Link Building Specialist
Not All Link Building Specialists Use Magic (Some Just Use Spam)
Quick summary:
A link building specialist is someone who focuses on creating link building strategies to increase the number of high-quality inbound links to your website, with the aim of enhancing search engine rankings and driving traffic. They should understand your business, create a tailored strategy, and prioritise the quality of links over quantity. It’s essential to avoid specialists who use black hat techniques, as these can be detrimental in the long run. Instead, look for those with a proven track record in your industry and charge per link instead of an hourly rate. Look for link building specialists who use white hat methods and can produce and promote high-quality content.
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What Is a Link Building Specialist?
As a digital marketing specialist, I’ve spent a good chunk of my career focusing on link building. So, what is a link building specialist?
Well, in the most simple way possible; it’s someone who dedicates their time to creating technical strategies that will increase the number of high-quality inbound links to your website.
The aim? To boost the website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic. It’s a crucial part of any SEO strategy and can make a significant difference to your site’s visibility.
With the world of AI increasing, I believe the future of link building will be bright. To understand sites and articles that are high quality, links are vital in indicating to Google what content users find helpful.
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Here's some stats showing what a link building specialists can do for you:
3.8x more backlinks are found on average in the page ranking #1.
Search Logistics3.5x more links are built by experienced link builders compared to beginners.
Authority Hacker36% of businesses opt to hire external link building specialists.
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How To Find High Quality Link Building Specialists
Finding a top-notch link building specialist isn’t always easy. It requires a bit of homework and a clear understanding of your industry’s needs.
Look for specialists who have a proven track record in your industry and can demonstrate their ability to create high-quality content and promote it effectively. Results are honestly the most important area to link building.
Does their strategy make sense? If you need to explain it over and over then most likely they are tapping into black hat areas. I’ll cover more on this later on down the blog.
Now, you can find high quality link builders through a multitude of platforms. Here is a list of my favourites:
LinkedIn
UpWork
Fiverr
Behance
Facebook Groups
Some platforms are going to provide higher quality link builders than over. For example, LinkedIn, Upwork and Facebook groups will be where the best link building specialists are.
Start with these and if you can’t find someone under your budget, move to the other platforms.
Average Rates For a Link Building Specialist
Ideally, you are looking for a link building specialist that charges rates per link that they land. This could mean that they charge a rate based on the websites DA/DR or based on the website traffic.
They could also charge on other factors like the placements, number of links but this is much less common. Here’s the rates that I charge for my link building based on 2 factors, DR and traffic.
| DR Range | Rate |
|---|---|
| DR 0 | $25 |
| DR 1-9 | $50 |
| DR 10-19 | $100 |
| DR 20-39 | $150 |
| DR 40-59 | $175 |
| DR 60-69 | $200 |
| DR 70-79 | $250 |
| DR 80-89 | $300 |
| DR 90+ | $400 |
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| Traffic (pageviews per month) | Rate |
|---|---|
| 0–999 p/m | $25 |
| 1k–4.9k p/m | $75 |
| 5k–9.9k p/m | $150 |
| 10k–14.9k p/m | $250 |
| 15k–29k p/m | $350 |
| 30k–49k p/m | $400 |
| 50k–99k p/m | $450 |
| 100k–149k p/m | $500 |
| 150k–249k p/m | $600 |
| 250k–499k p/m | $650 |
| 500k–999k p/m | $700 |
| 1M+ p/m | $750 |
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Which is better?
I think going for DR is better value because the higher the DR tends to have the more traffic as well, but it totally depends on your link building goals. If you want to build links from high traffic websites, then it’s better to opt for traffic based pricing.
Best Strategies Used By Link Building Specialists
So, if you are considering hiring a link building specialist, it’s important to understand what strategies they are going to be doing to build you quality links. Below, I;ve put together a list of the best, upcoming link strategies that are white hat and effective.
If your link building specialist is promoting these strategies, then it’s likely they know what they are doing and I would trust them to build you decent, white hat links.
HARO link building
We often utilise HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to secure high-quality backlinks from journalists and media outlets.
This platform connects journalists with sources for their stories, providing an excellent opportunity to get mentioned in authoritative publications, which can significantly enhance your website’s credibility and SEO.
Links are usually done to your homepage as well, which is perfect for sharing the link juice through your entire site.
