Local links and mentions you can earn

Imagine your local paper writes about the best places for brunch in your suburb. You’re in it, with a link to your website. You didn’t pay for it. You earned it. That’s the kind of link this lesson is about.

By the end, you’ll have a list of ten genuine local link and mention ideas, and a habit of one or two asks a month. No shortcuts, and nothing you’d have to hide from Google.

Remember prominence, from Lesson 1.1: how well known your business is. Google says this includes how many websites link to your business, as well as how many reviews you have.

Local search experts agree that links matter, and that quality beats quantity. In Whitespark’s survey, the quality of the links pointing to your website ranked third for the ordinary results under the map. Links from sites in your industry ranked fifth. And for AI search, the same experts said mentions are the new link.

But here’s the catch. Google’s guide to its AI features says that chasing fake mentions across the web isn’t as helpful as it might seem. The links and mentions that count come from real relationships. So let’s find yours.

Here are ten places to look. Write down every one that fits you.

One: suppliers and manufacturers you buy from. Many have a “find an installer” or “stockist” page. Two: your trade body or professional association. Many list their members, sometimes with a link. Three: your local chamber of commerce or business group. Join because it’s useful for your business. The listing is a bonus. Four: local news. Offer a real story, like a new apprentice or a charity day, or a useful tip when the season calls for it. A plumber before winter. A roofer after a storm. Five: local “best of” guides and awards that judge on merit. Never pay for a made-up award. Six: schools, clubs and charities you genuinely support. More on sponsorship in a minute. Seven: events you run, like a free workshop or an open day. Venues and local event listings often link to you. Eight: something useful on your own website that others want to share. A checklist for choosing a builder, or a guide to parking near your clinic. Nine: places that already mention you without a link. Search for your business name and see who’s talking about you. A polite email can turn a mention into a link. And ten: the directories and listings from the last lesson. They’re mentions too.

Now the rules check, because this is where people get sold shortcuts.

Google’s spam policies describe link spam as links made, in its words, “primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings”. That includes buying or selling links, giving goods or services in exchange for links, excessive link swaps, like “link to me and I’ll link to you”, automated link building, and low-quality directory links. Networks of websites set up just to link to each other are made for the same reason, whatever they’re called.

What about sponsorship? Google says paid links for advertising and sponsorship are a normal part of the web, as long as the link is marked “sponsored” or “nofollow”. So if you sponsor the junior football team and they link to you, ask them to mark the link as sponsored. The same goes for a free meal or product given in return for a blog post with a link. The mention still helps people find you, and trust you.

And if someone offers you fifty links for a small fee, ignore it.

So how do you ask? Keep it short and personal. Say who you are and how you’re connected. Ask for one specific thing, like a listing on their members page with your website. Make it easy: send your business name, a one-line description, your town and your website. And say thank you, whatever the answer.

Never offer money, a discount or free work in return for a link, unless it’s an open sponsorship and the link is marked as sponsored.

Then make it a habit. One or two asks a month is plenty. Put a reminder in your calendar for the first Monday of each month. Many people won’t reply the first time, and one friendly follow-up two weeks later is fine. After that, let it go and move to the next idea.

Open W11, your local links and mentions list. It has four columns: the idea, the contact, the date you asked, and the result.

Here’s an example for a dental practice. Idea: the company that supplies its implants has a “find a clinic” page. Contact: the account manager’s email. Asked: today. Result: blank for now.

Next row: the summer fair at the local primary school, which the practice sponsors. Note: if they add a link, ask for it to be marked as sponsored.

Next: the local paper, with a short piece on helping nervous patients. Contact: the news desk.

Keep going until you have ten ideas. Then pick the easiest one, and send it this week.

A quick country note. These ideas work the same way in the US, the UK and Australia. Only the names change: a Little League team in Ohio, a Sunday league side in Manchester, or a junior footy club in Perth.

Let’s recap. One: Google counts websites that link to you as part of prominence, and real local relationships make the best links. Two: never buy links, swap them or join link networks, and ask for sponsored links to be marked as sponsored. Three: a mention without a link still helps people find you and trust you.

Your task: fill in W11 with ten ideas, and send your first ask this week. Next lesson: showing up in AI answers.

And if you’d rather hand over the listings side while you build these relationships, Flexi Local’s local SEO service fixes your listings across the directories that matter in your country. The course works the same either way.