Do backlinks still matter for local SEO?
Local SEO — answered straight, by an operator who builds these systems rather than an agency selling them.
Yes, but fewer and better than most agencies sell. For a local service business the links that move rankings are local and topical: the chamber of commerce, suppliers and manufacturers, trade associations, local news, sponsored teams and events, and genuinely relevant industry sites.
The longer version
Volume-based link packages are largely a legacy product. A hundred links from unrelated directories in unrelated countries do not help a plumbing company in Tacoma, and a portion of that inventory carries real risk to the domain.
The unglamorous local links are the ones with leverage, and most of them are free to earn. Sponsor a youth team and get listed. Join the trade association and claim the member profile. Ask the manufacturer whose product you install to add you to their dealer locator. Each one is a link a competitor cannot buy from a vendor.
More on local seo
Other questions
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