Local SEO link building means getting other websites in your area to link to yours, and the easiest way to start is with the people who already know you. Suppliers, customers and local groups link to a business they trust far more readily than a stranger, and Google says local rankings depend partly on how many websites link to your business.
Most guides hand you a list of tactics. This one organises them by distance: three circles, from the people closest to you outward to the local press. Work from the centre out. You can run the whole plan with the free link prospect tracker (Excel) and the outreach email scripts (PDF).
Why bother? Three numbers from the sources
Source: Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors 2026 (published Nov 2025, 47 local SEO experts; opinion, not Google data). Google’s own wording: prominence is based on “how many websites link to your business”.
The reading is simple. Links are a real lever for the blue links under the map, and a smaller one for the map pack itself, where your Business Profile and reviews matter more. Whitespark also puts link signals at 13% for visibility in AI answers and says that in AI search “mentions (citations) are the new link”. So fix the profile and reviews first (see our Business Profile guide and reviews guide) and tidy your citations. Then build links. Not sure where you stand? Run a local SEO audit first.
What makes a local link worth having?
BrightLocal defines a local link as one from a site specific to your area of operation: local news, another local business, a local blogger or a local directory. Three tests decide whether to chase it: it is local (it serves your area), relevant (its readers could become your customers), and real (a page people visit, with a link placed because someone chose to mention you).
Ignore Domain Authority and similar scores when choosing who to ask. BrightLocal notes that the most valuable local links, such as a school, a charity or a neighbourhood association, score low on those scales, and that sites with a handful of links regularly outrank sites with thousands.
Check your starting point in 20 minutes
Before you email anyone, see what the businesses outranking you already have.
- Name your three closest rivals: the businesses in the map pack when you search from inside your service area. A local SEO heat map shows this properly.
- Run the Backlink Checker on your site and each rival. Write down who links to them and not to you.
- Keep only local, relevant sites. BrightLocal warns that most links in a rival’s profile “probably aren’t helping much”, so do not copy it link for link.
- Record your starting rankings with the Keyword Rank Checker (our ranking check guide explains how to do it from inside your area).
The three circles of local links
Each circle is further from your business and takes more effort. Start in the middle.
Circle 1: ask the people who already know you
Links you are owed. Suppliers and manufacturers often have a “where to buy” or “our partners” page. Trade bodies, franchisors and local associations list members. Customers who run businesses may link from a testimonial, and BrightLocal suggests local case studies: share the story of work you did for another local business and ask them to publish it with a link back to you. Send each person the exact page you want linked and one line on why their readers will find it useful.
Mentions without links. Search your business name for pages that mention you but do not link. BrightLocal’s advice is to get in touch and ask; some sites have a no-link policy, so expect the odd no.
Links to pages that no longer exist. If a site links to an old page of yours, tell them the right address. It is the smallest ask in link building.
Circle 2: show up in your community
Real local directories. A listing on a directory your customers use is, in BrightLocal’s words, “ticket to entry” link building. Think chamber of commerce member pages, city guides and industry directories. Google’s spam policy lists “low-quality directory or bookmark site links” as link spam, so quality beats count. Our directory listings guide shows how to tell them apart, and the free Local Citation Finder and NAP Consistency Checker do the checking. BrightLocal says a chamber of commerce link puts you in front of local business decision-makers, which is useful whatever it does for rankings.
Sponsorships and events. BrightLocal lists local sponsorships first among its local tactics: a sports shop backing a youth team, a café hosting a monthly meetup. It quotes Mike Ramsey’s custom searches for finding them, such as inurl:sponsors "City name" and intitle:sponsors "City name". Google allows paid sponsorship links when they carry rel="sponsored" (or nofollow). The visibility is the main prize, and Google treats these attributes as hints, not blocks. What Google does not allow is giving a free product or service in exchange for a link.
Charities, schools and community groups. Charities often list donors and volunteers on their sites. BrightLocal suggests donating time, goods or expertise, hosting a fundraiser, or offering a local scholarship. Do it because it helps the community; the link is a by-product. Do not offer support only in return for a link.
Circle 3: become a local voice
Local news, radio and podcasts. BrightLocal lists three routes: expert quotes to local outlets when something relevant happens, a regular column, and speaking at local events, where speakers often get a bio and link on the event site. Pitch a real local angle: a change in local rules, a seasonal problem your trade sees every year, or numbers only you have.
Local content worth citing. A page other sites can cite earns links without outreach: a local guide to a problem your customers face, a price or timing guide for your area, or a short study from your own job data. Our small business content marketing and blogging guides help you choose topics. If you serve several towns, give each its own useful page (city pages SEO, multi-location local SEO).
What Google allows, and what it calls link spam
Google defines link spam as links made “primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings”. Here is how its spam policy (updated August 2026) and its linking guidance apply to the local tactics above.
Avoid: Google calls these link spam
- Paying cash for a link. The policy lists “exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links”.
- Giving a free product or service for a link. Named in the policy: “sending someone a product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link”.
- Link swaps at scale. “Excessive link exchanges”, and partner pages made only for cross-linking.
- Low-quality directories. “Low-quality directory or bookmark site links” are on the list.
- Keyword-stuffed anchors in guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites.
Allowed, with the right tag
- Paid sponsorship links are fine if qualified with
rel="sponsored"ornofollow. Google says “sponsored is preferred”. - Links you add in comments or forums should carry
ugc, which is what Google recommends for user-generated links.
