What Google actually says about links
In its local ranking help, Google says prominence, one of its three main local factors, is based partly on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. In its Search documentation, Google says it uses links as a signal when judging the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl, and that the vast majority of new pages it finds each day are discovered through links.
Google is just as clear that links aren't everything. Its SEO Starter Guide describes PageRank, the link-based system Google launched with, as one of many ranking signals, and says there is much more to Google Search than links. For a local business, links sit beside reviews, categories and the content of your pages, not above them.
What a good local link looks like
The best local links come from organizations with a real reason to mention you, on pages customers in your area might actually click. Start with the people you already do business with.
One caution on sponsorships. Google's spam policies treat a link given in exchange for money or goods as a paid link, which should carry a sponsored or nofollow attribute so it passes no ranking credit. Sponsor the youth baseball team for the community exposure, not as a ranking tactic.
- Manufacturers and suppliers that list certified installers or dealers on a locator page.
- Trade associations and licensing groups with member directories.
- Your chamber of commerce or local business association.
- Teams, festivals and charities you support, which often thank sponsors on their websites.
- Local news coverage of a project, an anniversary, a new hire or advice you gave during a storm.
- Partners who send you work, such as a builder who lists the electricians and plumbers they use.
Links that can hurt you
Google's spam policies define link spam as links created mainly to manipulate rankings, and list the forms it takes. If an offer resembles any of these, refuse it. Google's advice on hiring an SEO also says to avoid anyone who talks about link popularity schemes.
- Buying links, or trading goods or services for links that pass ranking credit.
- Automated programs or services that create links to your site.
- Bulk submissions to low-quality directory or bookmark sites.
- Excessive link swaps, or partner pages that exist only to cross-link.
- Guest posts or press releases stuffed with keyword-rich links.
- Links hidden in widgets or spread across the footers of many unrelated sites.
Where links belong on your to-do list
For most local service businesses, links come after the basics, because the basics are faster and entirely in your control. A verified profile with the right category, complete services and steady reviews, plus a website with a clear page for each service and area, will usually do more early on than any link campaign.
Links matter more once the basics are done and you still trail competitors who are better known in the community. At that point the work looks less like SEO and more like local business development: joining associations, supporting events you care about, and earning press for work worth talking about. In the local SEO work we quote, links are earned this way, with no private link networks and no paid link schemes.
Check the links you already have
Search Console's Links report shows, for free, which sites link to yours, your most-linked pages and the link text used. Google notes it is a sample rather than a complete list, but it is enough to see whether suppliers and associations link to you and whether the links point at pages that help customers.
Your own internal links count too. Google recommends descriptive link text, and linking each service page from your home page and related pages helps Google find them and understand what each one covers.
Related questions
How many backlinks does a local business need?
There is no number. Google doesn't publish one, and prominence also depends on reviews and how well known you are. Compare yourself with the businesses that outrank you: if suppliers, associations and local news link to them and not to you, start there.
Are directory listings worth it?
Claim the directories customers actually use for your trade, because they help people find and check you out. Bulk submissions to hundreds of low-quality directories are a different matter: Google lists low-quality directory links as a form of link spam.
Should I pay for links?
Not for rankings. Google's spam policies treat buying or selling links that pass ranking credit as link spam. Paid placements are fine for exposure when the link is marked sponsored or nofollow, but then they shouldn't pass ranking credit at all.
Do links between my own pages matter?
Yes. Google uses links to find pages and to understand what they are about, and it recommends descriptive link text. Linking each service page from your home page and from related pages is one of the easiest improvements available to any site.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Google Search Central: SEO link best practices
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
- Google Search Central: A guide to Google Search ranking systems
- Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?
- Search Console Help: Links report