How to Build Local Links for Your Business: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide

Local links are backlinks from websites that share your geographic area – a city-based news outlet, a local business association, a neighbourhood blog, or a community event page. For small and medium-sized businesses across Africa, local links do two things at once: they tell search engines your business is relevant in a specific location, and they put your name in front of real people who are actively engaged in that community. This guide walks through exactly how to build them, step by step.

Step 1: Understand What Makes a Local Link Valuable

Not all links carry the same weight, and pursuing the wrong ones wastes time you do not have.

A strong local link shares three qualities. First, it comes from a website that is geographically relevant – a Nairobi business directory is far more valuable to a Nairobi restaurant than a link from a generic global site. Second, it comes from a page that real people actually visit, not a dormant web listing created solely to generate links. Third, it is editorially placed, meaning a real person chose to include it because it made sense – not because you paid for it or submitted to an automated directory farm.

Google's link spam policies are clear: links should be earned through relevance and genuine editorial value. Chasing volume alone or buying links – risks penalties that can undo months of visibility work. For African businesses building a presence in competitive urban markets like Lagos, Nairobi, or Johannesburg, a handful of credible local links will consistently outperform dozens of low-quality ones.

Step 2: Audit Your Existing Link Profile Before Building New Ones

Before reaching out to anyone, know where you stand. Auditing your current backlinks prevents you from duplicating effort and reveals gaps worth filling.

Open Google Search Console and download your link history. Sort the results by geographic relevance: which links come from websites in your country or city, and which come from sources with no local connection? The local ones are your foundation; the irrelevant ones are noise.

If Google Search Console does not show enough data, tools like Ahrefs or Semrush can pull a fuller picture of your link profile. You do not need to act on every finding immediately – the goal of this step is clarity. Once you know what you have, you can target what is missing.

Also check your consistent local citation data – business name, address, and phone number across directories – because citations and backlinks reinforce each other in local search ranking.

Step 3: Get Listed in Quality Local Directories

Business directories are the fastest starting point for local links, and they are achievable for any business regardless of size or technical experience.

Start with the platforms that appear most prominently when customers search for your type of business in your city. In African markets, this includes country-specific directories, industry vertical platforms, and general business listings. Destinali lists over one million verified businesses across 54 countries and 80+ categories, making it a practical first stop for businesses in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and beyond.

Beyond a single platform, local business directories across Africa vary significantly in traffic and editorial quality. Prioritise those that show up in search results for your business category, since that is where customers are already looking. Avoid directories with no real traffic or no editorial standards – a link from a site no one visits adds little.

Step 4: Join Local Business Organisations and Chambers of Commerce

Chambers of commerce, industry associations, and professional bodies typically list members on their websites with a link back to each business. These are among the most natural and credible local links available.

Identify the organisations relevant to your city and industry. A real estate agency in Accra might target the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association. A clinic in Kampala might seek membership in a local healthcare professionals' network. A restaurant in Cape Town might join the local hospitality association.

When joining, ask specifically whether membership includes a listing on the organisation's website. Most do but the link is not always automatic. Also ask about contributing to their newsletter or blog. A guest article or featured member story adds a second link opportunity and builds your authority within that professional community.

Step 5: Sponsor or Participate in Local Events

Local events create natural, time-sensitive link opportunities from event pages, local government sites, and community platforms.

Sponsoring an event typically earns a link from the event's website as part of the sponsorship package – confirm this before committing. Sponsorships do not need to be expensive. Supporting a local school fundraiser, a market day, or a community sports tournament in your neighbourhood can earn a credible link at low cost, while also positioning your brand as a community contributor.

Participation works too. Offering your premises as a venue for a local meetup, speaking at a business event, or hosting a free workshop gives organisers a reason to link to your website. Look for events that have a track record of listing partners and contributors on a web page, not just social media posts – social mentions do not carry the same link equity.

Step 6: Build Relationships With Complementary Local Businesses

Some of the most valuable links come not from formal programmes but from genuine business relationships.

Identify businesses that serve a similar customer but do not compete directly with you. A hotel in Kigali might partner with a local tour operator. A law firm in Abuja might connect with an accounting practice. A gym in Johannesburg might refer clients to a nearby nutritionist. These relationships create natural reasons to mention each other on your respective websites – through "Our Partners" pages, referral notes, or collaborative content.

The simplest approach: contact complementary businesses you already know and propose a mutual resource page or a guest article. Offer to write a short piece of content for their website, relevant to their audience, with a natural link back to yours. Most small businesses welcome content they do not have to produce themselves. A link from a trusted local business in a related field is among the most relevant you can earn.

Step 7: Create Locally Focused Content Worth Linking To

Outreach is far easier when you have something worth linking to. Locally focused content gives other websites a reason to reference you.