Skyscraper technique
The Skyscraper technique involves finding content within your niche that has already performed well in terms of attracting links and then creating something even better.
By promoting this superior content to the right audience, a link building specialist will aim to secure backlinks from your competitors original content piece.
Broken link building
Broken link building is a strategy where we identify broken links on other websites and suggest replacing them with relevant content from your site.
This not only helps webmasters fix their site issues but also provides you with a valuable backlink, contributing to a stronger link profile for your website.
Journalist stories
Leveraging journalist stories is akin to HARO link building, where we actively seek opportunities to contribute to stories and articles by providing expert insights, reports or stories.
This can lead to high-quality backlinks from news sites which tend to get republished by many news outlets over and over. Roxhill media is the best tool for this link building strategy.
Product or SaaS reviews
For websites offering products or SaaS or tools you are using, we can give them an excellent review or mention, then reach out to the owners and show them the review.
We then ask them to consider sharing the review or linking back which promotes both their tool and our content.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is a tried-and-tested method where we write and publish articles on reputable external blogs and websites.
These guest posts include backlinks to your site, helping to drive referral traffic and build domain authority. It’s a strategic way to reach new audiences and enhance your online presence.
Parasite SEO
Parasite SEO involves hosting your content on high-authority domains to piggyback off their established SEO strength.
While this can be a quick way to gain visibility, it’s a technique that must be used judiciously to avoid potential penalties. I ensure it’s done within the realms of ethical SEO practices (I’ve gone more in depth in my guide to parasite SEO blog here).
Tiered link building
Tiered link building is a sophisticated strategy which lots of link building specialists employ. It involves creating multiple layers of backlinks.
By building a hierarchy of links, with each tier pointing to the next, we aim to funnel more link juice to your main pages, thereby boosting their authority and search engine rankings significantly.
What Skills Should You Look For In Specialist Link Builders?
If I was looking for a link builder to join my team, then there are a few key skills I would always look out for. The most important thing I look for would be their strategy.
Are they good researchers who can find link opportunities in your market? One crucial aspect of link building is finding prospects and opportunities in topic gaps in your industry. If they can display skills or strategies around this, it’s a massive plus.
How do they land links? Are they creating links through outreach, social media, guest bloggers etc. All of these strategies would make me consider whether or not I would hire them.
The strategy we choose is technical outreach, which actually results in getting your existing websites who are linking to an existing high domain article, to swap out their link with your new link on the same topic.
This triggers the algorithm to see your content as more valuable than the existing high domain article, and of course take a vital backlink from your competition to push you up in the rankings over them.
Here’s a list of key skills to look for:
Research
Writing
Promotion
Strategy
Creativity
Persistence
SEO Knowledge
Analytical
Communication
Adaptability
The Best Tools Used By Specialist Link Builders
We link building specialists rely on a suite of sophisticated tools to streamline the processes. Here’s a list of the best tools if you are considering becoming a link building specialist, or if you are looking to identify or hire a high quality link builder.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an indispensable tool, it’s basically the bread and butter because they have the best SEO tool for backlinks in my opinion. It provides comprehensive insights into a website’s link profile, competitors’ backlinks, and potential link-building opportunities. This is perfect for the skyscraper and content gaps.
ScreamingFrog
ScreamingFrog is a detailed website crawler that allows link building specialists to audit your website for SEO issues. It’s particularly useful for identifying broken links, redirects, and page titles and descriptions, which are all crucial elements of a solid on-site SEO foundation that supports link-building efforts.
SEMRush
SEMRush is another comprehensive SEO tool that we use for keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink profiles. It has an awesome section on link toxicity which can allow me to remove or avoid building toxic links.
Hunter.io
Hunter.io is a tool I use to find email addresses associated with a particular domain. It’s essential for outreach campaigns, allowing me to contact website owners and directly pitch content or request backlinks. There are other tools, but I’ve found hunter to be the best.
Neverbounce
Email deliverability is key in outreach campaigns. Neverbounce ensures that the email addresses I’ve collected are valid and reduces bounce rates. This tool helps maintain a clean email list, which is crucial for the success of my link-building outreach efforts. They are affordable and have a great success rate.
LinkedIn is a valuable platform for networking with industry professionals and potential link-building partners. I use LinkedIn to reach out to potential website owners, bloggers or influencers to request for links or collaborations.
