If you are looking for a local link building strategy for your small business, this step-by-step guide will help. Find out how to attract local links and boost your online presence.
Use a clear local link building strategy to build high quality backlinks, improve organic visibility, grow map pack rankings, and drive relevant referral traffic without risking penalties.
This article explains a link building strategy that any local business can follow. It keeps the focus on local link building, linkable assets, and a simple building strategy that helps you earn links that people will actually click.
With a good link building strategy, you will build backlinks from relevant sites, attract links from your area, and strengthen authority in search results. This is effective link building that helps real customers and search engines.
Why local links matter in the UK
Local links are trust signals that help search engines like Google judge your relevance and authority in a specific place. A strong UK profile with links and citations from UK domains, postcodes, and organisations can:
- Lift your visibility in local search results, including the map pack for searches like near me and in your city.
- Bring targeted visitors from local press, local media outlets, community sites, and partner organisations.
- Strengthen brand authority with real people in your local area.
At a glance: your 6 pillars
Foundations:
NAP consistency, Google Business Profile, and LocalBusiness schema on key pages of your website.
Citations:
Trustworthy UK directories, trade bodies, and local directories that accept proper listings.
Ecosystem links:
Councils, the chamber, BIDs, charities, schools, clubs, suppliers, and customers.
Content assets:
Local guides, data stories, case studies, and event pages that link to your website.
Digital PR:
News angles for regional media and niche sites that want relevant links.
Process and measurement:
Repeatable outreach, simple metrics, and risk checks.
Example: a Leeds bakery that earns links from local websites, local sites, and newspapers will usually see quicker gains than one that collects random links from external sites with no contextual relevance.
Step 1: Set clear, commercial goals
Tie link building to outcomes, not just link counts. Your building strategy must support your business.
- Primary KPIs: Local impressions and clicks in Search Console, rankings for service plus area keywords, and conversions from referral traffic.
- Secondary KPIs: Number of unique referring domains, the share of UK linking domains, domain authority, and the number of citations cleaned or added.
Pick 10 to 20 core keywords. Include service plus area, plus near me phrases. Track monthly and assess change in search across pages. Decide which target terms matter for your target audience and potential customers.
Example: set one strategy for the city centre and another for a wider region.
Step 2: Fix your foundations
NAP and profiles
Standardise Name, Address, Postcode, phone, and hours across your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, and trusted UK directories. This is vital for local SEO.
On‑page trust signals
Show a clear address with postcode, an embedded map, reviews and testimonials, and service pages with local proof like photos, projects, and partners. Keep UX simple. Your home page and key pages should be easy to read and quick to load.
LocalBusiness schema (JSON‑LD)
Add structured data to help search engines verify your UK details and location.
Example: add a short section that explains your service area with a neat map image and a link to contact forms for bookings.
Step 3: Benchmark competitors
Pick three to five local competitors. Study their backlink profile with SEO tools. Use tools like Ahrefs or similar to export data. Tag prospects by type:
- Directories and citations: quick listings you can add.
- Local media and blogs: coverage, reviews, and columns.
- Community and education: clubs, societies, schools, colleges, and a university page if a real collaboration exists.
- Suppliers and partners: stockist or installer pages and case study ideas.
- Events and sponsorships: BIDs, festivals, and charity runs.
- Niche or trade sites: industry bodies and accreditation pages.
Compare competitors and assess patterns. Check which links, link opportunities, and domains seem to drive rankings and traffic. Record domain authority, linking domains, and the most relevant sites.
Example: if two competitors both get a link from a local council page, that is a good place to start.
Step 4: Map your UK link ecosystem
Create a live prospect list grouped by relationship strength. Keep an eye on prospects and update weekly.
- Existing relationships: business partners, clients, suppliers, and referrers. Ask for profiles, testimonials, or Where to buy links.
- Civic and business networks: council business pages, the Chamber of Commerce, BIDs, growth hubs, incubators, and co working spaces.
- Community and education: colleges, sixth forms, a university project, clubs, societies, sports teams, and arts venues.
- Local press and listings: regional newspapers, What’s On guides, local bloggers, and niche blogs.
- Trade directories: only trustworthy ones with real value.
- Local directories: for example, a moderated listing on Yell, Noticed UK or Yelp.
Add contact details and note who is a good fit. Use simple tags like local businesses, media, and charities.
Example: create one sheet for local websites and another for suppliers so your team can find sites and find people quickly.
Step 5: Build link‑worthy local assets
Give people something useful to link to. You need to create content that is easy to share and offers value.
- Neighbourhood guides: The Complete Guide to your area for your audience, with maps, parking, and tips.
- Data mini reports: anonymised business data, local costs, or demand trends.
