GBP-Focused Backlinking for Real Estate: Link Like a Pro

Backlinks are one of the most powerful factors that determine how high you rank on Google Maps. If your Google Business Profile (GBP) is fully optimized but you're still struggling to show up in the top 3 results, chances are you're missing these foundational signals of trust and authority. This lesson will explain exactly what backlinks are, why they matter for real estate agents and investors, and how to build them the right way.

Backlinking can take a lot of time, especially if you’re trying to get them for free. We recommend doing a cost/benefit analysis to see if spending the time to get free backlinks is worth it to you, or if you could get a higher ROI on that time if you had us link build for you. 

If you conclude that getting backlinks and citations on your own is the best option for you, this lesson will teach you how to do that. 

If you want us to link build for you, we have standalone Link Building Packages with competitor analysis, and those services are also part our Monthly GBP Optimization Packages.

I. The Role of Backlinks in Local SEO

• What Are Backlinks? 

o Backlinks are links from other websites that point to yours. Think of them like votes in a popularity contest. When another trusted and relevant site links to your website or GBP, Google sees that as a heavily weighted vote of confidence. It is a strong signal that your business is legitimate, relevant, authoritative, well-liked, and therefore worth ranking higher. 

• Backlinks to Your Website vs. GBP: What’s the Difference?

o Backlinks can point to either your website or your GBP, and both play a key role in local SEO. Links to your website build authority and improve organic search rankings, while links to your GBP help boost visibility in the Google Map Pack. When the two are connected — with your website linking to your GBP and vice versa — it creates a stronger signal of trust and local relevance in Google’s eyes.

• If you are more focused on GBP optimization, then the goal is to prioritize strategies that push up the Map Pack ranking, not just the website’s position in organic results.
• That said, these two work together — a healthy GBP is supported by a strong website, and vice versa.

o Backlinks to Your Website

• These are traditional SEO links — hyperlinks from other websites that point to pages on your website (like your homepage, service pages, or blog posts). They:

• Build domain authority

• Help your website rank in organic search results

• Support your GBP rankings indirectly by strengthening your overall web presence

o Links or Signals to Your Google Business Profile

• These are links (or embeds) that point directly to your Google Business Profile URL, Google Maps listing, or specific Google posts. They:

• Strengthen your local SEO signals

• Help your Map Pack rankings specifically

• Are more localized and GBP-focused, not just about your website

o Good Strategy for Splitting Up Backlinks

• Here’s our recommended ratio when you're intentionally building links:

• Website: 60–70%

• GBP: 20–30-%

• Social/Web 2.0: 10–20% (more on this below)

• How Many Backlinks Do You Need? 

o There’s no set number that guarantees results — it depends on your competition, your market, and the quality of your backlinks:

• How Many Links Your Competitors Have

• This is the most important metric. You want to have 10 to 25% more links than your competitors. 

• Read more below for how to do a competitor link analysis.

• Population Size

• The more populous your service area is, the more links you are going to need.

• Backlink Quality

• One link from a high-authority, high-traffic, and/or real estate-relevant site is worth more than 100s of low-quality or irrelevant links.

• Quality > Quantity — always.

• Your Current Authority

• If your site is brand new, it’ll take more links (and time) to build trust.

• If your site already has some authority, even a few new backlinks can move the needle quickly.

• Link Velocity

• Consistency matters. Building 5 to 10 solid links every month over time is better than dumping 50 links in one shot.

• A natural backlink profile grows steadily, not all at once.

o In general:

• In a small or mid-sized market, 30–100 quality backlinks can go a long way.
• In competitive metro areas you may need hundreds of high-quality backlinks over time to stay competitive. And you will need ongoing monthly link building to keep pace with the competition.
• Local backlinks (from city-based directories, chambers, blogs, vendors, etc.) are often worth more for Map Pack rankings than random national links.