Google search console
Google Search Console (GSC) is vital for monitoring your website’s performance in search results. I use GSC to track the links pointing to your site, understand how Google views your site, and identify areas for improvement in your link-building strategy. Mostly, it helps with internal link building to visualise which areas are weakest.
Lemlist
Finally, Lemlist is an email outreach tool that we use to automate and personalise my link-building campaigns. It allows me to create customised email sequences that can help in building relationships with potential link partners, making the outreach process more efficient and effective.
Avoid Anyone Who Is Willing To Charge You Hourly Rates
Link building is a long-term strategy, and it requires consistent effort over time. So, if someone is offering to charge you hourly rates, it’s a red flag.
To be honest, it’s just a risk for you. It could work out, but most of you might spend $1000’s and end up with only a few links to your site. Whether they are high quality, that’s a different story.
The true value of their work isn’t reflected in the hours they put in. Instead, look for specialists who charge based on the results they deliver.
I make sure that we provide risk free link building. This means you only pay once the link has been landed and live on the site. This way you get peace of mind knowing you are only paying for a service that is guaranteed results.
Link Building Is Very Technical
Link building is a technical process, and it requires a deep understanding of SEO and how search engines work. A good link building specialist will use white hat techniques that comply with search engine guidelines. This way, they’ll positively impact your site’s rankings, rather than harming them.
One key metric we take is to land links from sites with above 1k monthly organic users. This way we know that Google is happy with this site, it’s getting users and traffic and of course it hasn’t taken a penalty in the past.
Domain rating shouldn’t be your biggest factor. You can get sites with DR of above 70 and still have 0 monthly users. That’s most likely because they’ve been caught up in link schemes and received a penalty.
Make sure your link building specialist can create a natural link profile
Natural link profiles are so important. You don’t want all of your links going to 1 single page, and you certainly don’t want them going to all of your sales pages either.
Your link builder should create links to multiple pages to your site to create the most natural looking profile. I always start with 10+ high link articles then funnel the link juice through to other pages and sales pages.
This is called tiered link building, and is an important factor especially when it comes to technical SEO.
I also make sure I am building high quality links to your homepage through PR. This is very important as the homepage will pass authority to all of your other pages.
List Of Qualifying Questions To Ask Your Link Builder
When you’re hiring a link building specialist, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask about their experience in your industry, their link building strategy, and how they measure success.
Think about it, anyone who is good at what they do will want to show off their hard work. Ask them to show results of the links that they are landing and even how they are landing them.
Usually someone who is a technical specialist, they will be happy to share because their strategy is so advanced it can’t be replicated.
This will help you assess their skills and suitability for your project. Remember, you’re investing in your site’s future, so it’s worth taking the time to find the right person for the job.
Here’s a few questions you should ask your link builder:
Do you pay for links?
How many links can you build in a month?
How do you ensure the links you build are high quality?
How do you handle link building in a competitive market?
How do you measure the success of your link building efforts?
Link building strategies should be unique & tailored to each website
In my years of experience in the digital marketing world, I’ve come to realise that no two businesses are the same. Each has its unique set of challenges, goals, and audience. That’s why I firmly believe that link building strategies should be customised to each website.
A one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t cut it. It’s crucial to find a link building specialist who takes the time to understand your business, your industry, and your audience, and then crafts a strategy that aligns with these unique aspects.
Think about it right, your industry might be more or less competitive. This requires a more technical and advanced strategy to get you results. The same applies for those in less competitive industries.
This is exactly where technical research comes in to be able to find the best link areas for fastest and most permanent results.
The Balance Between Quantity and Quality of Links
Now, let’s talk about the balance between quantity and quality of links. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game, thinking that the more links, the better. But in my experience, it’s not just about racking up as many links as possible.
The quality of the links matters too. Getting links from reputable, high-authority websites is far more beneficial than having a ton of links from low-quality sites.
So, when you’re evaluating a link building specialist, make sure they understand the importance of this balance and have strategies in place to achieve it.
Both quality and quantity are vital, but if you have a large number of quality links… That’s the sweet spot you want to be.
The Risks of Black Hat Link Building
I’ve seen it happen too many times – businesses getting tempted by black hat link building techniques. These are tactics that try to game the system, like buying links or using spammy practices.
