Quick answer
The best local links come from real relationships in your community: sponsorships, suppliers, partners, local press, charities, events and local resource pages. A handful of relevant local links often outperforms dozens of generic directory links, and none of them require anything spammy.
Last updated: October 2026
Most local businesses compete on the same signals: a Google Business Profile, reviews and a decent website. What often separates the businesses at the top of the map pack and organic results is links from other local websites that show you are a genuine, trusted part of the area.
Link building has a reputation for spam, but local link building is different. The best opportunities already exist in your daily business: the people you buy from, the groups you support, the customers you help and the events you attend.
This guide lists twelve practical ways to earn links in your own town, explains how to approach each, and shows how to avoid anything that could put your site at risk.
In this guide
- Why local links matter
- 1 to 4: Link opportunities from your existing relationships
- 5 to 8: Community and sponsorship links
- 9 to 12: Content, press and resource links
- How to ask for a link without being awkward
- A real-world example of a local link win
- Link types and anchor text to aim for
- What to avoid
- Track links and results
- A 90-day local link plan
- FAQs
Why local links matter
Backlinks are one of the main ways search engines judge prominence. For local search, links from sites that are relevant to your area or industry carry particular weight, because they show that real organisations in your community vouch for you.
They also bring direct value. A link from a well-visited local news page, chamber of commerce site or community group can send real customers, not just authority. That is why local link building is as much about reputation as it is about SEO.
1 to 4: Link opportunities from your existing relationships
- Suppliers and manufacturers: ask whether they list stockists, installers or partners on their site.
- Trade bodies and accreditations: many list members with a link, such as Gas Safe, TrustMark, FMB or professional institutes.
- Partners and complementary businesses: a wedding florist and venue, an estate agent and conveyancer, a plumber and a builder can all refer to each other.
- Customers and clients: commercial customers may link to you from a project page, case study or testimonial.
These are the easiest wins, because the relationship already exists. A simple, polite email asking whether they could add or update a link is usually all it takes.
5 to 8: Community and sponsorship links
- Sponsor a local sports team, school event or charity run and ask for a link on their sponsors page.
- Join the local chamber of commerce or business network, which usually offers a member directory.
- Support local charities and community projects, then share your involvement in a way they can link to.
- Host or take part in local events, workshops and talks, and ask the organiser to link to your event page.
Choose causes that genuinely fit your business. Links earned this way are credible and usually come with positive local goodwill that no directory can match.
9 to 12: Content, press and resource links
- Local press: send a short, newsworthy story, such as a new hire, an award or a community project, to local newspapers and websites.
- Local resource pages: find council, library or community pages listing useful services and suggest your relevant page.
- Original local content: publish a useful local guide, data or checklist that other sites naturally reference.
- Reviews and testimonials: when you give a testimonial to a supplier, ask them to link to your site from the published quote.
How to ask for a link without being awkward
Keep outreach short, personal and specific. Explain who you are, why you are writing, and what is in it for them. For example: “Hi Sarah, we have supported your summer fair for three years and noticed your sponsors page does not yet list us. Could you add a link to our website? We have also sent a small logo to use.”
Never demand a link, offer payment in exchange for a link, or send identical emails to hundreds of sites. Targeted, human outreach earns more links and protects your reputation. Follow up once politely if you do not hear back, and then leave it.
A real-world example of a local link win
Consider a family-run bathroom installer in a mid-sized town. They sponsor the under-12s at the local football club, supply a local charity shop refit at cost, and join the chamber of commerce. None of these was done for SEO, yet together they can produce links from the club sponsors page, the charity website thank-you page and the chamber member directory.
Add a press story about the charity refit to the local news site, and a supplier listing on the tile manufacturer stockists page, and in a few months the business has six to eight genuinely relevant links. Each one strengthens trust in the business, and some send real enquiries.
The lesson is that local link building is mostly about doing visible, worthwhile things in your community and making sure people can link to you. When you think this way, outreach becomes a natural follow-up rather than a cold pitch.
It is also worth keeping an asset ready to link to. A short “About us” page with your story, a gallery of local projects, and clear service pages give people something useful to point at. Without these, even a friendly partner may not know where to link.
Link types and anchor text to aim for
A natural link profile contains a mix: your brand name, your website address, generic phrases such as “visit their website” and sometimes descriptive phrases like “Leeds electrician”. Do not try to force exact-match keyword anchors, which can look manipulative.
Point links to the most useful page, which is often your homepage, a location page or a service page. Local resource pages are a good fit for service and area pages, while press mentions usually link to the homepage or a relevant news item.
What to avoid
- Buying links or joining link exchange schemes.
- Mass-submitting to low-quality directories and blog networks.
- Comment or forum spam with links.
- Overusing exact-match anchor text.
- Any scheme that promises a guaranteed number of links.
Google can discount or penalise manipulative links, and cleaning up a bad link profile takes far longer than earning links properly in the first place.
Track links and results
Keep a simple spreadsheet with the target site, contact person, date asked, result and the URL of the link. Use Google Search Console and a backlink tool to see new links and check that they point where you intended.
Look at the effect on rankings and traffic for the pages you targeted, over several months. Local link building works slowly, but each good link keeps working, and the effects compound. If you would like help building a safe, relevant link profile, our link building service focuses on genuine UK links from real sites.
A 90-day local link plan
- Month one: list suppliers, trade bodies, partners and charities that could link to you, and claim any listings you already qualify for.
- Month two: send personal outreach for the best ten opportunities and sponsor one local cause.
- Month three: pitch a local press story, publish a useful local guide and follow up on outstanding requests.
Frequently asked questions
How many local backlinks do I need?
There is no fixed number. Compare your link profile with the businesses ranking above you, and aim to close the gap with relevant, genuine links over time.
Are sponsorship links safe for SEO?
Yes, when they are a real sponsorship of a relevant organisation and the link is editorial. Avoid arrangements that exist only to pass link equity.
Do nofollow links help?
They are less valuable for authority but still bring traffic, visibility and a natural-looking link profile, so there is no need to avoid them.
How long does local link building take to work?
Expect to see gradual effects over three to six months, with compounding benefits as the links accumulate and your reputation grows.
