A local reporter wrote about your shop. An event page thanked you as a sponsor. A partner listed you on their site. You click your own business name, and nothing happens. The page says who you are and sends nobody to you.
You can fix that without special software. To find mentions of your business online and turn them into links, you set up a few free alerts, run one search, check each result for a clickable link, and send one polite request to the person who controls the page.
Each step takes minutes, and you can finish the first pass in an afternoon. The order matters, and so does knowing which requests are worth sending and which to leave alone.
Key Takeaways
Create separate Google Alerts for your business name, your name as owner, each product, and common misspellings, and set each one's frequency, sources, language and region under Show options.
A visible domain name is not always a clickable link, so open the page and search it for your business name, your domain and "www".
Send the exact article URL, your name as it appears, one destination URL and a short reason the link helps readers. Ask once.
Google's spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes and excessive link exchanges as link spam.
How do you find every page that mentions your business?
Two habits cover it: alerts that watch for new mentions, and a search that digs up the ones already online. Alerts catch what is published from now on. The search shows what has been sitting there for months. Run both, because neither one catches everything.
The goal of this first pass is a short list of real pages, not a complete inventory of the internet. Start with the names people actually use for you.
How do you set up Google Alerts for your business?
Go to Google Alerts, which Google describes as email notifications when new results matching your topic appear in Search. Create one alert per name instead of one broad alert, and put exact names in quotation marks.
Make these alerts: your business name, your name as owner, each product or branded service, and the misspellings people actually use. Keep products and people on separate alerts so you can tell at a glance what a result is about.
Click Show options on each alert to set how often it arrives, which sources it watches, the language, the region, how many results it sends, and which account receives it. A narrow alert beats a loud one, and an alert that lands in spam is the same as no alert.
How do you search for mentions that already exist?
Open Google and search your business name in quotation marks, then exclude your own site with the minus operator. Google's help pages cover quotation marks and exact phrases and the site: operator. The search looks like this:
`"Your Business Name" -site:yourdomain.com`
Repeat it with your name as owner, each product name, any former business name, and a distinctive phrase you use. Open the promising results and note which ones are current, readable and aimed at your customers.
What free options exist besides Google Alerts?
A Bing search with the same quoted name works the same way, and Talkwalker Alerts is a free alerts service. Mention offers free monitoring within its limits. In Search Console, new links to your site and a rise in referral traffic can point you to a mention you missed.
No alert catches every mention. Treat the list as a working record you keep adding to.
How do you tell whether a mention actually links to you?
Open the page and look. A domain name written out in the text is not always a clickable hyperlink, and a logo or business name may be plain text. The only reliable check is the page itself.
Use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Command+F on a Mac) and search for your business name, then your domain, then "www". For each hit, hover over it or click it. Look at nearby images, logos and buttons too, since a link can hide behind any of them.
Google says links should be crawlable HTML links with an `href` attribute, and that the words around a link help describe what it points to. The guidance on crawlable links explains what counts.
Record each page as you go, so the next step is a message and not a scavenger hunt.
| Field | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Page title and URL | The exact address of the article or page |
| Publisher | The site or organization that controls the page |
| Contact route | An editor, webmaster, event coordinator or named person, not a generic inbox if you can avoid it |
| Mention type | News story, event page, partner page, directory listing, supplier page |
| Link status | Clickable link, plain text, or link to the wrong URL |
| Best destination | The one page on your site that fits what the mention is about |
| Request and outcome | Date sent, reply, and what changed |
Google's Search Console Links report can confirm links Google has found, but it is a sample, it may leave out some URLs, and it can list links that have since disappeared. Use it as a second opinion and trust the page in front of you.
Which mentions are worth asking about first?
Rank the list by who the page reaches and whether it can send you customers. A mention in front of the right readers beats a bigger name with the wrong audience.
Strong prospects are pages where your business is already relevant: local news articles, municipal or tourism pages, chamber of commerce profiles, trade associations, event organizers, venues, sponsors, suppliers, manufacturers, community groups, nonprofit partners, schools and local directories.
A supplier, association or event organizer often has a documented relationship with you already, which makes a link an easy yes. A chamber profile or event page may send real visitors even when its value for search is limited. Favor pages that are indexed, current, readable and likely to be read by someone who might hire you.
Two companion posts cover the wider picture. Backlinks for a small business covers building links from scratch, and sponsorships, events and partners covers links that come from relationships. The mentions you already have are the starting point here.
What should you say when you ask for the link?
Send one short message to the person who controls the page. Name the exact article, thank them, say where your business appears, and offer one page on your site that fits.
Include four things: the exact article URL, your business name as it appears on their page, one destination URL, and a sentence on why the link helps their readers, such as sending them to the booking page for the event they just read about.
> Hi [Name], thank you for including [Business Name] in [article title] at [exact URL]. Readers who want to book or learn more might find it easier with a link to [one destination URL]. If you can add it, thank you. If it doesn't fit your page, no problem at all.
Keep these habits:
- Ask once: One clear request is a courtesy. A string of reminders is pressure.
- Make it easy to decline: The publisher controls the page, and "no" is a normal answer.
- Use natural wording: Suggest your business name as the link text. Do not ask for keyword-packed phrases or imply the link is owed.
