Are you looking to improve your local SEO rankings and bring more attention to your business? One of the most powerful methods to achieve this is by building high-quality local backlinks.
Gaining links from trusted local websites not only boosts your site's credibility but also enhances your relevance in local search results—making it more likely that search engines will prioritize your content.
In fact, 97% of local businesses are first discovered online rather than through other methods. The stronger your online visibility, the better your chances of being found by potential customers.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the most effective local link-building tactics to help improve your presence in local search.
The Value of a Local Link-Building Approach
Implementing a strategic plan for building local backlinks can offer numerous gains for your website and business visibility. Here are several compelling advantages of adopting a local link-building strategy:
- Boosted local visibility both online and in-person
- Higher positions in search engine results
- Improved SEO metrics and domain authority
- Greater customer trust and brand recognition
- More conversions, increased sales, and better CTR
- Stronger business-to-business connections and community trust
- Wider reach with reduced bounce rates
- Enhanced customer interaction and stronger social traction
Top 10 Local Link-Building Strategies to Raise Your Local SERP Position
Looking to boost your local backlink profile? Below are ten well-proven and actionable local SEO link-building techniques you can put into practice today.
1. Submit Your Business to Local Directories
Studies show that 94% of people have used directories to find local businesses recently. Business listings in directories help categorize companies based on niche or location, presenting an easy win for getting local links.
Start with major directories such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing, Facebook, and Foursquare. For more targeted exposure, run a search like “local directories for [your industry] in [city/state].”
Always adhere to submission rules, and provide complete and accurate business data, ensuring smooth verification and listing approval.
2. Acquire Links From High-Ranking List Sites
This method—also called Barnacle SEO—involves anchoring your website to larger platforms that already hold ranking power for key terms relevant to your business.
Find directories or aggregator sites that appear when you Google your target keywords, and aim to get listed or mentioned there. These platforms are highly visible and trusted by users who are already looking for businesses just like yours.
3. Uncover Competitor Links and Replicate Them
Want a shortcut to link-building? Monitor and analyze where your competitors are earning their backlinks—and then go get them yourself.
Use SEO tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to find links that a competing business has but your site doesn’t. These gaps reveal high-value linking opportunities that can elevate your search performance while leveling the playing field.
4. Partner With Local Bloggers and Influencers
According to BrightLocal, forming authentic local partnerships remains one of the strongest ways to earn local backlinks.
Reach out to regional bloggers, local news sites, and niche influencers in your market. Offer a product sample, a service demo, or exclusive content in exchange for a feature, mention, or review that includes a backlink to your site.
Genuine relationships can lead to repeated exposure and compound benefits over time.
5. Publish Guest Content on Local Niche Sites
Guest blogging isn’t dead—it’s just more focused. When you target local platforms within your industry, your content reaches users in your area and earns relevant niche links.
Create a list of local publications open to external contributions, then pitch your article topics. Write content that provides value to readers while naturally incorporating your website link.
Over time, this not only helps your SEO but also strengthens local community connections and brand authority.
6. Offer Local Sponsorships or Community Scholarships
Sponsoring local sports events, charity runs, or educational scholarships can help you gain backlinks from high-authority local websites like schools, non-profits, and event directories.
Your sponsorship will often include a link to your website on their event pages, which typically earn decent traffic and credibility among local audiences.
Whether it’s a scholarship you offer to local students or a banner at a basketball tournament, these efforts generate goodwill and lasting link equity.
7. Develop Locally-Relevant Blog Content
Publishing content that centers on your specific city, neighborhood, or region signals to search engines that your site is locally useful—which supports local rankings.
Write about nearby attractions, community events, public service announcements, or business interviews. You can also create how-to content tailored to your area (e.g., “Gardening Tips for Phoenix Homeowners”).
This strategy brings in local search traffic and may attract links organically from other local websites and organizations.
8. Turn Unlinked Brand Mentions Into Backlinks
Your business might already be mentioned in articles or blog posts—but without a clickable link. These are missed opportunities you can reclaim.
Use tools like Google Alerts or Mention to find where your name appears online. Reach out to the content creators and politely ask them to include your site link. Since they’ve already talked about your brand, they’ll often be glad to help.
These converted mentions are low-hanging fruit for boosting your backlink count.
9. Optimize Internal Linking to Build Local Relevance
Although internal links aren’t backlinks, they’re an important part of any local SEO strategy. Connecting your own pages helps search engines crawl your structure and signals which content supports your local relevance.
Link blog posts to related service pages, customer reviews, or location-specific landing pages. This maintains user interest while helping build topical depth across your domain.
Building internal links is a simple, no-cost tactic that reinforces your local content architecture.
10. Leverage Social Media Profiles for Local Citations
Creating and optimizing social profiles for your business on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook provides easily accessible links that reinforce your brand identity.
Be sure to include your business name, address, phone number (NAP), and website URL on each profile. These social citations validate your data, which search engines use to enhance local rankings.
Beyond SEO, active social profiles also allow you to engage with your audience and community directly.
Final Thoughts
Implementing even a few of these local link-building methods will set you ahead in ranking for local searches. Building backlinks is an ongoing process that takes patience—but the rewards in visibility, credibility, and traffic are worth the effort.
Prioritize building connections in your surrounding area and look for ways to share content, start conversations, and support other local entities. These natural relationships will lead to strong referral links and an SEO footprint that continues to grow over time.
Need help crafting the right local link-building plan for your business? I’d love to help. As a local SEO consultant, I can guide you in constructing a tailored backlink strategy. Let’s schedule a call. 😉