Six local link building tactics to rank your business higher in Google

Executive overview

Local businesses need backlinks to rank, but generic link building advice misses a key layer: links should be both contextually and locally relevant. A link from a global photography blog helps less than one from a Toronto-based photography association.

The ideal backlink sits at the intersection of contextual relevance, local relevance, and domain authority. Most links will only hit two of three — that's fine.

Local link prospects are less competitive than global ones, but require more creativity to find.

Chamber of Commerce and niche business associations

• Search "Chamber of Commerce + [your city]" and sign up for membership.
• Membership gets your business listed in their directory with a link to your site.
• Consider offering member discounts — can generate new business alongside the link.
• For niche associations, search "[city] + [niche] + association" in Google.
• Check whether association member directories include indexed, outbound links before pursuing.
• These links carry local relevance and authority but low contextual relevance — treat them as a baseline, not a centrepiece.

Local resource page link building

• Resource pages exist to link out to useful industry resources — making them naturally receptive to outreach.
• Find them with Google search operators: inurl:resources.html site:co.uk plumbing (adjust TLD and niche).
• Also search by city and niche: inurl:resources [city] [state] [niche keyword].
• Before pitching, visit the page and confirm it actually links out to external sites.
• Don't pitch direct competitors — a plumber asking a rival plumber is a waste of time.
• Expand to tangential businesses: a wedding photographer can target flower shops, venues, and cake shops in the same city.

Guest posting on local websites

• Guest posts land in the centre of the relevance Venn diagram — you control which local sites you target.
• Use Ahrefs Content Explorer: search title:photography site:au to surface pages in your niche and location.
• Apply filters: one page per domain, exclude homepages, minimum 500-word content, domain rating 30–60.
• Replace the site TLD filter with a city name to find opportunities on .com domains in your area.
• The resulting list is manageable and pre-qualified for both relevance and authority.

Getting featured on local list posts

• "Best of" lists (e.g. "best Italian restaurants in Toronto") drive both backlinks and real customers.
• Also target variation queries: "fun things to do in London", "child-friendly activities in Chicago".
• Find relevant list posts, check which businesses are included, and assess whether yours is comparable.
• Pitch the author directly — offer a visit, a menu preview, or another low-friction hook.
• Ignore directories like TripAdvisor and Yelp; focus on editorial blog posts.
• Aim to appear on every top-10 list in your area.

Competitor backlink analysis

• If a competitor ranks at the top of Google, their backlinks are likely driving it.
• Search "[niche] + [city]" in Google and collect competing domains from both map pack and organic results — exclude directories and blogs.
• Run all competitors through Ahrefs' Link Intersect tool with your own domain in the exclusion field.
• The output shows sites linking to competitors but not you.
• Higher overlap across competitors signals stronger relevance — prioritise those referring domains.
• Work through the list and pitch each relevant site.