- Pick the destination with care: Choose a live, relevant page and click it before you send it.
If the page already links to a wrong or broken URL, say so and offer the corrected one. After a fair wait with no reply, one short follow-up is reasonable, then leave it.
What do Google's rules say about asking for, buying or exchanging links?
A polite editorial request for a useful citation is fine. Paying for ranking credit and arranging link swaps are not, and Google's spam policies say so.
Google's spam policies, accessed October 2026, define link spam as links created primarily to manipulate rankings. They list:
> "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes."
They also list:
> "Excessive link exchanges ('Link to me and I'll link to you')"
The same section includes requiring a link in a contract without allowing the publisher to qualify it, exchanging goods or services for links, automated link creation, and paid articles with links that pass ranking credit.
Paid advertising and sponsorship links are allowed when they carry `rel="sponsored"` or `rel="nofollow"`, as Google explains in its guide to qualifying outbound links. Bing's link building guidance says links should be earned organically and warns against link schemes and link buying.
So, in practice: never offer money, never offer a swap, and if a publisher mentions a fee for the link, decline and keep the mention.
What can you stop worrying about?
Some worries do not change what you should do next.
- Every unlinked mention: An unlinked mention is not automatically a ranking problem, and each mention does not need a backlink. Ask for the ones worth asking for.
- The exact link wording: A natural business name works. Keyword-packed anchor text is not required.
- A "no" from the publisher: A mention can still send people to you through search, memory, direct visits and social sharing, so keep it in your record.
- Strange-looking links you never asked for: Google says most sites do not need to use its disavow tool, and recommends it only when there are considerable spammy artificial links and a manual action or a likely one.
- Search Console not showing the new link right away: Allow time for crawling, and check the page directly.
Press releases belong in that group too. If you are wondering whether to send one for a mention, do press releases help SEO covers it.
When does it make sense to hire help?
You can do the first pass alone: Google searches, Alerts, a spreadsheet and one short request. A single location with a few mentions rarely needs more than that.
Outside help becomes reasonable when the work grows past one person's attention:
- Several locations or products: Each has its own names, mentions and destination pages.
- Years of press coverage: A long back catalog of mentions needs sorting and ranking.
- Multiple owners or brand names: The alert set multiplies fast.
- A damaged reputation or inaccurate information: Corrections and monitoring have to work together.
- Unclear page ownership: Finding the person who can edit a page takes real effort.
- Monitoring combined with technical SEO and referral measurement: Someone has to verify links, check destination pages and report what they send.
Whoever you hire should not promise a number of links, and should not present ordinary editorial requests as guaranteed placements. What they can offer is a maintained alert set, qualified prospects, the right contact, short requests, verified results and clear reporting. The value is organization and judgment.
When your mentions are about reviews rather than links, monitoring your reputation with alerts is the better fit.
Can you turn your mentions into links?
Pick an answer to begin.
1. A news story shows your domain name in the text. What should you check before you ask for a link?
2. A local sponsor page mentions your business without a link. What is the best next step?
3. What does Google's spam policy list as link spam?
Frequently Asked Questions About Finding Mentions of Your Business Online
How do I find mentions of my business online?
Set up Google Alerts for your business name, your name as owner, your products and common misspellings. Then search your exact business name in quotation marks with your own domain excluded.
How do I know whether a mention links to my website?
Open the page and search it for your business name, your domain and "www". Then click each hit to see whether it goes to your site. A domain name shown as text may not be a clickable link.
Can I ask a website to add a link?
Yes. Send a brief editorial request with the exact page URL, your business name as it appears, one destination URL and a short reason the link helps readers.
Should I pay for the link?
No. Google's spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. Paid placements belong in advertising or sponsorship, marked with `rel="sponsored"` or `rel="nofollow"`.
What if the publisher says no?
Thank them and leave it. Keep the mention in your record, since it can still send readers to you.
Will every link appear in Search Console?
No. Google says the Links report is a sample and may leave out some URLs, so check important pages directly.
What This Means for You
Your first pass needs three things: an alert set for your business name, your name, your products and misspellings, a prospect record of the pages that mention you with their link status, and a request log with the date and outcome of each message. Open each page and check it before you ask, send one polite request with one destination page, and never pay for or trade links.
Done once and kept up, this turns scattered mentions into a short list of pages that send readers to you, plus a record of which publishers and partners respond. A declined request still leaves you with a clean record and an intact relationship.
If your mentions are scattered across locations, products or years of coverage, Web Leveling can build the monitoring set, qualify the pages worth a request and report what they send you. Our search engine optimization work covers that, and we do not promise a number of links. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Tell us where your business is mentioned, and we will help you decide which requests are worth making.
Terms
Mention and link words in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
Mention. Your business, owner or product name appearing on another site, with or without a link.
Backlink. A clickable link on another site that points to a page on yours.
Unlinked mention. A page that names your business but does not link to your site.
Anchor text. The clickable words of a link, such as your business name.
Link spam. Links created primarily to manipulate rankings, such as bought links and excessive link exchanges.
Sponsored link. A paid or sponsored link marked `rel="sponsored"` so search engines know it was not earned editorially.
