How to create backlinks for Google My Business

What people usually mean by this

Google My Business was renamed Google Business Profile. When owners ask for backlinks for it, they usually mean one of three things: the website link inside the profile, links from other sites that point to the business, or links that point at the profile page itself.

The first two matter. The third is mostly a myth. Google describes local ranking as a mix of relevance, distance and prominence, and says prominence draws on what it knows about the business across the web, including links, articles and directories. So the useful job is to make the business more visible and more consistent online, not to point links at a listing.

Three kinds of links, compared

Steps to build the links that help

1. Fix the listing firstConfirm your business name, address, phone and category are correct and match your website. Inconsistent details undercut every link you add.
2. Choose the landing pagePoint the website field to the page that serves a local visitor most directly: the location page or a clear homepage. Do not leave it on a broken URL.
3. List local organizationsWrite down your chamber of commerce, trade association, neighborhood groups, charities you support and local suppliers.
4. Complete each profileWhere you are a member, fill in the member page with your website, description and address.
5. Ask for a mentionSuppliers, event hosts and community partners can add you to their pages. Send a short message with the exact URL.
6. Add a location page link backOn your own site, link to the profile through a Maps embed or a review link. This helps customers, not rankings.

A walk-through for a neighborhood bakery

This is an invented case. A bakery has a profile, a website and five wholesale customers. It lists every local business that already knows it: the farmers market, a coffee shop that sells its bread, the neighborhood association and a school that orders for events.

Three of the five have a page where a link fits naturally. The bakery asks the market organizer to add its site to the vendor list, asks the coffee shop to name it on the menu page and fills in the neighborhood association's member profile. It also confirms the same address format on all three. Six weeks later it checks its Search Console Links report and its profile insights to see whether visits to the site from those pages show up.

How to measure

• Search Console Links report: new local domains pointing to your site.
• Analytics referral report: visits from the new pages.
• Business Profile insights: calls, direction requests and website clicks. Compare month over month.
• A simple check of ranking in your area for the main phrases, using a tool or an incognito search from different locations.

For a fuller checklist see the local SEO checklist and our local SEO service.

Pitfalls

• Buying citation or directory bundles. Quantity does not matter, accuracy does.
• Using a tracking URL that breaks. If you add parameters to your website link, check that the page still loads.
• Mismatched details. A different phone number on a directory can confuse both customers and search engines.
• Fake reviews or exchanged reviews. They violate Google's policies and put the listing at risk.
• Keyword stuffing the business name. It can lead to suspension.