They might offer quick results, but trust me, they’re not worth it. They can lead to penalties from search engines, damage your reputation, and even get your site banned.
As someone who’s been in the industry for a while, I can’t stress enough the importance of sticking to white hat methods.
They might take longer to show results, but they’re sustainable and won’t put your site at risk. So, if a link building specialist suggests any black hat techniques, it’s a clear red flag.
You will get much more permanent results. I actually took over one of my clients who was using a black hat SEO person. Their traffic was up one month, down the next. It was never consistent.
After we took over and remove some nasty links and built some white hat ones, their traffic increase by 30% and they move to #1 position for all of their sales pages. This has lasted over 2 years and still, they are in the same positions.
Avoid anyone who is offering you a list of paid links
Here’s a word of advice from someone who’s been in the game for a while: steer clear of anyone offering you a list of paid links. They can do more harm than good to your SEO efforts and are a big no-no according to Google’s guidelines.
If someone calling themselves a ‘link building specialist’ sends you a list of 1000s of websites where you can just buy a link, then let’s be real… This is not being a specialist in any way. This is buying links, and anyone can do this.
If that’s the avenue you want to take, you’re better off hiring an admin to just collect a list of websites and send them a message asking to buy links. Do this at your own risk, and I don’t recommend this at all 😆.
A high-quality link building specialist will focus on creating and promoting top-notch content to attract organic links that are free. There are so many ways to land free links if you take a technical and specialist approach.
Types Of Black Hat Link Building To Avoid
Look, we are all aware of how tempting black hat is, and even more so now that Google seems to actually be favouring black hat. Which isn’t a bad thing and personally I don’t think a pinch of black hat is the worst either (I’ve got another story on that in my black hat SEO article here).
But, I think link building is a very risky area to be doing obviously black hat seo techniques and even more so if you are actively looking for a black hat link builder.
I’ve put together some areas you should avoid if your link building specialist is suggesting this is how they will build your links.
Buying links
Buying links, or engaging in any form of link selling, is black hat in the eyes of Google. I know what you’re thinking. How will they even find out?
Well, usually websites that sell links send the links to all the link builders which then send the lists to others and so on. If one website gets caught, then usually a few topple as well.
Then if your website is associated with this, it doesn’t look great.
Using private blog networks (PBNs)
PBNs are networks of websites created solely for the purpose of link building. While they can artificially boost a site’s link profile, they often contain low-quality content and can be easily spotted by search engines resulting in penalties.
It’s a strategy that compromises the integrity of your website’s link profile and probably not worth it if you ask me.
Link farms
Link farms are groups of websites that are interconnected solely to increase the number of backlinks pointing to each other.
Similarly, link exchanges involve two parties agreeing to link to each other’s sites. Both practices are considered manipulative by search engines and can lead to your site being penalised or even banned.
Try to avoid link farms and those spam lists of links that get shared around with everyone on the web, making the link less unique and carry less link juice.
Spam comments
This annoys me so much 😆. Posting irrelevant or promotional links in the comment sections of blogs, forums, or websites is not only a nuisance but also a harmful practice. Comment spam can tarnish your site’s reputation and lead to negative SEO consequences.
Sneaky redirects
Now, this one can get people good if they are not a link building specialist or knowledge about link building. You can find hundreds of these on Fiverr from super high authority sites but they are just spam and usually get caught in the end.
Another one to not really bother with as it will likely just waste your money without getting you the link juice or rankings you are looking for with link building.
Conclusion
Navigating the world of link building can be a bit of a minefield, but with the right knowledge and guidance, it can be a game-changer for your website’s visibility and traffic. Remember, a good link building specialist is worth their weight in gold.
They’ll understand your business, create a tailored strategy, and focus on the quality of links, not just the quantity.
Steer clear of anyone offering quick fixes or black hat techniques. These might seem tempting, but they can do more harm than good in the long run. Instead, opt for a specialist who uses white hat methods and understands the importance of high-quality, relevant content.
Link building is a long-term strategy, but with patience, consistency, and the right approach, it can yield significant results. So, take your time, ask the right questions, and make sure you find a link building specialist who’s the right fit for your business. After all, your website’s success is worth it.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and of course if you want me to build you white hat links then feel free to book a consultation in.
