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Building Backlinks & Local Citations

In the world of Local SEO, Google’s trust in your business is heavily influenced by two key factors:

  1. The quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your site
  2. The consistency of your citations (your business’s name, address, and phone number—aka NAP—across the web)

These two elements are what establish your business’s authority, legitimacy, and relevance in a specific geographic area.

In other words: even with a great Google Business Profile and a well-optimized website, you won’t climb the rankings for “digital marketing near me” or “landing page design Kansas” if no other reputable sites are vouching for you.

Let’s break this section into two major parts:

A backlink is simply a hyperlink from another website pointing to yours. In Google’s eyes, it’s like a vote of confidence — someone thinks your content, business, or services are valuable enough to recommend.

Local backlinks are links from other websites that are location-relevant to your business. That could mean:

  • Local news outlets
  • Chamber of Commerce websites
  • Community organizations
  • City-based business directories
  • Local blogs or influencers
  • Sponsorship and event sites
  • Local client websites (case studies/testimonials)

Why they matter:

  • They strengthen local signals (helping Google associate your site with a specific region)
  • They build trust — especially if coming from .org, .edu, or other authoritative domains
  • They boost organic and map rankings in competitive local markets
  • They drive referral traffic — real people clicking from relevant sources

Backlinks are one of Google’s top 3 ranking factors — even for local intent queries.

Getting local backlinks takes time and effort, but the impact is enormous when done strategically. Here’s a breakdown of proven tactics:

Join Local Business Organizations

  • Become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, business network, or trade association.
  • Most will list your business on their website (with a link).

Example:

Kansas City Chamber of Commerce → Member Directory → Your Profile → Backlink to your site.
  • Pitch local newspapers, blogs, and journalists with newsworthy content:
    • A new product launch
    • Community involvement or charity work
    • Small business milestones
  • Use sites like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to respond to relevant local media queries.
  • Submit thought leadership pieces or local opinion pieces to community publications.
  • Sponsor a school event, podcast, or charity initiative and ask for a backlink in return.
  • Offer to provide free marketing support (e.g., landing page design) for local fundraisers — with attribution.

Create a Hyperlocal Resource Page

  • Build a blog post or landing page like:
    • “Top 10 Tools for Kansas-Based Creators”
    • “The Best Print-on-Demand Partners in Wichita”
  • Then reach out to businesses you mention and ask them to share or link back.

Collaborate with Local Clients or Partners

  • Offer to write a case study or success story for a local client in exchange for a backlink from their site.
  • Cross-promote on blogs or newsletters.

What Are Local Citations — and Why Are They Important?

A local citation is any online mention of your business’s NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number), with or without a backlink. Common citation sources include:

  • Online directories (Yelp, Foursquare, YellowPages, Apple Maps)
  • Industry-specific platforms (Clutch, UpCity for agencies)
  • Map and GPS services (Google Maps, Waze, Here)
  • Aggregator feeds (Data Axle, Neustar, Factual)

Why citations matter:

  • They reinforce business legitimacy and location trust
  • They are one of the core ranking factors in Google’s local algorithm
  • They help build visibility outside of Google, like on Apple Maps or Bing Places

If your citations are inconsistent, outdated, or duplicated, they confuse Google and reduce your ability to rank for local terms.

How to Audit and Build High-Quality Citations

Step 1: Audit Existing Listings

Use tools like:

Look for:

  • Mismatched NAP (old phone numbers, old addresses)
  • Duplicate listings
  • Misspellings or abbreviations (e.g., St. vs Street)
  • Missing core listings (especially Google, Bing, Apple)

Step 2: Fix and Build New Citations

Start with core platforms:

  • Google Business Profile
  • Apple Maps
  • Yelp
  • Bing Places
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Better Business Bureau
  • YellowPages

Then build niche-specific citations:

  • Clutch, UpCity (for marketing agencies)
  • Etsy or Shopify store directories (for eCommerce)
  • Alignable, Top Design Firms, etc.

Then expand into local-specific listings:

  • Local newspaper directories
  • Regional business listings
  • Local blogs or community portals

Always make sure:

  • Your NAP matches your Google Business Profile exactly
  • You add your website when possible
  • Descriptions include relevant keywords and services

The Power of Structured vs Unstructured Citations

Structured citations are listings in directories with defined fields (like Yelp or BBB).

Unstructured citations are mentions in blogs, press, reviews — any content that includes your business info without using a form.

Both are valuable. Structured citations help Google verify your data. Unstructured ones (especially with backlinks) build domain authority and local relevance.

Local SEO isn’t “set and forget.” Track your efforts monthly:

  • Review citation accuracy
  • Identify and correct duplicate listings
  • Disavow spammy backlinks (via Google Search Console if needed)
  • Continue outreach for new link-building opportunities

Use tools like:

  • Google Search Console (for link monitoring)
  • BrightLocal or Whitespark (for citation accuracy and NAP audit)
  • Ahrefs or Ubersuggest (for backlink tracking)
Updated on May 26, 2025