Why You Should Outsource Link Building to Grow Your Business
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When you first decided to go into business, link building for your website was likely not on the forefront of your mind. In recent years, this strategy, and many other tactics of SEO, have grown in necessity for online business owners. It's now more important than ever that any new business owner recognize the importance of link building right from the beginning.
What is Link Building?
Link building is one of the most important factors in search engine optimization. By definition, link building is when you exchange or provide a link to a valuable website pointing to your content. The act of link building tells Google and other search engines that this valuable website finds your content credible, which in turn improves your rankings.
If it were just about getting a handful of links pointing back to your site or page, link building would be effortless and nearly anyone could do it. However, the true strategy for advanced link building involves getting hundreds of backlinks and building an extensive backlink profile of high quality links.
The link building process involves:
1. Researching quality websites
To know what to look for when researching quality websites, you need an understanding of SEO best practices and website development. Additionally, a quality website is well designed, easy to navigate, has authority online, is not spammy, and accurately displays information targeted for that page.
2. Selecting sites to collaborate with
After researching multiple sites with link building potential, you need to select which sites will help strengthen your website the most. This means understanding the site's domain rating, target audience, current rankings, and core branding.
3. Contacting website owners in a personal and mutually beneficial way
Here comes the outreach part. Contacting the website owner or marketing department is your best chance for achieving a backlink from them. Email is typically best and this includes crafting a genuine, personalized email explaining your proposition. If you're interested in exchanging links so you both can benefit, outlining those details in the email is recommended.
4. Filtering links
Organic link building exists where you don't have to request a link from another website owner. This typically occurs when another site finds yours, deems it credible enough for a backlink, and adds it to their content without requesting permission (not required). Filtering the links that do this is important as to avoid spammy websites trying to link to your site, which would damage your authority. In this case, you could request they change their link to a "no-follow" so Google or other search engines don't consider that website as a backlink to yours.
Link building efforts take time and require knowledge of best practices in SEO as well as strong communication and organization skills. If your business does not already have a link building strategy, you should consider outsourcing your link building with a link building agency.
What Are Link Building Methods
There are various link building campaign methods, each with benefits to different industries or business types. However, the common core link building strategies include:
1. Outreach based (such as Guest Posting)
This method involves contacting other sites who develop content (typically in blog format) and providing them with a guest post (written by you or a member of your team) embedded with links back to your site. Guest posts are commonly accepted on larger blogs or websites that regularly publish content as long as the guest post is reputable, on brand, and well written. This strategy is a helpful way of building links and requires writing skills and basic SEO knowledge. The benefit to guest posting is that you can quickly obtain a backlink and the website obtains additional content for their site that they didn't have to write themselves.
2. Linkable asset based (such as Skyscraper Articles)
Skyscraper articles are written with the purpose of combining a significant amount of data into one place, specifically with a lot of backlinks to high-ranking content, and outranking competitor articles due to the strength of the piece. This can benefit you when building your backlink profile if the skyscraper articles developed surpass other high ranking sites in rankings.
3. Story based (such as Digital PR or HARO)
This method for link building involves obtaining backlinks from journalists who are looking for sources for their materials. This method is considered a "win-win" when done correctly because the media source obtains information and a quality source and the website obtains a authoritative backlink.
Acquiring backlinks is not as simple as some might think, but can have a significant impact on your website's success. Through these methods and other outsource link building services, you could be well on your way to increased referral traffic.
What to Look for When Building Backlinks
If you're looking for a good link building strategy, take note of these important things to look for and avoid when it comes to quality links.
A good link:
Is Relevant
When you have identified a quality website that agrees to a link insertion, or when writing your guest post content, make sure your link placement is relevant and helpful within the context. Your link should be a supplement to the content surrounding it and naturally encourage the reader to click on your link because it is directly relatable. Relevancy to the surrounding content means that it should not be placed in the footer or side bar, but within the body.
Additionally, the anchor text (the exact words that are hyperlinked) should be keyword rich and specific to the content being linked to. Instead of using words like "Click here" or "Try this idea", consider more detail and keywords, such as, "Learn about the amazing benefits of exercise," or "Add a new fleece blanket to your collection."
Is of High Authority
The domain rating of a site represents the strength it holds to Google. Acquiring a backlink from a high DR site will be more beneficial than from a low DR site. You can use tools such as Ahrefs or SEMRush to determine DR ratings.
