Domain Authority, Backlinks, and Toxicity: What Local Businesses Need to Know

You might have heard that backlinks are important, but you may not totally understand how they work, or what “domain authority” even means. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most small business owners know that visibility is key, but what actually drives it, sometimes isn’t as obvious.
Let’s break it down for you.

What Is Domain Authority, Really?

Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by SEO tools like Moz to predict how well a website might rank in Google. It’s not a direct Google metric, but it correlates closely with visibility. The higher your DA, the more likely you are to outrank your competitors for local and organic search terms.

What drives domain authority?

  • The number of websites linking to yours (your backlink profile)

  • The quality and relevance of those websites

  • Your site’s technical health and content depth

You can think of DA as a measure of your online reputation. If other respected websites are linking to you, Google assumes you’re doing something worth ranking.

But here’s the catch: Not all links are helpful, and some can seriously hurt your domain.

What Is Domain Authority, Really?

Domain Authority (DA) is a score developed by SEO tools like Moz to predict how well a website might rank in Google. It’s not a direct Google metric, but it correlates closely with visibility. The higher your DA, the more likely you are to outrank your competitors for local and organic search terms.

What drives domain authority?

  • The number of websites linking to yours (your backlink profile)

  • The quality and relevance of those websites

  • Your site’s technical health and content depth

You can think of DA as a measure of your online reputation. If other respected websites are linking to you, Google assumes you’re doing something worth ranking.

But here’s the catch: Not all links are helpful, and some can seriously hurt your domain.

Toxic Backlinks: The Hidden Threat to Your Rankings

One of the most overlooked problems in local SEO is link toxicity, the presence of backlinks from spammy, irrelevant, or manipulative sources.

Toxic links can come from:

  • Link farms or PBNs (private blog networks)

  • Scraped content sites

  • Low-quality overseas directories

  • Pages created purely to sell backlinks

Google sees toxic links as a red flag. Even if you didn’t create them, your domain could suffer consequences like:

  • Lower trust signals

  • Suppressed rankings

  • Algorithmic penalties

At Local Howl, we use toxicity audits to flag harmful links and take action before they drag your authority down. If needed, we submit Google disavow files to formally disassociate your domain from the worst offenders.

The Two Roads to Earning Backlinks

There are really two ways to build quality backlinks: you can earn them through outreach, or work with a team who already has the right connections.

1. Manual Outreach (Earned)

This is the traditional route. You, or your SEO partner, email dozens or hundreds of websites to:

  • Pitch guest posts

  • Request business mentions

  • Build content partnerships or get listed in local publications

This method can work, but it takes serious time and follow-up. You might need to reach out to more than 100 sites in order to land a few solid backlinks, especially if you are just starting out.

2. Network-Based Placement (Faster, Smarter)

For businesses that want to move faster, we use our vetted network of trusted publishers, industry sites, and geo-authority platforms to secure placements that align with your industry and location.

This does come at a cost, but what you’re investing in is strategic relevance, not just another backlink.

Each link is placed based on:

  • Domain quality

  • Relevance to your industry or region

  • Value to your visibility strategy

What Makes a Backlink Valuable?

Whether earned or brokered, a good backlink checks at least three boxes:

Relevance

Does the site relate to your industry or location?

Authority

Is it trusted by Google

(high DA or traffic)?

Diversity

Are you building links from different sources, not just repeats?

Here’s what doesn’t work:

  • Links from sites with zero traffic

  • Links buried in sidebars or footers

  • Links from foreign domains with no relevance

  • Paying for 100+ links from “SEO marketplaces”


Quality beats quantity every time

Our Backlink Strategy at Local Howl

We build your backlink profile like a balanced portfolio:

  • Geo-targeted Links: Local blogs, chambers, city directories

  • Industry Citations: Trusted sites like Houzz, Avvo, Healthgrades

  • Media Mentions: Local press and publications when possible

  • Anchor Diversity: Mixing branded, keyword, and neutral link text

We start with your baseline. If your domain authority is low and competitors are outranking you, we prioritize foundational backlinks that move the needle fastest. Then we scale, based on how aggressive you want to be and how quickly you want results.

Real Talk: Schema Alone Won’t Save You

DA scores range from 1–100

  • New domains start near 1

  • 30–50 is strong in most local markets

  • 50+ is considered highly competitive

DA improves with quality, not volume

  • Google prefers 20–30 diverse referring domains over hundreds of low-quality links. Source: Moz, Soci, Ahrefs


Toxic links can tank your progress

  • One bad neighborhood can drag down your entire domain

You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone

Backlink strategy, outreach, disavow files, DA scores, brokered deals... it’s a lot.

That’s why Local Howl offers backlink planning as part of our local SEO strategy. We audit your current authority, clean up toxic links, identify competitors outranking you, and help you earn or acquire high-impact backlinks at a pace that fits your goals.


Whether you want to do it yourself or have us run it, we’ll show you the path.

Want a Healthier Domain?

Let’s run your backlink audit, check your domain authority, and show you exactly where you stand.