Why this matters
Links from other sites remain one of the strongest signals that your business is real and worth ranking. A new site with zero backlinks is a stranger to Google. The good news: your first ten links don't come from "link building" — they come from relationships you already have.
What "done" looks like
- Your chamber of commerce or trade association listing links to your site
- Suppliers or manufacturers you carry list you on their "where to buy" or partner pages
- At least one local press mention or community sponsorship links to you
- Every profile you control (directories, social, associations) points at your site
How to do it
- List every organization that already knows you: suppliers, chambers, trade groups, event organizers.
- Ask suppliers for dealer or partner-page listings — most manufacturers maintain them and just need your info.
- Join the local chamber of commerce — the member directory link comes with membership.
- Give local press a real story — an opening, a hire, a niche data point — not a request for coverage.
- Sponsor something small and local — teams and events usually credit sponsors with a link.
Common mistakes
- Buying links from cheap "SEO packages" — link schemes violate Google's spam policies and risk more than they help
- Mass-emailing strangers before exhausting suppliers and partners who'd say yes today
- Getting mentioned in press without a link because you never asked
Real-world examples
- Manufacturer "dealer locator" and "authorized reseller" pages are a standard, legitimate first-link source — the listing exists to send you customers, and the link comes with it.
- Google's spam policies explicitly treat paid links that pass ranking credit as link spam, which is why bought-link shortcuts routinely backfire.
From a founder's point of view
Early links are a byproduct of being a real participant in your industry and town. If a link would make sense to a customer clicking it, it's worth asking for; if it only makes sense to a search engine, it isn't.
Rule of thumb
Ten links from organizations that genuinely know your business beat a hundred from sites that don't.