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Home / Digital marketing / Link building
Link building that earns the authority to outrank established competitors
Links from relevant local and industry sites are still one of the strongest signals Google uses. We earn them through outreach and local partnerships, and we fix the ones you already have that aren't working. Available in the full agency stack or as a quoted project.
What's included
What link building includes
Competitor gap analysis
We compare your backlink profile to the businesses outranking you and go after the sites they have that you don't.
Local and industry links
Chambers, associations, local news, sponsorships, and the industry directories that matter in your market.
Unlinked mentions
Sites that already name your business without linking to it. We find them and ask for the link.
Partners and suppliers
Vendors, referral partners, manufacturers, and organizations you already work with. Many will list you on their site if asked.
Lost and broken links
Links pointing at pages that moved or no longer exist. We redirect or rebuild the page so the link counts again.
Links to the right pages
Each link points to the service or location page that needs it most, with anchor text that reads naturally.
You get: a monthly list of every link earned, the site it came from, and the page it supports.
Who link building is for
It is a good fit if you
- Have solid service pages that sit on page two behind older competitors
- Compete in a crowded category such as personal injury, roofing, or dental
- Have far fewer referring domains than the businesses ranking above you
It is not the first step if
- The Google Business Profile and citations are incomplete. Those are cheaper and faster.
- The site has few pages worth linking to. SEO content writing comes first.
Directories
The directories we build and clean up
Google and AI tools check these listings to confirm who you are and what you do. Pick your industry to see where we start.
Google Business ProfileThe listing behind the map pack.
YelpAlso feeds Apple Maps and voice search.
Apple Business ConnectYour listing on Apple Maps and Siri.
Bing PlacesBing search, and a source for ChatGPT.
Better Business BureauA trust signal for searchers and for Google.
FacebookBusiness page details and reviews.
A starting list, not the full one. Some directories charge a listing fee, which is passed through at cost. We recommend and optimize the ones that matter for your business, and use free directories wherever they do the job.
Where local links come from
| Source | Example | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Memberships | Chamber of commerce, trade association, bar association | Low. Often a benefit you already pay for. |
| Suppliers and partners | "Where to buy" and "certified installer" pages | Low. One email. |
| Sponsorships | Youth sports, charity events, local festivals | Medium. Ask for a link on the sponsor page. |
| Local press | A story about a notable job, a hire, or a community project | Medium to high |
| Scholarships and community programs | A program page that schools and local groups link to | High, long-lasting |
| Unlinked mentions | A site that names your business without linking | Low. Ask them to add the link. |
| Useful tools and guides | A cost calculator or local guide other sites cite | High |
Most local businesses already qualify for several links they have never asked for. We start there.
How it works
Benchmark, build, report
Step 1
Benchmark
We measure your referring domains and authority against the top local competitors, not national outliers.
Step 2
Build
Outreach and local partnerships run every month, focused on the pages closest to the top 3.
Step 3
Report
Each link is logged with its source, authority, and target page, next to your ranking changes.
Link building explained
What is link building?
Link building is earning links from other websites to yours. Google treats a link as a sign that another site vouches for the page, and it weighs who is linking. One link from a local news site or a trade association counts for more than dozens from unrelated directories.
The kinds of links that matter locally
Foundational links: citations and established business directories. Local links: chambers of commerce, sponsors, community organizations, and local press. Industry links: associations, suppliers, and trade publications. Internal links: links between your own pages, which decide where that authority goes.
What link building work involves
A backlink audit. A comparison against the competitors ranking above you, measured in referring domains. Outreach for new links. Reclaiming lost links and unlinked mentions. An internal linking plan that points authority at priority service and location pages. Monitoring for harmful links.
What to avoid
Paid link networks, bulk directory packages, and the same keyword-heavy anchor text repeated across many sites. Google's spam systems discount or penalize these, and the cleanup costs more than the links did. Links work best when they point at strong pages, so this pairs with SEO content.
How we judge a link before pursuing it
- Relevance. Is the site about your town or your trade?
- Real audience. Does the site get traffic of its own?
- Editorial placement. Is the link inside content a person chose to publish, or on a page that links to anyone who pays?
- Destination. Does it point to a page you want to rank?
A link that fails the first two is not worth the time.
Anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable wording of a link. A natural profile is mostly your business name and plain URLs, with some descriptive phrases. Dozens of links that all say "best Dallas roofer" look manufactured, and Google's spam systems discount them.
Links and AI search
AI tools cite sources they find and trust. Mentions on local news sites, association pages, and respected directories raise the odds your business is named, with or without a link. This is the overlap with our AEO and GEO services.
Link building FAQ
Common questions about link building
Do you buy links?
No paid link schemes or private networks. Some legitimate directories and sponsorships charge fees, and we tell you before any of those are placed.
How many links do we need?
Enough to close the gap with the businesses ranking above you. A benchmark against your local competitors sets a realistic monthly target.
How fast do links affect rankings?
Most links take several weeks to be found and counted. Steady monthly growth works better than a single burst.
What results have you seen?
On accounts Steven has led, referring domains grew from 92 to 546 for a personal injury firm and from 328 to 796 for a multi-office firm, alongside major ranking gains. Results depend on market and competition.
What is a referring domain?
A unique website that links to yours. Ten links from one site count as one referring domain. It is the number we compare against competitors.
Are directory listings the same as links?
Directories are foundational links and citations. They confirm your business details and carry modest weight. Local and industry links from sites with editorial standards carry more.
What is a toxic link, and should we disavow?
A toxic link comes from a spam network or hacked site. Google ignores most of them on its own. A disavow file is reserved for clear cases, such as a manual action or a large volume of paid links from a past vendor.
Can a competitor hurt us with bad links?
It is rare for this to work, because Google discounts spam links. We do not do negative SEO, and we monitor your profile for unusual spikes.
Do reviews count as links?
No. Reviews help map rankings in a different way. Both add to how well known Google considers the business.
How do you report on links?
Each month you see the new links earned, the page each one points to, and your referring domain count next to the competitors you are chasing.
Pairs with SEO content and the Local SEO program. See more results from accounts Steven has led.