My Link Building Process

Ask 100 SEO experts the best way to build a link, and you’ll get 100 different answers. However, you’ll notice that many (if not all) emphasize building quality and relevant links to get the best possible results. This is exactly what I do. Below, you’ll find my link-building process. If this approach sounds right for your business, do not hesitate to reach out.

Are we a good fit? Getting to know you and your business

Getting long-term results with positive ROI is crucial to your business. Having long-term happy clients who love my services is critical to mine. The last thing I want is a bad breakup if we’re not a perfect fit. It’s essential to meet before any payment or work starts.

We’ll meet over zoom to determine if we’re a good fit for each other. First, I want to learn all about your business and its goals. Then, I want to learn how link building can help you achieve them. Some questions I will ask are:

1. How is your website currently performing in Google organic results?

2. Who is your ideal customer, and what do they search?

3. Who are your competitors in search?

4. Which keywords or pages need improvement? 

5. What are your expectations from a link-building service?

After learning about you and your business, I will review my approach with you. Once we’ve determined we’re a good fit, we can start next steps.

Data Review

Reviewing data is a critical step that many link builders forget or ignore. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush are great but are just estimates. Being able to rely on Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Adobe Analytics, or other data sources is truly helpful in getting the data I need to succeed. Here is what I do:

  • Baselines – I use data provided by you and 3rd party tools (Ahrefs and Rank Tracking) to get a baseline of your website’s performance before links get built. These baselines will be available to you and referenced often throughout our partnership. 
  • Competitor Research – I use third-party tools to determine your competitors’ performance and the type of links they are obtaining.
  • Page Improvements – Improving content and technical SEO can help links be more effective. I will review essential pages to ensure they are ready for link building.

Plan Creation

Once I have the data needed, I create a custom link-building plan tailored to meet your goals. During this stage of the process, I create initial prospecting lists, recommend link types, and outreach email creation needed to improve the performance of crucial keywords and pages. During this step, I handle the following:

  • Initial prospecting lists – There are many ways to prospect. You may have existing relationships that we can target. I can see who your competitors are getting links from and determine if we can get those links too. I typically find the most success from using many different Google search operators, filtering the list by domain rating, traffic, and checking each site manually to ensure it’s a good fit for outreach.
  • Link types – Based on competitive research, I’ll determine the best link type. I typically find that guest posts work well in most situations. Resource guide link building and Link inserts also work well, but have their pros and cons. In competitive cases, we can use all three to create a diverse link profile to help performance.
  • Outreach email creation – Each prospecting list and link-type will need a different outreach email pitch. I closely watch the data to confirm we have the best possible outreach emails. I have found that being straightforward works well in most situations. I also use emails that have humor related to the audience. We will try multiple methods in every campaign to see what works best.

Outreach

This step is where the fun starts:

  1. I load all the initial prospects into my email outreach tool, Buzzstream. All candidates get manually reviewed before being uploaded. Due to this, we know they are all excellent prospects.
  2. I go to the prospect’s website or social media to find the best email address to reach them. Occasionally, I will use other tools like Hunter to find an email address, but I have had the most success getting it from the website or social media.
  3. I email each prospect individually (no bulk outreach) and often add personalized details that I find on their website (name, etc.). 


Once I receive a reply, the negotiating begins. Depending on the campaign type, I will often get a link for free by providing high-quality content for their website or by offering them an excellent resource that makes sense for them to link to.

Typically, I expect between 3-5 links per 100 emails sent.

Reporting

I will always be 100% transparent with you. I create a Google Sheet that tracks all aspects of our campaigns. You can access this document 24/7. It will include baselines, links obtained, campaign stats, and keyword tracking. For monthly clients, I will review performance monthly on calls. 

Ready For An Intro Call? Contact Me!