II. Best Practices for Building Real Estate Backlinks

• Do Not Use Spammy Backlinks

o Not all backlinks are good for your SEO. In fact, building the wrong kinds of links — especially in bulk — can do more harm than good. Google is constantly looking for signs of manipulation, and spammy backlinks are one of the biggest red flags. They can hurt your website’s credibility, lower your rankings, and in some cases, trigger algorithmic penalties.

o Spammy backlinks usually come from sites that exist solely to sell links, have no real traffic, or are part of low-quality link networks. These links often look unnatural, irrelevant, or completely disconnected from your industry or location.

o Examples of Spammy Backlinks

• Mass backlinks sold on Fiverr or low-cost SEO gigs

• This is the most common place that real estate agents and investors go to get backlinks, and while they’re cheap, these types of links will negatively impact your SEO. Don’t be drawn in by the pitch on Fiverr that these links are good, they are not.

• Links from unrelated foreign websites
• Blog comment links posted on hundreds of random articles
• Links from low-quality directories filled with ads or broken links
• Websites that link to dozens of businesses on the same page with no real content
• Pages with exact-match keyword stuffing in every link (“sell my house fast Miami” repeated 20 times)

• Get Relevant Links

o For local SEO, not all backlinks are equal. There are several factors that Google considers when evaluating the strength of a backlink, the most important of which by far in 2025 is relevance. 

o Real estate is a local service business, so Google places more weight on links from:

• Local websites in your city or state (better for GBP links).
• Industry-specific sites like real estate blogs, MLSs, vendor partners (better for website links).
• Trusted local media or community pages.

o We partner with legitimate real estate and local blogs to provide these types of links individually and in monthly packages. Prices for these links range from $50–$100 per link.

• Get High-Quality Links

o After relevance, Google also considers the trustworthiness of the linking site. The two major metrics for this are citation flow and trust flow.

o Citation Flow is a score from 0 to 100 that predicts how influential a URL might be based on the number of sites linking to it — in other words, it measures link quantity.

• The more backlinks a site or page has, the higher its Citation Flow can be.
• But this score doesn’t care about link quality — just volume.

• A site with 1,000 backlinks from random blogs may have high Citation Flow, but if none of those sites are trustworthy, it won’t help your rankings much.

o Trust Flow is also a score from 0 to 100, but it measures link quality — specifically, how trustworthy and relevant a site’s backlinks are. A site with links from reputable, niche-relevant sources (like Realtor.com, local chambers, or real estate blogs) will have higher Trust Flow.

• Google cares more about trust than volume — so this metric is more important that citation flow.
• A site with just 20 backlinks, all from high-authority and relevant domains, might have a low Citation Flow but a high Trust Flow — and that’s often much better for SEO.

o You can use these free tools to help you analyze a site’s citation and trust flow: Mangools, Semrush, or Ahrefs.

o All of the links we provide at PropertyProsHQ have excellent trust flow metrics.

• Get Links From High-Quality Sites

o Google puts more trust in backlinks that come from websites that are selective, relevant, and well-ranked. Quality means the site has a strong authority, consistent organic traffic, and doesn’t link out to dozens or hundreds of other sites on every page.

o These types of links come from sites with high Domain Authority (DA), high-traffic, and sites with good out-bound link ratios.

o High DA, high traffic, and good outbound link velocity links are the most valuable and the hardest to get. They are therefore the most expensive. 

o We have partnerships with these types of real estate sites. We can get you a link for anywhere between $300 – $800 per link. 

o While these links are expensive, they are extremely powerful. Their prices are commensurate with an equivalent number of backlinks from sites that have lower DA, lower traffic numbers, and more outbound links. You don’t want to only have these types of links, so we suggest 1 for every 10 to 20 lower-level links.

o High-Authority Sites

• One metric that you can use to understand how much Google might trust that site is Domain Authority. This is a score (from 1 to 100) that estimates how likely a website is to rank in search engines, especially Google. It was created by Moz (a trusted SEO company), and while it’s not a Google metric, it’s widely used to measure SEO strength. 

• It is based on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to a website, site structure, content quality, and how trustworthy a domain appears online.

• DA is passed between sites through links, meaning that your website’s DA will grow based on the DA of sites linking to you.

