Look, I’ll be straight with you. Most of what you’ve heard about 'link building' is absolute rubbish.
If you’ve ever opened your inbox and seen a dodgy email from someone named 'Kevin' offering you 5,000 links for a hundred bucks, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the digital equivalent of hiring a bloke in a trench coat to hand out your business cards in a dark alley. It doesn’t work, it makes you look desperate, and eventually, Google is going to kick you off the platform for it.
But here’s the thing: you actually do need other websites to talk about you.
Think of it like a personal recommendation. If you’re looking for a good mechanic in Paddington and five of your mates all point to the same shop, you’re going to go there. Google works the same way. When reputable websites link to yours, Google thinks, "Right, these guys must know their stuff," and they push you higher up the search results.
Higher rankings mean more people see your name, which leads to more phone calls and more money in the bank.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how we actually do this for our clients at Local Marketing Group without acting like spammers. No jargon, no tech-speak, just stuff that actually brings in customers.
Why Most People Stuff This Up
Most business owners think more is better. They want thousands of links.
But I’d rather have one link from the Courier Mail or a local industry association than 10,000 links from a 'link farm' in a country you couldn't find on a map. Google isn't stupid. They can tell when you're trying to game the system.
When you buy cheap links, you aren't 'investing' in your business. You’re paying to have a target painted on your back. When Google does an update, those dodgy sites get wiped out, and they take your rankings down with them.
We’ve had blokes come to us after spending thousands on 'cheap SEO' only to find their website has completely vanished from Google. Fixing that takes twice as long and costs three times as much as doing it right the first time. If you want to know what you should actually pay for SEO, it’s usually more than a hundred bucks, but less than a new Hilux.
The "Real World" Approach to Links
We don't call it link building. We call it digital PR or just 'being a local legend.'
If you’re a plumber in Brisbane, you don't need a link from a fashion blog in Milan. You need a link from the local bowls club you sponsor, the hardware supplier you’ve used for ten years, or a local news site talking about a community project you helped with.
These are 'votes of confidence' that Google actually cares about.
Case Study: The Local Tradie Who Stopped Chasing Ghosts
We worked with a landscaping business recently. They’d been paying an agency $500 a month to 'build links.' When we looked under the hood, it was all junk. They were ranking on page 4 for everything.
We stopped the junk and did three things instead: 1. We got them featured on a popular Aussie home renovation blog. 2. We made sure their suppliers listed them as a 'preferred partner' on their sites. 3. We helped them write a piece for a local community site about how to save water during a Brisbane summer.
Within three months, they weren't just on page 1; they were getting so many local phone calls they had to hire two new staff members to keep up with the quotes.
How to Get Links Without Being a Pest
Here is the secret: give people a reason to talk about you.
1. Your Suppliers Are a Goldmine
You pay these people every month. Whether it’s for materials, software, or tools, you are their customer. Most big suppliers have a 'Where to Buy' or 'Our Partners' page.
Send them an email. Tell them you love their gear and ask if they’d mind listing you as a local specialist. It’s a five-minute job for them, and it’s a high-quality link for you because it’s relevant to what you do.
2. Sponsor Something Local
I’m not talking about spending $50k to get your logo on a stadium. I’m talking about the local under-12s footy team or a charity chook raffle.
Most of these clubs have a website. When you sponsor them, they usually put your logo and a link to your site on their 'Sponsors' page. Google loves this because it proves you are a real business operating in a real location. It’s one of the basics we cover in our introduction to SEO because it just works.
3. Be the Expert
You know your business better than anyone. If you’re a mortgage broker, you know why people are struggling with interest rates right now. If you’re a mechanic, you know why European cars are a nightmare to service.
Write that down. It doesn't have to be Shakespeare. Just 500 words of honest advice. Then, find a local news site or an industry blog and offer it to them for free. They get free content, and you get a link back to your site.
"The best links aren't something you buy from a spreadsheet; they're the digital footprint of a business that actually exists and does good work in the real world."
— Rachel Wong, Marketing Director
The "Content" Trap
You’ve probably been told you need to 'blog' every week. You don't.
Writing 300 words of AI-generated fluff about 'The Benefits of Clean Windows' is a waste of your time. Nobody reads it, and Google knows it’s filler.
Instead, create one 'Power Page' every few months. This is a page on your site that is so bloody good people want to link to it.
For a builder, this might be a '2024 Guide to Brisbane Granny Flat Costs.' For a vet, it might be 'What to do if your dog eats a cane toad.'
These pages solve problems. When people find a solution to a problem, they share it on Facebook, they link to it in forums, and they send it to their mates. That is how you build links naturally while you sleep.
Does Your Website Actually Work?
Before you go out and try to get people to link to you, make sure your house is in order.
There is no point getting a link from the biggest site in the world if, when someone clicks it on their iPhone, your website looks like a scrambled egg. If your site doesn't work on phones, you are literally throwing money away.
Google also looks at how people behave when they click a link. If they land on your page and immediately leave because it’s slow or confusing, Google will stop valuing that link. They want to send people to sites that actually help them.
How Long Does This Take?
If you want results tomorrow, go buy Google Ads. Seriously.
SEO and link building are a long game. It usually takes 3 to 6 months to see the needle move. But here’s the difference: with ads, the minute you stop paying, the phone stops ringing. With good links, that authority stays with you. It’s an asset you own, not a bill you pay forever.
What to Do Next
Stop looking for shortcuts. There aren't any.
If you want more customers from Google, you need to prove you’re the best option in your area. Start by looking at your current relationships.
- Who do you buy from? - Who do you sell to? - What local clubs do you support? - What do you know that would help your customers?
Start there. Reach out to those people. It’s not 'marketing'—it’s just networking in the digital age.
If all of this sounds like a massive headache and you’d rather just focus on running your business, that’s where we come in. We don't do the spammy stuff. We help Brisbane businesses get noticed by the people who matter.
We’ll sit down, look at what you’re doing, and tell you straight if we can help you get more bookings or if you’re better off spending your money elsewhere. No fluff, no jargon, just results.
Want to see if we're a good fit? Get in touch with us at Local Marketing Group and let’s have a yarn.