Is a Do-Follow Link
Ensuring that your link is placed with a "do-follow" tag vs a "no-follow" tag is critical for building your backlink profile. A "do-follow" tag tells Google to "follow" the link, giving you the credit when a visitor comes to your site from that page. If collaborating with other websites on link insertions, make sure to specify in your proposition that you're looking for a do-follow link. The publisher can adjust the settings when adding a link.
A poor link:
Is spammy
Spammy links are more common than ever these days and should definitely be avoided when link building. "Link farm websites", or websites created specifically to try and trick Google and other search engines by hiding links, exist to look authoritative but are not. Avoid these as much as possible when researching link potentials.
Has poor anchor text
If the anchor text does not contain a helpful keyword or key phrase related to your content, it will not adequately tell Google what your content is about. This hurts the strength of your link and further the strength of your site overall.
Has not been around for very long
Length of time on the web tells Google that a site can be trusted. When possible, aim for backlinks from sites that have been online greater than 3 years.
How to Know When You Should Consider Outsourcing Link Building
With all of this information about link building, you might be thinking that this is something you're not comfortable taking on by yourself. SEO experts and link building agencies exist to help companies with this very thing, so you can focus on building your business in other ways.
Other reasons you should consider outsourcing your link building efforts include:
Your site is not ranking as high as you'd like
Despite building a quality website, products, or even information, your site may be struggling to rank. This is where link building comes in because when done properly, it can be the difference maker to building your site's strength and authority. With improved rankings, you will see increased traffic. If you're not ranking, consider outsourcing link building.
You have more to offer than your competitors, but your site is not ranking above them
Your competitors may have a similar target audience, but you know your product or service is better. How can you outperform your competitors? Simply by having a stronger backlink profile, Google and other search engines will rank you above them as long as the quality of your backlinks is high. Consider outsourcing your link building efforts to a link building agency if you have a superior product or service but need the boost of a stronger backlink profile to get ahead.
You need to grow quickly
Some businesses are in the position where they need to expand their reach as quickly as possible. If this is you, link building services may be your best bet as they can be a relatively quick investment to increasing your traffic and exposure alongside other digital marketing efforts.
You don't have the SEO knowledge or ability to perform link building effectively
The most common reason to consider outsource link building is due to not having the proper link building expertise or SEO knowledge. Because it can include more intricate details in terms of website research, content creation, and communicating with other websites, outsourcing your link building could be the ultimate solution to get you the results you're looking for faster and more effectively. By letting the experts handle this project, you can focus on other business development.
The Benefits of Outsourcing Link Building
The choice to outsource your link building efforts could be an easy one if you don't have a team to manage link building, the expense is too great to do so internally, or if you don't have the knowledge. However, there are additional benefits that you can easily see when it comes to link building services.
Additional benefits include:
Saving you time
The research, the writing, the communication, the tracking, etc. all add up. If you leave this time-intensive project to the experts, you will have more time to focus on other projects.
Giving you access to experts in the SEO field
Not only can outsource link building agencies handle your link building campaigns, but they also have the expertise to handle multiple SEO strategies all at once. Their SEO and link building expertise will pay off as they implement unknown-to-you strategies that will bring you the best results.
Getting you results quicker
As previously mentioned, a link building agency will handle the details much quicker than you likely could, simply by having access to the tools and systems that are effective in the industry. The quicker they can produce increased rankings and traffic, the faster you will see an ROI on this investment.
Putting accountability elsewhere, allowing you to focus on growing your business in other areas
This benefit is typically the most attractive to business owners because they want to avoid added accountability on their shoulders. Outsourcing link building can alleviate the decisions or complex processes typically put on a growing business and allow that business to develop their growth in other important areas.
How to Find the Best Option to Outsource Your Link Building
By now you've hopefully decided that outsourcing your link building is the right path for you. Next you have to determine how to find a link building agency that will not only produce results for you, but also is the right fit for your business.
By following these steps, you can solidify a link building agency that will support the vision and goals of your business.
Step 1
Research your options for SEO agencies by viewing their websites online. Make a list of 5-10 options and note their differences.
It's important to look for SEO agencies that are:
Knowledgable & transparent
A good link building agency demonstrates their knowledge by explaining what they do, and how, on their website (not leaving out any secrets). Read through their processes and strategies and make sure they are similar to other agencies in the industry and don't go off the beaten path.
Have affordable prices
Compare their rates to others for the same services. You can often request a quote to learn specifically what they would charge you for based on your website size and current status. Don't be afraid to negotiate when it comes time so that you can get the best service for a price that meets your budget.