- How to content with local rules: UK standards and grants explained in a short article.
- Event and resource hubs: host or co host a local event, then publish the agenda on an event website, plus a post that summarises what happened.
- Customer stories: a clear case study with named places, photos, quotes, and a link to your service page.
Use images, short videos, and infographics. Consider a blog post series that turns into evergreen content. This type of piece of content often earns high quality links over time because it solves a real problem.
Example: a free parking map with a simple image and a printable PDF can earn links for years.
Step 6: Secure quick‑win UK citations
Prioritise accuracy and quality over volume. Start with major UK mapping sites and trade bodies. Keep a single master listing text. Record logins so updates are super easy.
- Add listings to trusted directories and local outlets that allow links.
- Where a site adds rel attributes, accept nofollow links for citations. Save dofollow links for pages where you offer deeper value.
- If a listing lets you add links to social media platforms, include your main profile URL to help users.
- Take a screenshot of each new listing for your records.
Example: a BID directory listing that links to your website and shows your opening hours can send real customers.
Step 7: Turn relationships into links
Relationships make link building easier. Focus on building relationships that serve both sides.
- Suppliers: ask for a place on Authorised stockists or Our installers. Offer a short product case study they can publish.
- Clients: with permission, publish a case study. Invite clients to link back from an Our partners page or a testimonials page.
- Venues and collaborators: if you host a workshop or speak at an event, request a speaker profile and an event page listing.
Share assets, add quotes, and provide a short bio for guest pages. Additionally, connect with other local businesses and other businesses in your niche to find relevant websites and relevant links.
Example: if a partner writes about your joint project, ask if they can add links to your resource page.
Step 8: Local Digital PR (the UK way)
Find a news angle with clear local relevance. This is digital PR that leads to links and brand mentions.
- Data stories: The cost of your service in your city.
- Calendar hooks: awareness weeks, bank holidays, local events, and sports finals.
- Community work: a scholarship, a fundraiser, or a grant that helps students, teachers, and parents.
Build a media list of regional journalists, editors, and writers. Give a short press release, a quotable spokesperson, and a clear landing page that hosts the asset so the link has contextual relevance. Use Google Alerts to spot unlinked mentions and ask for a link where it makes sense.
Step 9: Outreach that actually gets replies
Your email framework
Your email framework
- Subject: specific, local, and mutually helpful.
- Opener: one sentence that shows you read their site.
- Offer: explain why their readers will care, link to your asset, and offer data, an image, or expert comment.
- Close: a clear, low friction ask such as Would you consider adding this to your guide.
Example outreach email
Subject: Leeds parking guide update for your Visiting Leeds page
Hi [Name],
I loved your piece on family days out in Leeds. We have just published a free Leeds City Centre Parking Guide with weekend rates, accessible bays, EV chargers, and a printable map.
If you think it will help your readers, feel free to reference it on your Visiting Leeds guide. I can also share the raw data and images if useful.
Thanks for considering this,
[Your Name], [Role], {company_name}
{phone_number} | [URL]
Follow up once after five to seven days with one extra fact. Use contact forms if email bounces. Be polite, send a short message, and respond fast if they reply.
Try twitter, active forums, or even reddit where it fits the topic. A simple comment that adds value can lead to a link. This is often the easiest way to get a link from people who already like your content. It is also a good way to reach specific people in your niche.
Example: if a blogger asks for a quick quote, that is a way to get a link with minimal effort.
Step 10: Sponsorships & community involvement
Choose things you would support even without links. This keeps trust high and risk low.
- Local sports teams, arts festivals, and charity events with sponsor pages and proper coverage.
- Prizes for school competitions, apprenticeship support, or equipment donations with a post that thanks sponsors and donors.
- Meetups, workshops, and business awards. A small fee may apply.
Be clear when paying for a link. Use ‘rel sponsored’. A fair sponsorship can raise awareness, bring potential audience and potential customers, and even lead to profit if you treat it like marketing. Plan your budget and track money spent and the return.
Example: a school scholarship listed on an alumni page can earn a link and help the community. A fundraiser with transparent funding helps your brand and your company too.
Step 11: Advanced plays for UK businesses
- Supplier hubs at scale: build a Stockists hub and invite dealers to add a profile. Provide a template and ask for a link back.
- Location clusters: build deep guides for key neighbourhoods with photos, maps, short videos, and infographics.
- Education links: real collaborations with colleges and a university. Guest lectures, advisory panels, scholarship pages, and industry projects. Avoid anything that looks like paying for links.
- FOI reporting: use FOI to discover local insights and publish a simple article with charts.
- Guest content: guest blogging or a guest post on relevant sites. Include a short bio and clear anchor text that makes sense to readers. Invite contributors to your site too.