• For most local real estate agents or investors, a DA of 20–40 is enough to start ranking well in your local market — especially if your competitors are in that same range.

• Therefore, try to get as many links as possible from sites with a 20+ DA.

• Try not to get links from sites with a DA less that 10 (remembering that relevance is more important than DA, so if it is a relevant link, get it regardless of DA).

• You can use Ahrefs free domain authority tool to find out a linking site’s DA.

o High-Traffic Sites

• Links from sites with little to no traffic are often seen as low-value — or even suspicious — because those pages aren’t being visited by real people, ranking well themselves, or may have been created just to sell backlinks.
• In other words, if no one is reading the page your link is on, it’s not much of a vote of confidence in Google’s eyes.
• You can find a site’s traffic metrics using the tools mentioned above.

o Avoid Sites with Outbound Link Saturation

• You want backlinks from sites that don’t dilute their authority by linking out to too many other websites.
• Google sees excessive outbound linking as spammy behavior, if a site links to dozens (or hundreds) of websites on every page — especially without relevance — it can look like a link farm. These sites often exist solely to sell backlinks and carry little to no SEO value.
• The more links on a page, the less authority is passed to each one. A page with 5 outbound links shares more “link equity” with each target than one with 50 links. You want to be one of a few, not one of many.
• Being on a low-quality or overlinked site can harm your reputation. Google may associate your site with low-quality or spammy networks if you're frequently linked from sites that hand out backlinks too freely.
• How to Check If a Site Has Too Many Outgoing Links

• Option 1: Manual Check (Simple)

o Visit a few blog posts or directory pages on the site.

o Scroll through and count the number of external links (links that go to other websites).

o If every page has 30+ external links, especially if they’re unrelated or look promotional, it’s a red flag.

• Option 2: Use an SEO Browser Extension

o Install the SEOquake or Ahrefs SEO Toolbar browser extension.

o Visit a page and run the on-page SEO report.

o It will show the number of external links and link density.

o Look for total external links being ideally under 20 per page.

• Get Dofollow Backlinks

o There are two types of backlinks: dofollow and nofollow. 

o A dofollow backlink is a hyperlink that tells Google, “I trust this site enough to link to it — and I want to be associated with it and pass some of my authority to it.”

o A nofollow backlink has a special tag added to it (rel="nofollow") that tells Google: “I’m linking to this site, but don’t count this as an endorsement.”

o Most backlinks you actively build (like guest posts, local partnerships, or vendor features) should be dofollow.

o That said, a natural backlink profile includes both. You don’t want only dofollow links — a healthy mix looks more natural to Google and if the link is coming from a relevant and/or high-quality site you want it, even it is nofollow.

o Links you get from citations (see the next lesson) are typically nofollow.

o How to tell if a link is dofollow or nofollow:

• Right-click a link and select “Inspect” (in Chrome or Edge).
• f the HTML code includes rel="nofollow", it’s a nofollow link.
• If there's no rel tag, it’s dofollow by default.
• You can also use browser extensions like NoFollow Simple or Ahrefs SEO Toolbar to see this easily.

o All of the links we provide at PropertyProsHQ are dofollow.

• Use Best Practices for Link Velocity

o Link velocity refers to the speed at which you acquire new backlinks over time. Google pays attention to both the number of backlinks you have and how quickly you’re getting them. A natural, steady pace signals healthy growth. But building too many links too quickly — especially to a new or low-authority site — can look unnatural and raise red flags.

o When your backlink growth mimics real-world business activity, it strengthens your trust with Google. If it looks automated, purchased in bulk, or artificially inflated, it can do the opposite.

o Aim for consistency over bursts.

o Start Slow and Build Momentum

• f your site is new or has very few links, don’t start by pushing 50 links in the first week. That kind of spike can look suspicious and may trigger spam filters and get you shadow banned from the rankings.
• Instead:

• Month 1: Start with 5–10 solid backlinks

o Focus on foundational links: directories, citations, branded links, local associations.

