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Local SEO Checklist
A JOURNAL OF LOCAL SEARCH MAINTAINED & FREE SINCE 2014
06WEBSITE CONTENT & BACKLINKING

Build quality backlinks

LAST UPDATED — OCTOBER 2023

Remember how high school cliques worked? Jocks with jocks, nerds with nerds — like-minded crowds get along. Search engines use similar logic to develop trust: if website A has high domain authority and links to website B, the engine understands B must be good too. Links from trustable sources build authority for your site, which is why backlink building remains one of the oldest and most trusted SEO tactics.

Backlinks are hyperlinks from one webpage to another, and they do two jobs. First, links on multiple sites bring referral traffic — awareness up, new customers in. Second, they boost SEO: your business gains trust in the eyes of the search engine as crawlers encounter them, and more backlinks mean better chances of being found. Because they directly affect your online presence, build only good ones: quality over quantity, always.

Search engines treat backlinks as certificates of trust, so concentrate on growing your volume of local backlinks specifically — they build credibility and local awareness together. Chasing high-authority domains alone won’t cut it; target the sites your local audience actually visits: local communities, forums, business directories, and social platforms.

  1. Create business accounts on the social platforms where your audience lives — Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, X, and whichever else fits.
  2. Find online directories specific to your niche. Your customers likely browse them, and most allow a free link to your website.
  3. Local newspapers, forums, and community sites spread the word in your vicinity and hand you a backlink at the same time.
  4. Publish articles on platforms that accept contributed content, like SlideShare or industry communities.
  5. Guest blog with local bloggers — an article from your business on their domain capitalizes on their existing fanbase.
  6. Partner with local influencers for a review or feature. Their followers become your prospects, and the mention builds both awareness and authority.