- Events and talks: speak at a conference or host a webinar. Ask the event website to link to your profile page as the author or speaker.
Work with other websites and other sites where your target audience spends time. Collaboration is often an effective way to extend reach and generate links.
Example: a guest post on a trade blog with an expert tip can send steady traffic for years.
Step 12: Measurement & reporting
Track both visibility and value. This helps you assess progress and improve your strategy.
- Search Console: top queries by location, the Links report for new referring domains, and brand plus postcode coverage.
- GA4: referral traffic by source, landing pages for linked assets, engaged sessions, and conversions.
- Call tracking and CRM: attribute leads and sales from key referrers or a tagged URL.
- Ranking checks: monthly snapshot of target keywords in your main areas.
- Quality checks: domain authority, UK ccTLD ratio, topical relevance, and geographic relevance.
- Monitoring: set Google Alerts, keep an eye on brand mentions and unlinked mentions, and verify new links with your tools.
- Tools: use SEO tools to track metrics. Tools like Ahrefs or similar can help you track backlinks, broken links, and new content that earns links.
Take a neat screenshot of your main dashboard so the team can view results at a glance.
Example: if new links improved rankings but traffic stayed flat, review your pages and make the offer clearer for users.
Step 13: Governance & risk management
Avoid manipulative tactics. Do not buy ‘dofollow’ links, build private blog networks, or add spammy footer links. Use ‘rel sponsored’ for paid placements and ‘rel nofollow’ where needed. If you must redirect an old page, plan it well and test the result.
Moderate all user generated content and guest posts to prevent spam. State clear terms for promotions and competitions. Respect UK GDPR when publishing data, quotes, and any image from an event. Broken links on your site should be fixed fast.
Example: if a post is off topic, it risks trustworthiness. Remove or edit it so it is relevant.
Step 14: A 90 day action plan
Weeks 1 to 2
Start with NAP fixes, implement LocalBusiness schema, and optimise your Google Business Profile. Build your prospect list from competitors, councils, chambers, BIDs, partners, and press. Set simple goals and a time plan for a single month.
Weeks 3 to 4
Create one cornerstone local asset such as a guide, a data post, or an event page. Secure 10 to 20 quality UK citations. Make it simple and quick for editors to link.
Weeks 5 to 8
Do relationship outreach to suppliers, clients, and community groups. Launch one small digital PR story for regional media. Pick one sponsorship that offers real value. It is often easier to get local links when people already know you.
Weeks 9 to 12
Build a location cluster for one priority area. Send a second outreach wave to media and bloggers. Report on links earned, referral traffic, and rankings. Improve the plan and move forward.
Example: a team of two can create one asset and build 15 links in a month today if tasks are clear. That is a powerful start.
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
- Chasing volume over relevance: ten strong local links beat fifty weak ones. In many cases, most people forget this simple truth.
- Thin city pages: add real proof like photos, reviews, local FAQs, and pricing.
- Ignoring your own assets: if a page is weak, outreach will fail.
- One and done: link equity grows with active community work over time.
- No tracking: without UTMs and clear metrics, wins get lost and budgets get cut.
- Copying US examples: do not copy a guide about Chicago if you trade in the UK. It makes no sense.
- Bad comparisons: similar sites are not always equal. Look at authority and context. Compared to a random site, a council link has more impact.
- Being afraid to ask: a polite approach often works. Ask and you may receive.
Example: if you try to outrank a directory with weak content, it will be difficult. Improve the offer, then promote it.
Quick checklist
- NAP is consistent across your site and key UK profiles.
- LocalBusiness schema is live and valid.
- A core local asset is published and helpful.
- Prospect list is segmented by type.
- Ten to twenty UK citations are live.
- Outreach emails sent to priority targets with one follow up.
- Sponsorship or CSR activity is live with a branded sponsor profile.
- GA4 and Search Console in place. Run a monthly check and track changes.
Local Link Building Strategy: Final word
Local link building works when it reflects real relationships and real usefulness. Focus on local link building opportunities that help people, not just links for the sake of links.
Build backlinks in a way that feels natural, helps your community, and supports your business goals. When other local businesses and relevant sites like your work, you will earn links from local links that pass authority and trust.
In a nutshell, the best way is to share great content, speak to people, and offer real value. This approach is an effective way to build a strong link profile and boost rankings and traffic. Keep going, keep it straight, and you will see success across your site and across the web.
Boost your visibility today. Add your business to the Noticed UK directory and reach more local customers.
Sources:
Google Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines)
Google Link Spam Policies & rel attributes
Schema.org LocalBusiness
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) UK – CAP Code (promotions & sponsorships)