Most London businesses waste money on link building that doesn’t work. Buying directory links that do nothing. Guest posting on irrelevant blogs. Hoping links magically appear.
Here’s what actually builds backlinks that improve rankings in London’s competitive market.
Why Links Still Matter
Google still uses backlinks as a major ranking signal.
What links tell Google:
Other sites trust your content. Your site is authoritative in your topic. Your content is worth referencing. You’re a legitimate business.
Quality links from relevant sites boost rankings. Spammy links hurt rankings or do nothing.
The challenge is getting good links without buying obvious spam.
Quality Over Quantity
One great link beats 100 mediocre ones.
High-quality link characteristics:
From relevant site in your industry. From site with real traffic and authority. Placed naturally in content. Has descriptive anchor text. From UK-based site ideally. From trusted domain.
Low-quality links to avoid:
From random blog networks. From irrelevant foreign sites. From obvious link directories. With exact-match commercial anchor text. From sites that exist only to sell links.
Google penalizes obvious paid link schemes. Focus on earning links naturally.
Digital PR: The Best Link Building Strategy
Getting featured in real publications builds the best links.
What is digital PR:
Creating newsworthy content or stories. Pitching to journalists and bloggers. Getting featured in online publications. Earning editorial links naturally.
Why it works:
Links from news sites are high authority. Stories can get multiple links. Builds brand awareness simultaneously. Completely Google-safe approach.
London PR opportunities:
Evening Standard online. Time Out London. Londonist. London Business Matters. Borough-specific news sites. Industry publications covering London.
Making it work:
Create genuinely interesting stories or data. Survey your customers, share results. Comment on trending London topics. Offer expert opinions to journalists. Share unique business insights.
Content That Attracts Links
Some content naturally earns links. Most doesn’t.
Linkable content types:
Original research and data. Comprehensive guides. Interactive tools and calculators. Infographics visualizing data. London-specific resources. Industry reports and surveys.
What doesn’t get links:
Generic blog posts. Promotional content. Thin content everyone else has. Pure sales pages.
Example:
“10 Tips for SEO” won’t get links. “London SEO Survey: What 500 Businesses Actually Pay” will get links.
Invest in content worth linking to.
Local Link Building in London
Links from London sites carry extra weight for local rankings.
London link sources:
Local news outlets and blogs. London business directories. Borough council websites. London chambers of commerce. London industry associations. Universities and colleges. London event websites.
How to get them:
Join local business organizations. Sponsor local events. Get featured in local press. Partner with other London businesses. Offer resources to local sites.
Example strategy:
Sponsor a local charity event. Get link from charity website. Get coverage in local news. Multiple high-quality local links from one activity.
Guest Posting Done Right
Guest posting works if done properly. Most do it wrong.
Wrong way:
Mass email pitches to random blogs. Generic articles with keyword-stuffed links. Low-quality sites that accept anyone. Exact-match anchor text.
Right way:
Target relevant, quality sites in your industry. Pitch genuinely useful content ideas. Write exceptional content, not mediocre. Natural anchor text in author bio or context. Build relationships, not just links.
London angle:
Guest post on London business blogs. Write for London industry publications. Contribute to borough-specific sites. Share London-specific insights.
Quality guest posts build authority and links. Spam guest posts risk penalties.
Broken Link Building
Find broken links on relevant sites, offer your content as replacement.
The process:
Find sites in your industry with resource pages. Use tools to find broken links on those pages. Create content that replaces the broken resource. Email site owner pointing out broken link. Suggest your content as replacement.
Why it works:
You’re helping them fix their site. Easy yes for them. Natural, relevant link for you.
London focus:
Target London business sites. Find broken links to London resources. Offer London-specific replacement content.
Takes effort but builds quality links.
Partnership and Supplier Links
Business relationships create link opportunities.
Natural link sources:
Your suppliers can link to you. Complementary service providers. Industry associations you join. Clients if appropriate. Technology or tools you use.
Example:
You use specific accounting software. They have customer showcase page. Get featured with link to your site. Natural, relevant, high-quality link.
London partnerships:
Other London businesses you work with. London trade associations. Local suppliers and vendors. Co-marketing partnerships.
These links happen through real business relationships.
Testimonials and Reviews
Providing testimonials can earn links.
How it works:
Give testimonial for product or service you use. They publish it with link to your site. Natural link from relevant business.
Where to do this:
Software and tools you use. Professional services you hire. Industry vendors. Training or courses you’ve taken.
Include your company name and website. Many will link back when publishing.
Resource Pages and Directories
Some directories are worth it. Most aren’t.