• Month 2–3: Ramp up to 10–15 backlinks/month

o Add guest posts, partnerships, vendor mentions, blog features.

• Month 4 and beyond: You can push toward 15–30/month

o If your site has aged and your profile is diversified, you can scale safely. As your domain authority grows and your SEO footprint strengthens, you can handle a faster link acquisition rate without triggering risk.

o Factor in your market

• In a small or mid-sized market, 10–15 links/month can go a long way.
• In a competitive metro, you may need 20 or so high-quality links/month to stay competitive over time.

• Use Correct Anchor Text Ratios

o Anchor text is the clickable text used in a hyperlink.

o Google uses anchor text to help understand what the linked page is about, so it plays a major role in SEO, especially when it comes to backlinks.

o Understanding different anchor text types helps you build a natural, Google-safe backlink profile.

o These are the major types of anchor texts and general guideline ratios to have them in:

• Branded Anchors (50–60%)

• Example: “John Smith Realty” or “Gold Coast Property Group”

• These build trust and authority. They are the most common and you can use them frequently without risk.

• Naked URLs (10–15%)

• Example: www.propertyproshq.com

• Natural and neutral. These help diversify your link profile.

• Target or Exact Match Keywords (5%)

• Example: “sell my house fast in Fort Lauderdale”.

• These are strong for rankings but must be used sparingly. Overuse is a red flag and will trigger Google penalties.

• Partial Match Keywords (5%)

• Example: “best way to sell in Miami”

• These are safer than exact match anchors and still helpful for SEO.

• Location Anchors (5%)

• Example: “Fort Lauderdale”

• Same as target Keywords, they are strong for local SEO and GBP relevance if used naturally in context, but they should be used sparingly.

• Generic or Random Anchors (10–15%)

• Example: “Click here,” “this page,” “learn more”

• These help balance your anchor profile and keep it looking natural.

o When building anchor text ratios you want to divvy out each kind of anchor in relationship to the percentage of the whole (i.e. don’t do all branded, then all naked URL, then all target keyword), sprinkle them out in a natural pattern. 

o The best anchor text ratio mirrors the top-ranked competitors in your local area.

• While you can be safe with the ratios mentioned above, the best strategy is to do a competitor link analysis and mirror what the top-ranked sites and GBP listings are doing in your local area.

• Do a Competitor Link Analysis 

o When planning your own link-building strategy, one of the smartest moves you can make is to analyze the backlink and anchor text profiles of your top competitors — the agents, investors, or brokerages already ranking in the top 3–10 positions on Google Maps and organic search for your target keywords.

o By reviewing your competitors' backlinks, you can figure out:

• How many links they have (and therefore how many links you will need).
• How many referring domains they have.
• The quality of those domains (based on Domain Authority or Trust Flow).
• Their anchor text ratios.
• Whether you’re underperforming or in the same ballpark.

o You can reverse-engineer opportunities:

• Competitor backlink analysis also helps you uncover link building opportunities you may not have thought of:

• If a competitor has a backlink from a local blog, reach out and pitch your own article or story.

• If they're listed in a niche directory or vendor network, you can apply to be listed too.

• If they’ve been featured on a podcast or in a local news piece, that might be an outreach opportunity for you.

o Use the SEO tools mentioned above to find out:

• How many links you need.
• How many high-quality sites you need links from.
• What anchor text ratio you will need.

III. Where To Find & Build Backlinks

• Get Listed on Real Estate-Specific Directories

o Examples: Realtor.com, Zillow, Homes.com, PropertyProsHQ

o These links carry high relevance and are easy to acquire.

o If you haven’t gotten listed on our site already, we provide 100% free real estate directory listings with dofollow backlinks and Google Maps embeds at  propertyproshq.com.

• Create or Claim Your Business on General Local Directories

o Examples: Chamber of Commerce, BBB, Patch.com, Alignable, Yelp.

o Make sure these include a working link to your site.

