Updated 21 October 2026
The best local backlinks for a small business come from real relationships in your area and your trade: suppliers, partners, your chamber of commerce, local sponsorships, local news, city guides and industry associations. Start with the people who already know you, because those links are the easiest to get and the hardest for competitors to copy.
Below are ten places to start, roughly in order of effort, plus what to avoid and how to tell if a local link is worth having.
What is a local backlink?
A local backlink is a link to your website from another site connected to your area, such as a local news site, a city guide, a community group or a nearby business.
Local links do two jobs. They can send you customers directly, because people in your area read those sites. And they help search engines see that your business is known in your community.
Do backlinks matter for local SEO?
Yes. Google says local results are based on relevance, distance and prominence. On prominence, its Business Profile help page says this factor is “based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have.”
Local SEO specialists agree. In Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, 47 local search experts scored 187 factors. For local organic results (the normal listings below the map), “quality/authority of inbound links to domain” ranked third, and “quantity of inbound links to domain from industry-relevant domains” ranked fifth. That’s expert opinion, not Google data, but it lines up with what Google says.
Links aren’t the whole picture. Reviews, a complete Business Profile and a clear page for each service matter too. But if your profile and pages are in good shape and you’re still stuck behind competitors, links are often the gap. For an example of how this works in one industry, see our guide to link building for real estate websites.
10 places to get local backlinks
- Your suppliers and manufacturers. Many brands list local stockists, dealers or certified installers on their websites. If you sell or install their products, ask to be listed with a link.
- Business partners you already refer work to. A wedding photographer and a florist, a realtor and a mortgage broker, a gym and a physio. A “trusted partners” page that links both ways makes sense when you genuinely work together. Keep it to real partners; Google’s spam policy names excessive link swaps as link spam.
- Your chamber of commerce and business associations. Most have a member directory, and many link to members’ websites. Downtown associations and business improvement districts often do the same.
- Local sponsorships. Youth sports teams, charity runs, school fundraisers and community festivals often thank sponsors on their websites. Choose causes you’d support anyway. Google says
sponsoredis for links created as part of advertisements, sponsorships or other compensation agreements, so a sponsor link should carry asponsoredornofollowlabel; the visibility in your community is the main value. - Local news. Reporters need local stories: a new location, a hire, a milestone, a useful data point, a free community event. Send a short, specific pitch to the right reporter rather than a generic press release.
- City guides and local bloggers. “Best brunch in Austin” or “things to do in Asheville” posts are read by exactly the people you want. Find who writes them in your area and get to know them. Some will feature you for free; others offer paid, labeled placements.
- Trade and professional associations. Your industry body, licensing board or certification program may list members with links. These are relevant to your trade, which search engines and customers both value.
- Events you host or speak at. Run a free workshop, a class or a meetup. Event listing sites, the venue and co-hosts will often link to you.
- Local schools, colleges and community groups. Offering a talk, an internship or a workshop can lead to a mention on their site. Do it because it’s useful; schools are quick to spot link-only requests.
- Mentions that don’t link yet. Search for your business name in quotes. If a local site mentions you without a link, send a short, friendly note asking them to add one.
Which ones to start with
Here’s how the ten compare. The effort and cost ratings are our own rough guide, not measured data.
| Source | Effort | Typical cost | Main benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suppliers and manufacturers | Low | Free | Relevant to your trade |
| Business partners | Low | Free | Referrals as well as links |
| Chamber and associations | Low | Membership fee | Local trust signal |
| Local sponsorships | Medium | Sponsorship fee | Community visibility |
| Local news | Medium to high | Free | Brand mentions and readers |
| City guides and bloggers | Medium | Free or paid | Readers who are ready to buy |
| Trade associations | Low | Membership fee | Industry relevance |
| Events and workshops | Medium | Your time | Several links from one event |
| Schools and community groups | Medium | Your time | Local relevance |
| Unlinked mentions | Low | Free | Quick wins |
A sensible first month: list your suppliers, partners and memberships, and send one email to each. Then check for unlinked mentions. Those four are free or cheap and can be done in an afternoon.
What to avoid
- Bulk directory submissions. Google’s spam policy lists links from “low-quality directory or bookmark sites” as link spam. A few directories that people in your trade actually use are fine. Hundreds of random ones aren’t.
- Cheap “local SEO link packages.” If a seller offers 100 local links for $50, they aren’t coming from sites your neighbors read.
- Link swaps with anyone who asks. Linking to real partners is normal. Trading links with strangers to game rankings isn’t.
- Unlabeled paid links. If you pay for a link, Google asks for it to be marked
sponsoredornofollow. Our guide on whether buying backlinks is safe explains the rules. - Keyword-stuffed anchor text. Let partners link with your business name. “Best cheap plumber Denver” as link text, over and over, looks unnatural.
How to tell if a local link is worth it
Ask three questions before you spend time or money on a link:
- Would your customers read this site? If no one in your area would ever visit it, the link does little.
- Is the site real and active? Recent posts, a clear topic, real contact details and pages that show up in Google.
- Would you want the link even if Google didn’t exist? The best local links send customers on their own.
For paid placements, use our 10-point backlink check before you buy.
Local links and AI answers
More customers now ask ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews or Perplexity for local recommendations. Those assistants draw on the same kind of sources: local news, city guides and directories. The Whitespark report’s author put it simply: “in AI SEO, mentions (citations) are the new link.” Being named on local sites helps with both. Our guide on how to check if ChatGPT mentions your business shows how to see which local sites the assistants cite.
How BuyLinks helps local businesses
The relationship links above are worth doing yourself; nobody else can ask your suppliers for you. Where we help is the part that’s hard to do alone: finding and placing articles on city guides, local lifestyle sites and trade publications your customers read.
We find the local searches you can win, place you on checked sites, write every article, and state each link’s label up front. You can see how this works for restaurants and local businesses, and what a real plan looks like in our sample plan. Plans start at $199 a month for two placements; see our pricing. We never need access to your site, and we never promise rankings.
Frequently asked questions
How many local backlinks does a small business need?
There’s no set number. It depends on how many links your local competitors have and how strong they are. Look at the businesses that rank above you for your main searches. A handful of good, relevant local links often makes a visible difference in a smaller market.
Are directory links still worth it?
A few are. Your Google Business Profile, the main directories in your trade and your chamber listing are worth having for customers as much as for search. Mass submissions to low-quality directories are listed as link spam by Google.
Do nofollow or sponsored local links help?
They aren’t meant to pass ranking credit, and Google treats link labels as hints rather than strict rules. They still bring brand mentions and visitors from your area, which is often the main point of a local link.
Should I link back to partners who link to me?
If you genuinely work with them, yes. A partner page that reflects real relationships is normal. Swapping links with businesses you don’t work with, just for rankings, is what Google calls excessive link exchange.
Get your free plan
Want to see which local searches you could win and which local sites we’d use? Get your free local plan. We never need access to your site.