Why Smart Backlinks Still Deliver Big Results in 2025

You’ve probably heard the phrase a thousand times:

“Backlinks are the backbone of SEO.”

But if you’re a local business owner in the UK, you might be wondering:

“Do backlinks really matter for me?”
“Isn’t link building just for big national or eCommerce brands?”
“What’s the actual return on investment (ROI)?”

At Rank Up SEO Agency, we’ve worked with hundreds of local UK businesses — from plumbers in Peterborough to cafés in Camden — and we can say this with confidence:

Link building works.
And for local brands, it can deliver one of the highest ROI activities in digital marketing.

Let’s explore why.

🧠 What Is Link Building (And Why It Still Matters in 2025)?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to yours.

These links:

• Act as votes of confidence to Google

• Signal that your business is trustworthy and credible

• Help search engines discover and rank your pages faster

Even with algorithm updates and AI advancements, backlinks remain a top 3 ranking factor in 2025.

📍 Why Link Building Is Even More Powerful for Local Brands

Most local businesses focus on:

• Google Business Profile

• Reviews

• Local keyword targeting

But here’s the truth most agencies won’t tell you:

Without local authority backlinks, your rankings are capped.

Google uses backlinks to decide:

• Which local businesses are most trusted

• Which ones deserve to be in the Local Pack (the top 3 map results)

• Which ones are relevant beyond just location

So if your competitors have strong local backlinks, and you don’t — you’re invisible.

💡 Real ROI: What Does Link Building Actually Do for Local Brands?

Let’s look at results we’ve seen at Rank Up:

💼 Case Study: Roofing Company in Birmingham

Challenge: Stuck on page 2 for “roof repair Birmingham”
Solution:

• Built 5 local backlinks from Birmingham property blogs, news sites, and directories

• Updated service pages with stronger internal linking

• Published a local roofing guide that got 2 natural backlinks

Result:

• Page 1 ranking in 5 weeks

• Calls increased by 74%

• SEO ROI: £3,100 in closed jobs from just £600 in link building

🎯 ROI Breakdown: What You Gain

🔗 Best Types of Links for Local SEO ROI

Not all backlinks are equal. For local SEO, focus on:

✅ Local Business Directories (with real traffic)

• Yell, FreeIndex, Hotfrog, Yelp UK

• Niche-specific directories (e.g., Checkatrade for tradesmen)

✅ Local News & Community Sites

• City-based blogs, event roundups, press release placements

• Sponsorships or event mentions from local newspapers

✅ Partner & Supplier Links

• Get links from businesses you already work with (e.g., contractors, vendors)

✅ Local Resource Pages

• “Top 10 florists in Glasgow” or “Local SEO experts in Liverpool” lists

✅ Backlinks from Charities or Events You Support

• Sponsor a local football team, school event, or charity — and request a link

🧪 How to Track Link Building ROI

At Rank Up, we track link value with:

• Keyword Position Tracking – Are rankings improving after link campaigns?

• Organic Traffic Increases – Are you getting more visitors from search?

• Lead Conversions – Are form fills and calls increasing?

• Cost per Lead (CPL) – Are your SEO leads cheaper than ads?

📈 Spoiler: SEO leads via link building are often 70%+ cheaper than paid ads long term.

🚩 Avoid This: Cheap Links from Random Sites

Some agencies will offer “100 backlinks for £99.” Sounds tempting, right?

But these often come from:

• Spammy forums

• Irrelevant, low-quality directories

• Private blog networks (PBNs) that Google penalizes

These links can hurt your rankings more than help them.
Real ROI comes from quality, relevance, and trust — not volume.

🧭 Final Thoughts: Link Building Is Your Local Advantage

For local UK brands, link building isn’t just an SEO tactic — it’s a way to:

• Build authority

• Get found by the right people

• Outrank big-budget competitors

• Turn your website into a lead-generating asset

And best of all? The results compound.
Unlike ads that stop when the budget runs out, a good link keeps giving — month after month.

🚀 Ready to Build Links That Drive Real Results?

At Rank Up SEO Agency, we help UK businesses grow through strategic, local-focused link building that delivers traffic, leads, and long-term ROI.

👉 Request a Link Building Audit
👉 Explore Our Local SEO + Link Packages
👉 See Our Client Success Stories

Let’s build backlinks that mean business.
Let’s Rank Up.