• Build Referral Relationships with Other Pros

o Ask lenders, title reps, attorneys, stagers, and contractors to link to your site from their “trusted partners” or “resources” pages.

o We don’t recommend reciprocal links (you link to them and they link to you) because the links basically cancel each other out.

• Contribute to Real Estate Blogs or Podcasts

o Write guest posts or be interviewed — you’ll often get a backlink in the show notes or author bio.

o You will want to send out cold emails to these blogs, asking them for guest posting opportunities.

o If they accept your request, either have pre-written content or be ready to quickly provide content for them.

• Sponsor or Collaborate with Local Businesses or Events

o Sponsorship pages for charity runs, community events, or school fundraisers often include backlinks for supporters.

• Get Featured in Local News or Press Releases

o Pitch story ideas to local media or submit press releases for major milestones (e.g., opening a new office, hitting sales milestones, community involvement).

• Leverage Your Testimonials

o Leave Google or Facebook reviews for vendors or referral partners, and include your name + website in the review. Many will return the favor.

• Use Backlink Vendors

o You can use vendors who sell backlinks, but be wary:

• As mentioned above, don’t use Fiverr and don’t buy cheap links (>$20).
• Make sure that the links are relevant, and then figure out citation flow, trust, flow, DA, and traffic and outbound link metrics.
• You can always get trustworthy links from PropertyProsHQ Marketing & SEO individually or in packages. We partner with the owners of reputable real-estate websites to provide our links.

• Use The PropertyProsHQ Backlink & Citation Index

o We have made a free index for you with backlink and citation sources we recommend, including information about each source and type of link.

oDownload the PDF here.

IV. Linking Directly to Your GBP – Strategies

• Google Maps Embed on Your Website

o Embed your actual Google Map listing (not a generic map).

o Place it on your homepage, contact page, and neighborhood pages.

• Build Links with Google Maps Embeds

o If you can find directories that allow you to do this or blogs that will allow you to do this, it is a fantastic SEO strategy for ranking your GBP.

o PropertyProsHQ provides these for free on our directory and we also sell them individually and in packages through other real estate sites.

• Link to Your GBP in Directories

o Add your GBP Maps link in directories or bio sections where allowed.

o Examples: Alignable, BBB, About.me, local chamber listings.

• Link to Your GBP in Blog Posts or Press Releases

o If you write a blog post or publish a press release, include a “Find us on Google” or “See our reviews on Google” link that goes directly to your GBP.

• Build Backlinks to Your GBP CID URL

o Every GBP has a unique CID (Customer ID) URL — this is the raw link to your Maps listing. Tools like PlePer or GBP API extract this.

o You can build backlinks to:

• The CID URL
• The “Write a Review” link
• Specific GBP post URLs

• Link from Web 2.0s & Social Profiles (see more below)

o Use platforms like:

• Medium, Tumblr, WordPress.com, Reddit, Facebook “About” section, YouTube channel description.

V. Tier 2 Link Building for GBPs

• Tier 2 Linking and Why It Helps Your GBP Rank Higher

o Tier 2 backlinks are links that point not directly to your website or GBP, but to other pages that already link to them. In other words, they strengthen your existing backlinks. If you have a directory listing or blog post linking to your GBP, building links to that page helps it rank better — which in turn makes your GBP link more powerful.

o They help Google index and revisit those linking pages more often. When Google sees multiple links pointing to a source, it pays more attention to that page — and the link it contains.

o They’re safer and easier to build at scale. Since you’re not pointing them at your main site or GBP directly, you can use lower-tier link strategies (like Web 2.0s, social shares, or basic press releases) to support them without risking penalties.

o A great example, and a strategy we recommend, is building tier 2 links to your propertyproshq.com directory listing. This will increase the relevance and authority of the directory link, which will pass that link equity to your website.

