Backlinks influence around 50% of local SEO rankings, yet most local businesses either ignore them or build the wrong types of links.

In this episode of The Marketing Podcast for Local Businesses, Adam and Josh break down exactly how top-ranking local businesses build backlinks today. You’ll learn what backlinks really are, why they still matter for local search, and how to earn links that strengthen trust, relevance, and authority in Google.

We walk through 17 proven backlink strategies for local SEO, including local and niche directories, supplier and partner links, case studies, testimonials, sponsorships, linkable assets, tools, digital PR, outreach, and even the tactics people rarely talk about — like paid guest blogs and press releases — with an honest take on when they work and when they don’t.

If you want to rank higher in local search results and outperform competitors offering the same service in the same area, this episode gives you a clear, practical backlink playbook you can actually use.

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💥 Exclusive Listener Offer:

Get 20% off Website Design or SEO services when you quote PODCAST20.

Website Design: ⁠hello@websitedesigners.london⁠ | ⁠www.websitedesigners.london⁠

SEO Services: ⁠hello@improvemysearchranking.com⁠ | ⁠www.improvemysearchranking.com⁠

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Spotify Search Keywords

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🤖 AI can now do local SEO work in minutes that used to take hours.But most local businesses are using it in a way that creates generic content, wasted effort, and little to no increase in enquiries.

In this episode of The Marketing Podcast for Local Businesses, Adam and Josh share 7 exact AI prompts you can use with Claude to build a smarter, faster, and more effective local SEO strategy that actually drives calls, bookings, and sales.

This is a step by step episode. By the end, you will have a plug and play process for researching competitors, finding high intent local keywords, improving your Google Business Profile, and turning everything into a realistic 30 day execution plan you can actually follow.

Here is what we break down 👇

🔍 Speed up keyword research using competitorsAnalyse top ranking local competitors and let AI organise keywords by intent and page type.

🧠 Find competitor weaknesses you can exploitUse AI to identify missing trust signals, unclear service explanations, and content gaps you can easily outperform.

📞 Generate high intent local keywords that drive enquiriesFocus on urgency, bookings, and buyer intent rather than vanity traffic.

📍 Build a Google Business Profile posting plan that builds trustCreate posts based on real jobs, real locations, and real outcomes without sounding automated.

🎯 Differentiate your business from competitorsCompare messaging and positioning so customers choose you, not the cheapest option.

🗓️ Turn research into a 30 day local SEO action planA realistic plan designed for busy local business owners who want results, not theory.

⚙️ Create ready to use assets, not just ideasUse AI to draft service pages, FAQs, and GBP posts while you focus on proof and quality.

⚠️ The big rule that makes this workAI gives you speed. Specificity, proof, and clarity are what actually win rankings and customers.

RESOURCES

Link to prompts: https://marketing-podcast-local-businesses.com/7-prompts-for-expert-local-seo-using-claudes-ai/

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💥 Exclusive Listener Offer

Get 20% off Website Design or SEO services when you quote PODCAST20.

Website Designhello@websitedesigners.londonwww.websitedesigners.london

SEO Serviceshello@improvemysearchranking.comwww.improvemysearchranking.com

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🏷️ Tags

local SEO,AI for local businesses,Claude AI prompts,local SEO strategy,Google Business Profile optimisation,small business marketing UK,AI SEO tools,local search optimisation,marketing podcast for local businesses

🔮 These changes is 2026 are already playing out.

Some local businesses are adapting early and growing fast. Others are quietly losing visibility, enquiries and trust without fully understanding why.

In this episode of The Marketing Podcast for Local Businesses, Adam and Josh share their 2026 predictions based on what they are already seeing across real UK local businesses. More importantly, they explain exactly how each shift will impact you and what you need to do to stay visible, trusted and competitive.

Here is what we break down 👇

🤖 AI becomes the first place customers ask. AI tools will increasingly recommend just one or two local businesses. If your business is not clearly understood and trusted you simply do not appear.
🔍 SEO becomes about being the best answer. Keywords matter less while clarity and helpful explanations matter more.
⭐ Reviews turn into AI trust signals. Frequency, detail and consistency of reviews influence whether AI systems recommend your business.
💬 Search becomes more conversational and human. Clear natural language outperforms clever or vague marketing copy.
⚙️ Automation creates the real competitive gap. Fast replies, easy booking and smooth follow ups separate growing businesses from struggling ones.

⚠️ The big warning for 2026
AI is not replacing local businesses. It is replacing businesses that are hard to understand, hard to trust or slow to respond.

✅ The 2026 checklist for local businesses
Make sure your website clearly explains what you do, answers real customer questions and collects reviews consistently.
Ensure your business is visible to AI systems as well as traditional Google search.

🎯 This episode is essential listening if you want to understand where local business marketing is heading and how to adapt before these changes become unavoidable.

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💥 Exclusive Listener Offer:

Get 20% off Website Design or SEO services when you quote PODCAST20.

• Website Design: hello@websitedesigners.london | www.websitedesigners.london

• SEO Services: hello@improvemysearchranking.com | www.improvemysearchranking.com

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Keywords: 2026 marketing predictions, future of local SEO, AI search for local businesses, small business visibility, Google and AI search, reviews and trust signals, automation for SMEs, UK local business podcast, marketing trends 2026.