Key points
- One relevant local link beats a hundred random ones
- Links support prominence for map rankings too
- Google's spam updates target manipulative link schemes
- Earn links through press, partners, sponsorships and useful content
What links still do
A link is a public vote from another site. Google uses links to discover pages and to weigh which sources are trusted on a topic. That has not changed, even as AI features have been added to search.
What good links look like for a local business
Local news coverage, a supplier's partner page, a trade association profile, a sponsorship mention from a local club, or a guest article in an industry publication. These are relevant, real, and hard for a competitor to copy.
How a local business can earn good links
- Ask suppliers and manufacturers to list you as an installer or stockist.
- Join your chamber of commerce and trade association, and complete the member profile.
- Sponsor a local team, school or event that publishes its sponsors online.
- Offer a local journalist data or expert comment on a story in your trade.
- Publish something worth citing, such as a local price guide or a seasonal checklist.
Check your existing links too. If a past agency built spam links, the usual advice is to stop adding more and let quality links outweigh them. Disavowing is rarely needed unless there is a manual action.
What to refuse
Packages that promise hundreds of links a month, private blog networks and paid links without disclosure. Google ran a spam update as recently as August 2026, and sites built on those tactics are the ones that lose rankings.
People also ask
Is buying addiction treatment leads legal under EKRA?
It can be, but how you pay decides it. EKRA makes paying for referrals to addiction treatment a federal crime, it covers private insurance, and in 2025 the Ninth Circuit confirmed it reaches marketing intermediaries. Paying per admission or per patient is where the risk sits, with penalties up to $200,000 and 10 years per occurrence. Have a healthcare lawyer review any lead deal. This is not legal advice.
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Is AS9100 certification worth it, and does it help a machine shop get found?
Only if buyers you want already ask for it. Owners report around $10,000 and eight months for AS9100, and it won't rank a shop by itself. It helps when aerospace, medical or defense buyers filter on it, and only if you publish it clearly: a certification page with scope and expiry, and a mention on every relevant capability page.
Read the full answer: Is AS9100 certification worth it, and does it help a machine shop get found? →
Does a commercial contractor need search visibility if work comes from bid boards?
Yes, but not for the reason most agencies sell. On a hard low-bid public job, price decides. Before that, someone has to invite you, prequalify you or put you on a bidders list, and they check your name online first. A site with real project pages, clear credentials and a correct Google profile is what gets you onto the lists where the bid is decided.
Can a law firm call itself best or specialist on its website?
Usually not in the way marketers want. Under ABA Model Rule 7.1, "best" is an unsubstantiated comparison that can mislead, and Rule 7.2(c) bars stating or implying you are a certified specialist unless an approved or ABA-accredited body certified you and you name it. You can describe the areas you practice in. Always check your own state's rules, which often differ.
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Does local SEO matter for a manufacturer that ships nationwide?
Yes, but for a narrower job than most shops expect. Your Google Business Profile ranks around your building, not across the country, so local search wins the buyers and engineers within driving distance of your plant. National work comes from website pages about your processes, materials and industries. Set up both, keep one profile at your real address, and don't stretch the service area to cover the country, because it won't change where you rank.
Read the full answer: Does local SEO matter for a manufacturer that ships nationwide? →