Let's link up: how backlinks drive visibility for your business and the region

Why referrals & backlinks are more important than ever in 2025 (and how you can help us to help you)

As part of our ongoing mission to grow organic search traffic to our consumer visitor websites including Visit Bristol, Visit Bath, and our wider B2B websites, we’re working hard to stay ahead of ever-evolving online search trends. From Google’s latest AI features to changing customer search behaviours, it’s never been more important to build strong digital connections across the region.

One of the most powerful ways to support this mission? Referrals and backlinks from our local member businesses like you.

We need your help to strengthen our online presence and in return, we’ll continue working to boost your visibility and drive more visitors to your website and venue.

What is a backlink and why are they still so powerful?

A backlink is a hyperlink from one website to another. Think of it as a digital recommendation. When your website links to ours, it tells search engines like Google that our content is relevant, credible, and valuable and vice versa.

Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors in search engine algorithms. The more quality backlinks a site receives from other reputable websites, the more likely it is to appear higher in Google’s search results and attract more visitors.

In 2025, backlinks matter even more, especially as Google increasingly relies on AI to summarise answers and show featured snippets directly in search results.

Why should your business link to Visit Bristol, Visit Bath or our B2B websites?

We understand that your time is precious but adding a few strategic links can benefit your business in several key ways:

⭐ It helps your website rank higher.
Search engines reward websites that link to other high-quality, relevant sources, especially when there's a reciprocal relationship. That means if we link to you and you link back to us, we’re both more likely to appear in search results.

✅ It makes your site more useful to your visitors.
By linking to our pages (like Things to Do, Food & Drink, What's On, Areas, and Accommodation), you give your guests and visitors a richer, more complete picture of the region without having to create all the content yourself. Let us do the heavy lifting!

⭐ It supports destination-wide visibility.
The more links we get from local businesses, the stronger our authority becomes in Google’s eyes. That makes it easier for all of us to be discovered by potential visitors, whether they're planning a weekend in Bristol, a foodie escape to Bath, or exploring the wider West of England.

✅ It helps us appear in AI-generated search results.
Google’s new AI Overviews (formerly called “Search Generative Experience”) now provide summaries of topics directly in search results. The AI chooses information from well-linked, authoritative sites. By boosting backlinks to Visit Bristol and/or Visit Bath, we increase the chance our content, and your business, gets included.

How to help: add backlinks from your site

Even a few small changes can make a big difference. Here are some examples of ways you might consider adding backlinks to our sites:

📍A local area guide - Link to our Bristol, Bath or wider region overview pages. 

📍Things to do nearby - Link to our Things To Do, What's On, or Free Days Out content.

📍Help your guests plan - Direct them to our Accommodation, Food & Drink, or Family-Friendly pages.

📍Add links in your FAQs page - Answer visitors questions about their more general visit by linkling to us in your FAQs pages

📍Showcase partnerships - List Visit West on your website’s “Partners” or “Memberships” page.

📍Local business resources - Add links from any blog posts, resource hubs or itinerary-style content.

For example:

- If you run an attraction, link to our Accommodation and Food & Drink pages to help guests plan their trip.

- If you run an event in, link to our Accommodation, Travel Information, Things To Do pages to help your customers plan their trip.

- If you're a restaurant, link to our Things to Do or What's On pages to highlight what’s happening nearby.

- If you’re a hotel, linking to our Area Guides, Travel Info or Seasonal Guides can enrich your visitor experience.

The more relevant and natural the links are, the better.

Bonus: let us know!

If you’ve added links to any of our websites, please email us so we can:

• Thank you properly!
• Monitor and track backlinks as part of our ongoing SEO project.
• Share your content where possible as part of our partnership work.

Email us at marketing@visitwest.co.uk

Questions?

If you have any questions about backlinks, referrals, or how best to link to Visit Bristol, Visit Bath or Visirt West content, feel free to get in touch. We’re happy to guide you through it.

Together, we can make our region more visible, more connected, and more successful online.

Thank you for your continued support.