Short answer
Local link building means getting a real website in your town or trade to mention and link to yours because you are useful to its readers. Start with people you already know: neighbours, suppliers, schools, clubs and event organisers. Give something first, ask politely, and stay away from paid link schemes. A good link is one a person would click.
What makes a link worth having
A link is a kind of recommendation, but only when a real person placed it for a real reason. Use a simple test. Would a visitor to that page click the link and find it helpful? Would you still want the link if search engines did not exist? If both answers are yes, it is a good link.
Search engines often treat links as one clue about a website. Nobody outside the search engine knows how much any single link counts, so do not chase links as if each one were a prize. Chase relationships. The links follow.
Places to look close to home
- Neighbouring businesses that serve the same customers but do not compete, such as a florist near a wedding hall.
- Suppliers and brands you buy from. Some keep a 'where to buy' or 'stockists' page.
- Chambers of commerce, trade bodies and local business groups with member lists.
- Schools, colleges and nurseries that may need a speaker, a work-experience place or a sponsor.
- Charities, clubs and sports teams that thank their sponsors on a web page.
- Local events and markets that list the sellers who take part.
- Community blogs, newsletters and noticeboard sites that cover your town.
Give first, then ask
People link to businesses that make their own pages better. Think about what you can offer before you think about the link.
- Host a free workshop or open day and tell the organiser of the nearest community group.
- Sponsor a local team or event because you care about it, not because of the link.
- Write an honest guide that locals would really use, such as where to park near your shop.
- Lend your skills to a school careers day or a charity talk.
- Mention a partner by name on your own page before you ask them for anything.
How to ask without being annoying
Write to a named person, not to 'the webmaster'. In one line, say who you are. Then say why their readers might find your page useful, and give the exact address of that page. Keep it short.
Never send the same email to fifty sites. If nobody replies, wait a while, send one gentle reminder and then let it go. A polite 'no' today can become a friendly 'yes' next season.
Paid link schemes to stay away from
Search engines warn in their written guidelines against links bought only to lift a site's position. A sponsorship that happens to come with a link is normal and honest, and the other site can mark that link as paid. Honest labelling protects both of you.
- Offers that promise a set number of links for a fixed fee.
- Link swap rings, where dozens of sites trade links with each other.
- Directories that accept anybody and have no real readers.
- Links on pages about topics that have nothing to do with your business.
- Hidden links, or links placed where no visitor would see them.
Point the link at a page that helps
Ask partners to link to the page that matches the reason for the link, such as a location page or a service page, not always the home page. Keep your business name, address and phone number identical everywhere they appear, including on your Google Business Profile. One clear identity is easier for people and for search engines to trust.
Keep a simple partner sheet
Links break when websites are redesigned. A short sheet helps you notice before a good partner link quietly vanishes.
- Who they are and the name of your contact.
- What you did together.
- The page that links to you and the page it points to.
- When you last checked that the link still works.
- One idea for what you could do for them next.
Where the app fits
When you take part in an event or start a partnership, AI Marketing Master can draft a Google Business Profile post about it for you to approve. The relationship itself, and the sheet above, stay in your hands.
What it does not do
- Links are one of many things that can affect how a site appears in search. Nobody can promise that a link will lift your position.
- AI Marketing Master has no backlink data, so it cannot show you who links to your site. Google Search Console has a links report that can show some of them.
- Partnerships take time and effort. This advice is for real relationships, not shortcuts.
Questions people ask
How many local links do I need?
There is no fixed number. A few links from relevant local sites, placed by people who know you, are worth more than a long list of empty ones.
Is sponsoring a local team a good way to earn a link?
It can be, when you sponsor because you care about the team. Treat the link as a bonus and do not expect a particular result.
Is it fine to swap links with a partner?
A real partner page where two businesses recommend each other is natural. Large-scale swaps made only for search engines are the risky kind.
How long before a link helps?
Nobody can say. Visitors and phone calls from a partner's readers can come sooner than any change in search.
Should I pay someone to build links for me?
Be very careful. If a service cannot show you real local sites and real reasons for each link, walk away.
We only describe what the product really does today. Results depend on your business, your market and many things no tool controls.