donor links:

• Food banks
• Animal shelters
• Youth sports organizations
• Educational foundations
• Arts organizations

Strategy #5: Guest Posting on Local Blogs

Writing helpful content for other local websites can build powerful links. I focus on sharing genuine expertise, not promotional fluff.

For example, a real estate agent client wrote a detailed post about “5 Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in New York City” for a popular local lifestyle blog. This earned them a quality backlink plus actual customer inquiries from readers.

Strategy #6: Creating City-Specific Landing Pages with Backlink Potential

If you serve multiple nearby communities, create dedicated pages for each one. These pages attract links naturally when they offer genuinely useful information.

A plumbing company I worked with created pages for each town they served, including information about local water quality issues, common plumbing problems in that area’s homes, and local regulations. City offices and neighborhood associations linked to these helpful resources.

What to include on city pages:

• Community-specific tips and information
• Local customer testimonials
• Information about your involvement in that community
• Resources specific to that area’s needs

Strategy #7: Building Relationships with Suppliers & Customers

Some of your best links can come from people you already know. I always encourage businesses to reach out to their network.

A boutique clothing store asked their suppliers if they could be added to a “Where to Buy” section on the suppliers’ websites. This resulted in five quality backlinks.

Similarly, happy customers with their own websites often write about their positive experiences if you simply ask them.

Link building for local SEO opportunity checklist:

• Check supplier websites for retailer listing opportunities
• Follow up with satisfied customers who have blogs or websites
• Create a formal referral program that encourages online mentions
• Join local business networking groups that maintain member directories

Local Link Building Strategy Comparison

Strategy	Cost	Difficulty	Speed	Link Quality
Local Influencers	Low-Medium	Medium	Medium	High
Local Media	Free-Low	Medium-High	Slow-Medium	Very High
Community Events	Medium-High	Low	Medium	Medium-High
Charity Donations	Low-Medium	Very Low	Fast	Medium
Guest Posting	Free (time only)	Medium	Medium	High
City-Specific Pages	Free (time only)	Low	Slow	Medium-High
Supplier/Customer Relationships	Free	Low	Fast-Medium	Medium

How to Find Local Link Opportunities

Finding good local link opportunities doesn’t have to be complicated. I use a mix of tools and simple techniques to uncover hidden gems in any community.

Search Tools That Make Life Easier 

If you have access to Ahrefs or Semrush, they’re fantastic for finding link opportunities. Look up your top-ranking local competitors and check what local sites are linking to them.

But don’t worry if you don’t have these paid tools. Google search operators work great, too:

• Try typing “your city” + “write for us” to find guest posting opportunities
• Search “your city” + “resources” to find local resource pages
• Use “your city” + “directory” to uncover local listings

Community Goldmines 

Some of my best link sources come from community-focused websites:

• Neighborhood association pages
• Local Facebook groups and their websites
• Community bulletin boards (digital and physical)
• Nextdoor discussions that mention website resources

Steal From Your Competitors (Nicely)

I regularly look at who’s linking to my competitors.

When I find a local business ranking well, I’ll check its backlinks using a free tool like Moz’s Link Explorer (limited free searches) or even the Google search operator link:theirwebsite.com. Then, I reach out to those same websites with my own unique angle.

Pro tip: Look for competitors’ sponsorships, event participation, and community involvement. These are easy opportunities you can replicate.

Local Link Building for Multi-Location Businesses 

Managing SEO for local businesses with multiple locations adds complexity, but it also multiplies your link building opportunities.

Here’s how I approach it:

Create Distinct City Pages That Actually Deserve Links 

I’ve seen too many multi-location businesses create cookie-cutter location pages. These rarely earn links.

Instead, I build unique pages for each location with:

• Location-specific customer stories
• Staff profiles of employees at that location
• Local community involvement
• Area-specific services or inventory

A restaurant chain I worked with created pages highlighting local farms they sourced from in each city. Local food bloggers and community sites naturally linked to these pages.

Develop Location-Based Content Strategies 

For each location, I create unique content answering local questions:

• “Best [your service] in [city name]” guides
• Location-specific how-to content addressing regional challenges
• Community event calendars for each location

Location-by-Location Link Building Strategies 

Don’t try to build links for all locations at once.

I focus on one location at a time with a dedicated approach:

1. Start with your flagship or most important location
2. Create a spreadsheet of link targets specific to that community
3. Run outreach campaigns focused solely on that location
4. Track results and apply winning strategies to the next location

Once you build momentum in one area, the next becomes easier.

