Hi {{first_name}},
Last week we talked about backlinks you've already earned but never collected; warm relationships, existing mentions, and all your partnerships.
This week we go hunting.
Because once you've collected what's already yours, the next question is: where do I find new backlink opportunities that are worth pursuing?
The answer is not "everywhere." Most backlink advice is written for big brands chasing national traffic. You are a local business. You need local authority. That means being specific and strategic, not just busy.
Here are the four places worth your time.
Local and industry directories. A home pro listed on Angi, an accountant listed on Living Local 413. An interior decorator on the Better Business Bureau. These are trusted sources that Google and AI systems already respect.
Local blogs and "best of" publications or blogs. These include websites like Amherst Now, Northampton Living, Longmeadow Neighbors.
Contributing content to local publications. You know things your community finds genuinely useful. A roofing company writing a seasonal maintenance guide for a local home improvement blog. A nutritionist contributing a recipe column to a local family website. You get a byline, a link, and credibility with an audience that is already local and already interested.
Strategic partnerships with businesses serving the same clients. Not just referrals. Actual listed partnerships where both websites reference each other with a link. A wedding photographer and a florist. A personal trainer and a sports physio. A solicitor and an independent financial adviser. If you already refer clients to each other informally, formalising that with a linked mention on both websites costs nothing and benefits both of you.
The common thread across all four: relevance. A backlink from a trusted local or industry source is worth ten times a backlink from a random website that has nothing to do with your business or your town.
One Practical Move
Ahrefs has a free backlink checker at ahrefs.com/backlink-checker. Type in any website and it shows you where their backlinks are coming from.
Use it on your competitors. If a local competitor is getting a backlink from a directory, a blog, or a publication you have never heard of, that is an opportunity with your name on it. They found the door. You just have to walk through it.
April is Coming Early
Next week you will meet April (The person, not the month). She has run a hair salon in Northampton for twelve years. She gets bookings. She has a website, an Instagram, and a reputation people trust.
And her online visibility is falling apart in a way she cannot explain. She thinks the problem is SEO. We are going to show her it is something bigger.
Talk soon,
Fungai
Your Owwtreach Guy
Grow with Owwtreach
www.owwtreach.com