Have proven results
Read up on case studies and testimonials from clients on their website. See how they have properly executed link building campaigns and ask for more details if necessary. You deserve to know the nitty gritty of their success and how they will apply similar strategies to your website.
Have been in business longer than 3 years
With experience comes knowledge and you want a link building agency that is knowledgable, not new to the game. Over 3 years in business means they often have worked out the kinks and have a decent strategy in place for helping new clients reach their goals.
Have worked with clients in your similar target or niche
This might be the most important piece of advice when looking for a link building agency. If they have experience working with clients in your similar industry, they likely will employ similar tactics that worked. If they also have contacts and connections in your same industry, you are likely to see results faster as they work those connections.
Step 2
Understand the workflow and different link building plans offered. Most SEO agencies provide a pricing breakdown on their website. However, if they only provide the basics, provide your site specifics to get an exact quote to help you determine the exact cost you're looking at.
Outside of pricing, consider the following advice on the different link building plans available:
Ask questions
Inquire about how each different link building agency completes their link building campaigns AND how they communicate those results with their clients. Ask for details on how often and in what format results are communicated. Make sure to ask for information on any software services included that would allow you access to a dashboard or portal with information that you could check at your leisure.
Understand the differences
Thoroughly review each of the different link building plans offered and evaluate which plan would be best for you related to your unique goals. One plan might offer more than you need to start, or another might not be enough depending on what you're trying to achieve in a certain time frame. If you see a potential for plan customization, make sure to discuss your options with the agency.
Step 3
Consider your budget and your ability to invest in this digital marketing strategy at the current status of your business. Everyone knows that a business has a lot of costs, especially when it comes to marketing. However, if your budget allows for maximum opportunity in link building, consider the ROI and potential for scaling back (if necessary) once goals are met.
Additionally, remember:
Value
Link building is incredibly valuable because it includes outreach, content creation, strategy, and even placement fees, hence the heavy price tag. What might seem like a big cost to swallow is actually quite extensive. You are paying for more exposure online which could mean hundreds, thousands, or millions more eyes on your products or services.
Goals
Weigh the cost of outsourcing versus the goals you're looking to achieve and how quickly. If you are not in a rush to grow your brand or website, you may not need all the bells and whistles that many link building agencies can offer. However, if it's urgent that you get more page views or increase your organic traffic to yield higher sales, etc., the cost of outsourced link building may be necessary.
Step 4
Choose your trusted link building provider with confidence. Now that you have researched all of your options, understand your plan options and pricing, and have your goals mapped out, you're ready to sign a contract with a link building agency.
Once you complete a contract with a trusted link building provider, discuss clear expectations and goals.
The following items should be discussed and mapped out in writing to avoid any potential miscommunication or lack of deliverables:
Discuss how and how often you will communicate
Will reports be emailed monthly? Will meeting requests be auto-generated? When will information be available throughout the month? The frequency and format for communication should be discussed up front and understood by both parties.
Go over topics or content that need to be reviewed before publishing
When it comes to link building, content creation is right behind it. Discuss topics (or general keywords) that will require review and approval so as to stay on track with branding and details. Don't assume the agency knows everything about your business. Be in the habit of approving content as much as necessary so that it stays accurate and up to date.
Review together competitors and websites you want to avoid collaborating with
Because you know your business best, you also know who you're competing with. Discuss your competitors with your agency or account manager so that they are also in the know. This also allows them to do proper keyword research and rank comparisons to best benefit the progress of your link building campaigns.
Provide access to your website's backend and analytic profiles
Many link building agencies need access to your website backend to make adjustments to content, publish, or fix technical issues. Provide access as needed as well as include them in your other analytic accounts (Google, Similarweb, Mouseflow, etc.) so they can track data and report back to you.
Begin Outsource Link Building for Website Growth
You've read up on what link building is, you now know the benefits to outsourcing link building, and you have a list of questions to ask a potential link building agency. What else is left?
It's no secret that investing in your business can be stressful, even scary at times. However, as you evaluate the opportunity to expand your reach and reach new goals you previously didn't think possible, it is the hope that you find this decision to be an easy one.
By passing the responsibility over to a trusted link building service, you will ideally be happier, less stressed, and more confident in your digital marketing game because you won't have to march through any complex processes or confusing situations involved in link building. Let the experts guide you to success online and simply sit back and enjoy the ride.
Contact Searchant today to learn more about our link building services.
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