• Best Pages to Build Tier 2 Links To

o For GBP strategy, you want to strengthen:

• Your directory and citation pages (BBB, Yelp, Realtor.com, PropertyProsHQ, etc.)
• Local blog posts that mention or link to your GBP
• Press releases with GBP links or business name + NAP
• Google Business Profile post URLs
• Web 2.0 content (e.g., Medium, Tumblr, About.me) that includes a link to your GBP

• Examples of Tier 2 Link Sources

o You don’t need premium backlinks for Tier 2. These can be:

• Niche-relevant Web 2.0s (e.g., Medium posts, WordPress.com blogs)
• Social bookmarking sites (e.g., Reddit, Mix, Flipboard)
• Forum mentions or comment links (if natural and not spammy)
• Business profile pages (e.g., Crunchbase, About.me, Muck Rack)
• Free press release distribution sites
• YouTube video descriptions with links to linking page

• How to Use Tier 2 Linking Effectively

o Don’t use keyword-rich anchors. Keep Tier 2 anchors generic (e.g., "source," "more info," or naked URLs).

o Only build Tier 2 links to pages that already link to your GBP.

o Track your efforts — keep a spreadsheet of which Tier 1 pages you’re boosting and what kind of links you’re building to them.

o Avoid sending Tier 2 links to low-quality or spammy Tier 1 pages — you’re only amplifying what you boost.

VI. Action Steps/Homework

1. Do a Competitor Link Analysis 

• Tools Needed: Ahrefs, Semrush, or Mangools (free trials available)

• Tasks:

o Search your top 3 target keywords in Google (e.g., “sell my house fast [your city]”).

o Identify the top 3 competitors showing in the Google Map Pack and top organic results.

o Use an SEO tool to analyze:

• Total number of backlinks and referring domains each one has.
• Anchor text breakdown they’re using (branded, keywords, etc.).
• Domain Authority (DA) or Trust Flow of their backlinks.

o Save screenshots or export reports and note:How many links YOU need to catch up.

• What type of anchors are most commonly used.

• Deliverable: A simple spreadsheet or document comparing you vs. competitors

2. Build or Claim Your Top 10 Foundational Backlinks

• Tasks:

o Claim or verify your business on the following directories:

• Realtor.com; Zillow; Homes.com; PropertyProsHQ.com (include your GBP link in your listing); BBB.org (if applicable); Alignable; Yelp; Facebook (About section link to GBP); Chamber of Commerce site (local); Any local/regional real estate directories or publications

o Add your GBP Maps link where possible (not just your website).

• Deliverable: A list with live links to your new or updated profiles.

3. Embed Your Google Map on Your Website

• Tasks:

o Go to your GBP listing, click “Share” > “Embed a map” > copy the HTML.

o Embed this on your: Homepage, contact page, and at least one neighborhood or service area page of your website.

o Test the embed to ensure it works and loads correctly.

• Deliverable: Screenshot or URL showing your live embed.

4. Acquire Your First 5–10 Quality Backlinks

• Options (pick 5–10 total):

o Write a blog post and include a link to your GBP (“Find us on Google”).

o Ask a local lender, title company, or contractor to link to you as a trusted partner.

o Be a guest on a local podcast or contribute a blog article in exchange for a backlink.

o Post a short article or video on Medium, Tumblr, or WordPress.com with links to your GBP and website.

o Submit a free press release (include your business name and GBP link). Leave a review on a partner’s site and include your business name and website URL.

• Deliverable: List of links you've secured with the anchor text used.

5. Begin Tier 2 Linking to Boost Existing Links

• Tasks:

o Choose 2–3 links you’ve already built (e.g., PropertyProsHQ listing, Yelp, a blog post).

o Build Web 2.0 or social links that point to those links (not directly to your site).

• Post on Medium, Reddit, or Facebook with a mention and link.
• Create a short YouTube video description or blog comment linking to the PropertyProsHQ listing.

• Deliverable: URLs to your Tier 2 links and which Tier 1 link each one supports.

6. Track and Organize Everything (Ongoing)

• Tasks:

o Create a Google Sheet with columns for:

• Date built
• Link URL
• Anchor text
• Link type (Website, GBP, Tier 2)
• Source site DA or Trust Flow
• Dofollow/Nofollow

Continue to Lesson 12: Citations That Build Local Trust