Link building (aka backlink building) increases the authority of your web pages. In local SEO Google uses authority, relevance, and proximity to determine which websites show up at the top of organic results. Google confirms that authority is page-based, not site-based. This means a backlink won’t boost every page on your site, only the authority of the specific page linked to. However, you can use that pages increased authority to increase the authority of other pages through internal links.

This chart shows the importance of backlinks for local SEO in generating leads for your business. Backlinks are the most difficult part of SEO and the easiest way to differentiate your business from competitors and get ahead in the rankings. While the 18.5% slice in the chart below may not seem as significant as other factors, it’s the hardest slice of the pie to acquire, and it’s what will set you apart. Not only can you receive traffic from visitors clicking those links, but you also receive organic traffic when your page appears in search results.

Source: Percentages are based on the average percentages given by ChatGPT (o4-mini-high) and Gemini (2.5 Flash) after performing Deep Research. Their results differed by an average of 6 percentage points for each of the factors.

For local searches Google provides local results. Goole’s goal is to provide the most relevant results for your search. Backlinks from local businesses and organizations within your community show your web page is an authority, for the keywords it covers, within your community.

Business Directory Listings (Citations)

Rank Utah uses a simple white-hat strategy to help small businesses in Utah acquire backlinks. First, we focus on helping you get citations (business directory listings). We sync your business info to 150+ platforms, directories, map apps, consumer apps and voice assistants via the five leading data aggregators (Localeze, DataAxle, YP Network, GPS Network, and Foursquare). These listings act as the foundation to to showing up in Google Search Results. Google requires a consistent NAP (name, address, and phone number) for your business across the web if you want to show up in search results. This service syncs these directories with your busienss and enables us to update all as needed. In addition to a consistent NAP, many of these directories also provide backlinks to your homepage, boosting your homepage authority and potentially brining additional traffic.

Business Blog

Rank Utah also provides you with other tools to help you acquire local backlinks. One of these is a custom business blog with keyword-driven topic lists backed by keyword research customized for your area of business so you can write posts that align with customer search intent and drive traffic, boost SEO, and position yourself as a local authority. The blog enables you to easily set tup a tagging system, allows for searching your posts, light and dark mode that is auto-set based on the users system settings, and a CMS that helps you use local SEO best practices. It will have the same look, feel, and performance, as the current blog you are on.

Competitor Analysis

Rank Utah also provides you with an analysis of your competitors and the backlinks they have in common. This allows you to even the playing field by acquiring the same backlinks your competitors share.

Local Chamber of Commerce

One of the simplest methods for acquiring a backlink is to pay for a membership with your city Chamber of Commerce. This is a powerful link as it ties you to your local area, comes from a reputable source, can potentially drive traffic to your website, while also providing any of the additional benefits the chamber provides.

Sponsorships

Sponsoring local events often provides you with a backlink and greater visibility within your community. You can find sponsorship opportunities by typing in Google “inurl:sponsors orem”. This will give results for businesses that have the word “sponsors” within their website url.

Partnerships

Consider who would naturally make referrals to your business and ask them to link to your website or exchange links if you both share referrals. This might include suppliers or businesses that don’t directly compete with you. The places where you would get the traffic you want for your website are the most natural and beneficial places to get a backlink.

Reach Out

If you have a small business and would like to start services, ask additional questions, or otherwise connect, visit my website RankUtah.com.