Links Still Matter in 2026

E979: Google's recent updates have changed how link building works for local businesses. Exact match anchor text links that once helped rankings can now trigger serious problems. In this episode, Joy Hawkins explains what has changed and what local businesses should be doing instead.

Joy Hawkins runs Sterling Sky, one of the most well known local SEO agencies. She shares lessons from years of testing links, auditing sites, and watching how Google updates impact small business websites.

We discuss why some local business sites were wiped out by recent core updates, why anchor text links are now risky at scale, and what types of links still move rankings today.

This episode is a practical breakdown of modern local SEO link building and how to approach it safely.

Topics covered: - Why exact match anchor text links are becoming dangerous - How recent Google core updates have affected small business sites - Why manual penalties are rare and algorithmic penalties are increasing - How many links local businesses actually need to rank - Why guest posting at scale can now backfire - The link types that still work for local SEO - Niche directories and industry-specific sites - Award sites and why they are becoming more important in AI search results - How AI Overviews are changing what signals Google surfaces - Press releases and when they are still useful - Why Reddit is becoming a long-term traffic and visibility channel - The role of earned media and journalist mentions - How social media traction can influence rankings - What local businesses can do if they have almost no link building budget - Common link building mistakes that lead to penalties - What metrics actually matter when evaluating links - Why domain authority metrics can be misleading - How multi-location businesses should approach link building

This conversation focuses on long-term strategies that avoid risky tactics while still helping local businesses grow their visibility.

⭐️ Joy Hawkin's First Appearance on The Pod - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ9HZu4qFWY ⭐️ Joy Hawkin's Agency - Sterling Sky: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ ⭐️ Joy Hawkin's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/SterlingSkyInc ⭐️ Joy Hawkin's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyhawkins/ ⭐️ Local Search Forum - https://localsearchforum.com/

💰 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Do Links Still Matter? 00:48 Exact Match Anchor Text Link Risks 03:20 Core Updates Wiping Out Local Sites 06:17 Press Releases Without Anchors 07:43 Guest Post Link Decay 08:38 Disavows And Penalties 11:15 Local Pack Loophole 12:15 Niche Directories That Win 13:06 Awards For AI Visibility 17:23 Local News And Reddit 19:34 Reddit Strategy Timeline 21:57 YouTube Versus Reddit 23:40 Why Reddit Still Works 24:37 Digg Relaunch and Moderation 25:24 No Budget Link Building 28:41 Social Signals and SEO 29:44 Testimonial Link Tactic 30:51 Avoiding Link Penalties 33:04 Press Releases for LLMs 37:54 Multi Location Link Strategy 40:30 Repeatable Link System 42:47 Where to Follow and Goodbye

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#localseo #linkbuilding #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing