Links from other websites are still one of the strongest signals Google uses. What has changed is the kind of link that counts. Whitespark’s 2026 survey listed industry-relevant inbound links as the fifth most important factor for local organic rankings.
Relevance now carries more weight than sheer volume.
For a small Sussex business, that’s good news. You don’t need hundreds of links. You need a handful from sites that make sense for your business and your area.
The Best Links Come From Things People Want to Share
One of our favourite examples is a forest nursery we worked with. We got the nursery links from a Wildlife Trust, in content about making children wildlife guardians.
Those links came from a respected organisation, on a subject closely tied to what the nursery does. That relevance makes them far more valuable than any directory listing.
The lesson for other businesses is to look at what you already do that someone else might care about. Most small businesses have a story somewhere, whether it’s a community project, an unusual job, a milestone or an expert opinion on a local issue.
Where Sussex Businesses Can Find Links
Most local businesses already have link opportunities they haven’t used:
- Local press, such as The Argus and Sussex World, covers community projects, milestones and local expertise.
- Chambers of commerce and business networks often list members on their websites.
- Trade associations and accreditation bodies in your industry may list or feature members.
- Suppliers and partners may feature you as a customer or case study.
- Charities, schools, sports clubs and events you support often thank their supporters online.
- Local guides and “best of” lists can include your business.
How to Approach Local Press
Local journalists are busy, and they get plenty of press releases. A short, clear email with a local angle stands a much better chance than a polished release about your new website.
Here’s how we’d approach it:
- Find the right person by checking who writes about business or community stories, instead of sending your email to a general inbox.
- Lead with the local angle in the subject line, such as a Horsham business doing something for Horsham people.
- Cover who, what, when and where in the first two or three sentences.
- Include a short quote from you and offer a good photo.
- Send it while the story is still current, not weeks afterwards.
- Follow up once, politely, and then leave it.
Not every story will be picked up, and not every article will include a link. A mention in the local paper still helps people find and trust you.
Getting Value From Chambers, Suppliers and Sponsorships
Before you join a chamber or business network, check whether it lists members on its website and whether those listings link to members’ sites. Some do, and a listing on a respected local organisation’s site is a relevant local link.
Suppliers and partners are often overlooked. If you’ve worked with a supplier for years, offer them a testimonial or a short case study for their website. Many businesses are happy to publish one, and it can include a link back to you.
If you sponsor a local team or event, ask whether sponsors are listed online. Google asks for links that exist because of payment, including sponsorship, to be marked as sponsored, so treat these as a bonus for visibility and goodwill, not a ranking trick.
Mentions Help Too
Not every mention needs a link to be useful. When your business is named on trusted sites, it helps search engines and AI tools build a picture of who you are, what you do and where you work. Keep your business name, address and phone number consistent wherever they appear, so all those mentions point to the same business.
Links to Avoid
Google’s spam policies are clear about link schemes:
- Don’t buy links or pay for “guaranteed” placements.
- Don’t swap links in bulk with other businesses.
- Stay away from low-quality directories that exist only to sell listings.
- Don’t write guest posts on unrelated sites purely for a link.
If a link would make no sense to a human reader, it won’t help you with Google either.
Keep Track of What You Earn
The Links report in Google Search Console shows the sites that link to you most. Check it every few months to see which of your efforts have paid off, and keep a simple list of the organisations you’ve approached so you don’t chase the same people twice.
If you’d like help finding local link opportunities, here’s how we approach local SEO across Sussex.
Once the work is done, you need to know whether it’s paying off. The final post in this series covers how to measure local SEO in 2026.