How to Reach Out (Without Sounding Spammy) 

The difference between successful link building and wasted effort often comes down to your outreach. I’ve sent thousands of outreach emails and learned what works and what does not.

The Personal Touch Makes All the Difference 

Generic templates get ignored.

Before I reach out to anyone, I:

• Read their website thoroughly
• Follow them on social media
• Comment on their blog posts
• Understand what they care about

Only then do I craft a message that speaks directly to them.

A Template That Works 

Here’s an outreach template that’s gotten me a 30% response rate:

Subject: [Something specific to their recent work]

Hi [First Name],

I loved your recent [article/post] about [specific topic]. The point you made about [specific detail] really resonated with me because [personal connection].

I’m reaching out because I created a [resource/guide/tool] for [City Name] residents about [topic relevant to their audience]. Given your interest in [related topic], I thought your readers might find it valuable.

Would you be open to taking a quick look? I’m happy to share more details if you’re interested.

Thanks for your time,

[Your Name]

[Your Business]

[Your Phone]

Build Relationships First, Links Second 

The best links I’ve earned came after building genuine relationships:

• Share their relevant content on various social media platforms (and tag them)
• Refer customers to them when appropriate
• Invite them to local events you’re hosting
• Offer genuine help before asking for anything

A landscaper I worked with spent months referring clients to a local real estate agent before ever mentioning a backlink. When he finally asked, the agent was happy to add him to their preferred vendor’s page.

Avoid These Common Mistakes 

I’ve made plenty of link building mistakes over the years. Let me help you avoid the most costly ones.

Mistake #1: Buying Cheap Links Will Hurt You

I know paying for links is tempting—especially when you see services offering hundreds of links for a few bucks. Don’t do it!

Google has gotten incredibly good at identifying paid, low-quality links.

A dental client learned this the hard way when their rankings tanked after buying 50 directory links. It took us months to recover.

Mistake #2: Chasing After Quantity

Relevance trumps quantity every time. A single link from your local newspaper is worth more than dozens of random links.

I always prioritize relevance:

Is the linking site in your geographic area?

Does the linking site relate to your industry?

Would their audience genuinely care about your business?

If you can’t answer “yes” to at least two of these questions, the link probably isn’t worth pursuing.

Mistake #3: Unnatural Anchor Text

When all your backlinks use the exact same anchor text (like “best plumber in Dallas”), Google might likely consider them manipulative.

I aim for natural variety:

• Brand name anchors (Your Business Name)
• URL anchors (www.yourbusiness.com)
• Generic anchors (click here, learn more)
• Partial match anchors (Dallas plumbing services)
• Exact match anchors (use sparingly!)

Mistake #4: Undiversified Link Sources

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I’ve seen businesses focus entirely on directory links or only on guest posts.

A balanced profile includes:

• Business listings and citations
• Local news mentions
• Community websites
• Industry associations
• Customer/partner websites

Track Your Progress: How to Measure Results from Local Links 

Building links without tracking results is like driving with your eyes closed. Here’s how I measure the impact of local link building campaigns.

Essential Tracking Tools 

You don’t need fancy software to track your progress:

• Google Search Console (free): Shows which queries you’re ranking for
• Google Analytics (free): Tracks traffic from referring websites
• Semrush Position Tracking (paid): Monitors local keyword rankings
• Local Falcon (paid): Tracks your Google Maps rankings from different locations

Key Metrics Worth Watching 

I focus on these metrics when evaluating link building success:

Metric	Why It Matters	How Often to Check
Local Search Rankings	Shows visibility for targeted keywords	Weekly
Google Business Profile Views	Indicates local search visibility	Bi-weekly
Website Traffic from Local Searches	Measures actual visitor impact	Monthly
Phone Calls & Direction Requests	Tracks real customer actions	Monthly
Referring Domains Count	Shows backlink profile growth	Monthly

Don’t expect overnight results. In my experience, it takes 3-4 months to see significant improvements from local link building. The businesses that stick with it consistently outperform their competitors in the long run.

Remember to take screenshots of your rankings and metrics when you start. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the before-and-after proof that your hard work is paying off.

Final Thoughts

Building local links isn’t something you do once and forget about. It’s an ongoing process that pays off over time.

I’ve seen businesses transform their local visibility by consistently applying these strategies month after month.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small. Even claiming your Google Business Profile and getting five quality local links can make a difference.

The primary focus is to build genuine relationships in your community. Remember, your competitors are probably ignoring many of these opportunities. That gives you a chance to stand out.

By following the strategies in this guide, you’ll not only improve your rankings but also build real connections that bring in loyal, local customers.

You’ve got this! Now, go get those local links.