Content that earns local links includes neighbourhood guides relevant to your industry, local statistics or original observations from your business experience, resources that help customers navigate your city, and list posts that feature other local businesses alongside yours. When you name and include other businesses in a resource, many will share or link to it naturally.

A law firm in Nairobi might publish a guide to small business registration in Kenya. A hotel in Accra might create a neighbourhood guide for first-time visitors. A clinic in Durban might publish a practical health resource for local residents. These pieces attract links from the organisations and businesses mentioned, and they signal topical authority to search engines. According to Backlinko, comprehensive and well-structured content consistently earns more backlinks than shorter, thinner articles.

Step 8: Pitch Local Media and News Outlets

Local journalists and bloggers need stories. Positioning your business as a credible local source earns both coverage and links.

Identify the news outlets, online publications, and blogs that cover business and community topics in your city. Send a concise, newsworthy pitch – an opening, a business milestone, a community initiative you are running, or an expert comment on a local trend. A restaurant owner commenting on food price changes, or a clinic speaking on public health in their district, is genuinely useful to a local journalist.

When you earn media coverage, the article typically includes a link to your website. These editorial links from established local publications carry significant authority. Set up Google Alerts for your city and industry keywords so you can spot conversations where your input would be relevant and timely.

Step 9: Track Your Progress and Stay Consistent

Local link building is not a one-time task. Tracking results tells you what is working, what to repeat, and where to redirect effort.

Keep a simple spreadsheet tracking every outreach contact: the website, the date of contact, the type of link opportunity, and the outcome. Review your backlink profile quarterly using Google Search Console or an SEO tool. Monitor whether new links correlate with movement in your local SEO performance metrics – rankings, map visibility, and traffic from local search.

One consistent local link earned per month compounds meaningfully over a year. Consistency matters more than bursts of activity followed by long gaps. For African SMBs competing in fast-growing urban markets, steady, credible link growth builds the kind of long-term authority that drives sustainable customer discovery.

FAQ

What Is a Local Link and How Is It Different From a Regular Backlink?

A local link is a backlink from a website that is geographically relevant to your business – such as a city-based directory, a local news site, or a regional business association. A regular backlink can come from anywhere on the web. For local businesses, links from geographically relevant sources carry additional ranking weight because they signal to search engines that your business is an active and trusted part of a specific community.

Do Local Links Still Matter for Search Rankings in 2025?

Yes. Research by Sterling Sky found that even a single high-quality local backlink can produce a measurable increase in organic search rankings for local businesses. Link signals remain one of the top-ranked factors for local organic results and are the fourth most significant factor for Google's Local Pack, according to BrightLocal's local ranking factors study.

How Many Local Links Does a Small Business Need?

There is no fixed number. The right target depends on your market, your industry, and what your competitors have. In many local markets, a business with 20 to 30 high-quality, relevant local links will outrank competitors with hundreds of low-quality ones. Use a backlink tool to compare your link count against direct competitors in your city – that comparison gives you a practical starting point.

Are Directory Listings the Same as Local Links?

Not exactly. A directory listing that includes a clickable link to your website counts as a local link. A citation – a mention of your business name, address, and phone number – can exist without a link and still supports local search visibility through NAP consistency. A complete local SEO approach uses both: structured citations for trust signals and linked directory listings for link equity.

What Types of Content Earn the Most Local Links?

Content that earns local links consistently includes neighbourhood resource guides, locally relevant how-to articles, event round-ups featuring other businesses, and original data or observations from your business experience. The key is that other websites in your area have a reason to reference what you have published. Naming and featuring other local businesses in your content is one of the most reliable ways to generate natural links from those businesses.

Is It Safe to Exchange Links With Other Local Businesses?

Occasional, natural link exchanges with genuinely complementary businesses are generally acceptable. However, large-scale or reciprocal link schemes – where two sites link to each other primarily to inflate link counts – violate Google's guidelines and can reduce rankings over time. Focus on exchanges that would make sense to a reader, not ones that exist purely for SEO value.

How Long Does Local Link Building Take to Show Results?

Most businesses see measurable movement in local search rankings within two to four months of earning their first strong local links. The timeline varies based on market competition, domain age, and how many links are being built. Results compound over time: a consistent link-building effort over twelve months typically produces significantly more visibility than the same number of links acquired in a short burst.

What to Do Now

• Run a quick audit of your current backlinks in Google Search Console and note which ones are locally relevant
• List three local organisations – a chamber of commerce, an industry association, or a community group and check whether they link to member websites
• Identify two complementary businesses in your city and draft a short message proposing a resource exchange or guest article
• Create one locally focused piece of content this month – a neighbourhood guide, a practical resource, or a list featuring other businesses
• Set a quarterly reminder to review your link profile and track changes in local search visibility

Businesses that want to accelerate this process can get a local SEO pack from Destinali, which includes three authoritative content pieces – listicle, comparison, and review – each linking back to your business profile with do-follow backlinks.