Good directories:
Industry-specific professional directories. Local London business directories. Government or council sites. Educational institution resources. Non-profit and association listings.
Waste of time:
Generic paid directories. Foreign irrelevant directories. Sites that exist only to sell links. Low-quality aggregators.
Examples worth pursuing:
Yell.com for local businesses. Industry association member directories. London Chamber of Commerce. Gov.uk business links if eligible.
Be selective. Quality over quantity always.
Content Syndication
Republishing your content on other platforms can build links.
Platforms:
LinkedIn articles. Medium. Industry publications that accept syndication. News aggregators.
Syndication rules:
Canonical tag pointing to original. Clear that it’s republished content. Link back to original on your site. Don’t syndicate everywhere, be selective.
Benefits:
Reaches new audience. Builds author authority. Can earn links to your site.
HARO and Journalist Requests
Help a Reporter Out connects journalists with sources.
How it works:
Sign up for HARO emails. Respond to relevant journalist requests. Provide expert quotes or information. Get mentioned with link in published article.
Tips for success:
Respond quickly, journalists have deadlines. Provide genuinely helpful information. Don’t be overly promotional. Build relationships with journalists.
London angle:
Look for London-specific journalist requests. UK journalists often specify region. Position yourself as London expert.
One good HARO link can be worth months of other link building.
Link Building for Different Industries
Tactics vary by industry.
B2B professional services:
Industry publications. LinkedIn articles. Speaking at events. Webinars and podcasts. Research and whitepapers.
E-commerce:
Product reviews by bloggers. Gift guides and roundups. Influencer partnerships. Supplier and brand links. User-generated content campaigns.
Local services:
Local news coverage. Sponsor local events. Community involvement. Local business partnerships. Borough-specific directories.
Content publishers:
Guest posting. Digital PR. Original research. Expert commentary. Social sharing and promotion.
Choose tactics that fit your business type.
What Doesn’t Work Anymore
Save your time and money.
Avoid these tactics:
Buying links from fiverr or cheap services. Submitting to 1000 low-quality directories. Private blog networks. Article spinning and mass distribution. Comment spam on blogs. Forum profile links. Low-quality guest posting at scale.
These either don’t work or risk penalties. Google’s spam detection is sophisticated.
Measuring Link Building Success
Track what matters.
Metrics to monitor:
Number of quality links gained monthly. Domain authority of linking sites. Relevance of linking sites. Anchor text variety. Referring domains growth. Rankings improvement for target keywords. Organic traffic increase.
Tools:
Ahrefs for backlink analysis. SEMrush for competitor links. Google Search Console for link reports. Moz for domain authority.
Don’t just count links. Evaluate quality and impact on rankings.
Link Building Timeline and Budget
Realistic expectations:
Month 1-2: 5-10 quality links. Month 3-4: 10-15 quality links. Month 5-6: 15-20 quality links.
Quality link building is slow but sustainable.
Budget for London businesses:
Small business: £500-£1,500 monthly. Medium business: £1,500-£3,000 monthly. Enterprise: £3,000-£6,000+ monthly.
What you get:
Outreach and relationship building. Content creation for link opportunities. Digital PR pitches. Guest post placement. Link monitoring and reporting.
Link building isn’t cheap but it’s essential for competitive rankings.
Common Link Building Mistakes
Focusing on quantity over quality:
100 spammy links hurt more than help.
Exact-match anchor text:
“London lawyer” repeated 50 times looks manipulative.
Buying links obviously:
Google detects paid link schemes easily.
Ignoring relevance:
Links from unrelated sites don’t help.
No link diversity:
All links from one source or type looks unnatural.
Not disavowing toxic links:
Negative SEO or past bad practices need cleanup.
What AlgoSemantic Does
We build links the right way for London businesses.
Our approach:
Digital PR targeting London publications. High-quality guest posting on relevant sites. Broken link building in your industry. Partnership and supplier link opportunities. Content creation that naturally attracts links. Monthly link acquisition targets.
Recent results:
Law firm gained 45 quality links in 6 months, rankings improved for 20 keywords. E-commerce site earned links from 15 high-authority sites, organic traffic up 85%. SaaS company got featured in 8 industry publications.
Our pricing:
Link building: £1,500-£4,000 monthly depending on competitiveness. Includes outreach, content creation, placement, reporting.
We’ve been building links for London businesses since 2018. We know what works in this market.
Need Quality Backlinks?
We’ll audit your current backlink profile and show you exactly what you need to improve rankings.
Email us: contact@algosemantic.com Call us: +44 7412 808430
AlgoSemantic. The algorithm behind your success.