Fine: links people choose to give
Google says other sites linking to you “happens naturally over time”, and that you can encourage it by promoting your site. Everything in the three circles above sits here.
Why take the red rows seriously? In December 2022 Google said its SpamBrain system can detect both sites that buy links and sites that exist to pass outgoing links. Its spam update guidance adds that after a spam update, removing bad links does not bring back the ranking benefit they gave. On anchor text, use your business name or plain wording; our anchor text guide has the detail.
Do nofollow links and unlinked mentions count?
To a degree. Since 2019 Google has treated nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints, not strict instructions, and BrightLocal advises against dismissing nofollow sites or local news that mentions you without a link, because mentions help establish prominence. Keep it in proportion: Whitespark ranks “quantity of unlinked brand mentions” 126th among map pack factors, so treat them as a bonus, not a target.
How many local links do you need?
There is no magic number. BrightLocal says relevance, content quality and the relevance of the linking sites all matter, and suggests comparing your linking domains with your direct local competitors to set a first target. The 20-minute check above gives you that comparison. Pace matters too: in Whitespark’s lists a “sustained influx of links over time (rather than bursts)” ranks 34th for local organic and 80th for the map pack. Three good links a month for a year beats thirty in a week.
How much does local link building cost?
We could not find a reliable public survey of local link building costs, so we will not quote an average. Circle 1 costs time. Circle 2 costs whatever a sponsor charges. Buying links is what Google calls link spam. When an agency quotes you, ask for the list of sites they plan to approach and how each link is earned, not a number of links a month. Our guides to affordable local SEO and choosing an SEO company show what to look for.
Your first 30 days
This is our suggested schedule for one location. It is a recommendation, not a Google requirement.
Step 1. Week 1: run the 20-minute link check
Run the Backlink Checker on your site and three local rivals, list the local and relevant sites that link to them, and record your starting rankings. Pass: a list of at least 15 local sites worth approaching.
Step 2. Week 1: fix your profile and listings first
Links help most when the basics are sound. Score your profile with the Google Business Profile Audit and fix mismatched names, addresses and phone numbers (our local SEO checklist lists the rest). Pass: your details match everywhere.
Step 3. Week 2: ask for the links you are owed
Email ten suppliers, partners, associations and friendly customers using the scripts in the PDF. Send the exact page to link to and one reason it helps their readers. Pass: ten asks sent and logged in the tracker.
Step 4. Week 3: pick one community tactic
Choose one sponsorship, event, charity or meetup that fits your budget and customers. Ask how supporters are listed, and make sure paid links are tagged rel="sponsored". Pass: one commitment made.
Step 5. Week 3: pitch one local expert angle
Offer one local journalist, podcaster or blogger a quote, tip or data point tied to a local story. Pass: one pitch sent with a specific local angle.
Step 6. Week 4: reclaim mentions and review
Ask the best three sites that mention you without linking to add one, point sites linking to dead pages at the right address, and re-run the Backlink Checker against week one. Pass: new referring domains logged and next month’s targets chosen.
How to tell if it is working
Check four things monthly: new referring domains in the Backlink Checker, rankings from inside your service area, visits from the linking sites in your analytics (BrightLocal suggests mining referral data and setting goals to capture the business value of local links), and calls, direction requests and form fills from your Business Profile and website. Give links a few weeks before judging them. If rankings do not move, check the profile, reviews and on-page work too with the Website SEO Audit, and see how visible you are in AI answers with the AI Visibility Checker.
Links are one layer: a real campaign
Sugar & Wax Haven, a body sugaring studio in Tempe, Arizona, was on page 4 of Google for “body sugaring tempe”. In eight months we took it to position #1 and grew organic traffic from 492 to 3,400 visits a month (+591%, Ahrefs). The work covered AI search, local SEO and technical fixes, and the Business Profile, where reviews grew from 67 to 309. We do not credit that result to links alone and would not promise it to anyone. It shows what happens when the profile, website, reviews and AI visibility improve together. If you would rather have it handled, see our Local SEO services, Google Business Profile services or AI SEO services, or book a free strategy call. More reading: local SEO guide, benefits of local SEO, is local SEO dead?
FAQs
What is local link building?
Local link building is earning links to your website from other sites in your area, such as local news, suppliers, chambers of commerce, charities, event pages and community groups. It differs from general link building because the sources are tied to your location and customers, so the links signal local prominence and can also send nearby people to your site.
How do I get local backlinks?
Start with the easiest sources: suppliers, partners and associations that already know you, real local directories, and sites that mention you without linking. Then sponsor a local team or event, support a charity, and offer local journalists a quote. Always ask for a link to a specific, useful page, and never offer money or free goods only in return for a link.
Is it OK to pay for local backlinks?
Not for ranking. Google’s spam policy lists exchanging money, goods or services for links as link spam. Paid sponsorships are allowed if the link carries rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, and Google prefers sponsored. Treat a sponsorship as paid visibility, not as a ranking tactic, and never buy links from sellers who promise rankings.
How many backlinks does a local business need?
There is no fixed number. BrightLocal says relevance and quality matter more than count, and that a site with a handful of links can outrank one with thousands. A useful target is the number of linking domains your closest local competitors have. Build them steadily: Whitespark lists a sustained influx of links over time, not bursts, as a ranking factor.
Do backlinks help you rank in the map pack?
Yes, but less than your Business Profile and reviews. Google says prominence includes how many websites link to your business. Whitespark’s 2026 survey puts link signals at 8% of map pack weighting against 32% for the profile and 20% for reviews, and at 24% for local organic results. Links help most with the blue links under the map.