Local Link Building That Scales:

Smart Strategies for B2B SEO

Links still matter in SEO. But in international B2B, it’s not about racking up backlinks for the sake of it. It’s about building credibility, relationships, and search equity where it counts: in each local market.

This guide shows how to approach local link building in a way that scales across countries without turning your SEO strategy into a manual slog.

Why local links matter in B2B

When Google sees local sites linking to your local pages, it takes that as a sign of relevance and trust.

If you're trying to rank your Dutch subfolder or French ccTLD, but 90% of your links come from US blogs, that signals a mismatch. It may hold back your rankings in-country, especially for competitive terms.

But this isn’t just about search. The best local links often come from the same activities that drive awareness, leads, and partnerships. That’s why your link-building strategy should tie directly into your international go-to-market efforts.

Start with existing assets and relationships

You may already have untapped link opportunities:

  • Global clients with local offices

  • Local partners or resellers

  • Event sponsorships or speaking engagements

  • Mentions in local media or industry press

Audit your existing PR and partnerships per market. Often, a quick outreach with the right URL and anchor text can earn you valuable, natural links.

Make it easy for them: suggest the best page to link to, offer a line of suggested copy, and explain why it adds value.

Create country-specific content worth linking to

To attract local links, you need content with local relevance. That doesn’t mean rewriting your entire site. Start with:

  • Country-specific landing pages

  • Case studies featuring local clients

  • Data-driven content based on local research

  • Insights on local regulations or market trends

Example: If you’re expanding into Spain with a payments solution, publish a guide to Spanish e-invoicing rules. Share it with fintech associations or local LinkedIn groups. That’s linkable content.

The same applies to press releases, product launches, or reports. Translate and localise them, then distribute through local newswires or niche publishers.

Partner with local associations and communities

Local industry associations, chambers of commerce, and startup ecosystems are often overlooked in B2B link building. Yet they:

  • Often have high domain authority

  • Publish member news or expert articles

  • Are trusted by your target audience

Become a member, contribute thought leadership, sponsor a local event, or offer to run a joint webinar. These collaborations can lead to editorial links that are far more valuable than any paid directory.

Leverage digital PR with a local angle

You don’t need a global PR firm to land coverage in a new market. What you need is:

  • A relevant story

  • A clear local hook

  • A list of 15–20 local journalists or publications

Stories that tend to land well:

  • Launching in the local market

  • Hiring a country manager

  • Publishing new local research

  • Announcing partnerships with local brands

Make sure your press release or pitch is in the local language, includes a spokesperson, and links to a localised page (not your global homepage).

Build links through co-marketing

One of the fastest ways to scale local links is to piggyback on other companies’ trust. Identify:

  • Complementary tech partners in-market

  • Non-competing service providers

  • Event organisers or consultants

Co-host webinars, write joint guides, or run cross-promotions. Then agree on where and how you’ll both link to each other. Just make sure the content adds real value – Google knows the difference between co-marketing and link schemes.

Be consistent, not robotic

Avoid trying to “scale” link building with generic outreach emails or poor-quality guest posts. They rarely work and can hurt your brand.

Instead, create a system:

  • Choose 3–5 core tactics that match your team’s strengths

  • Build templates and workflows for outreach, localisation, and reporting

  • Track results per market (e.g. number of local links earned, rankings, referral traffic)

A smart B2B link-building programme is more about rhythm than volume. You’re building relationships, not scraping link juice.

Final thought: link building as reputation building

Think of every local link as a vote of confidence. Not just for Google, but for your next prospect, investor, or partner in that market.

Done well, link building helps you:

  • Rank faster in competitive markets

  • Build brand familiarity and recall

  • Generate referral traffic from trusted local sources