Link building has been a topic of discussion for years. The majority of digital marketers agree that it’s one of the most integral parts of any healthy SEO campaign.
In its most basic sense, link building involves building backlinks or hyperlinks from one website to another, allowing website traffic as well as link juice to pass between the sites.
While this might sound like a small thing, it can have HUGE effects on any business’s online presence. Those backlinks send ranking signals to search engines, telling them, ” Hey, this is relevant!
It’s at this point that Search Engines normally take notice of a website, index the website’s content, and begin to rank the site higher in search results.
Without a solid link-building strategy, a business’s website could remain stagnant as there’s not much to signal the site’s relevance to Google (and other search engines). This can obviously be extremely frustrating to any website owner as the time and effort put into creating an appealing web page will bring little value to the business.
This brings us to the first question…
Why Outsource Link Building?
Why would I possibly want to pay someone to build backlinks for me when I can just have Pete, the IT guy, do it for me?
Good question.
While doing link building in-house might sound like a good idea at first, there are a number of drawbacks to going this route.
Firstly, Pete has other stuff to do. Launching and maintaining an effective link building campaign takes a lot of time, time that specialist employees simply don’t have.
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Secondly, your IT guy might be excellent at setting up your company’s internal workflow and retrieving lost passwords, but to really get the full effects of a link building campaign, you need to be an expert at it.
So the benefits of outsourcing the entire process are simply undeniable.
Let’s have a closer look at why outsourcing your link building campaign would make way more business sense as opposed to employing an in-house team of link builders.
Cost-Effectiveness of Outsourcing Link-Building Efforts
There’s a lot to consider when employing a full-time in-house team to do your link-building.
Remember that from a staffing point of view, you’ll need to cover the entire link-building process, from keyword research and outreach to quality control and the publishing of links.
This process can be overwhelming and is often too much for just one person to handle.
Oh yes, and the average salary of an SEO link builder in 2023 is reportedly around $52,020 / year. (1)
So while doing link building in-house might have certain benefits, the expenses involved can be extremely draining for any business.
When outsourcing the process, you can simply agree on a price beforehand, allowing you to keep a close eye on the budget and making the process profitable.
Companies that specialize in link building will often offer their service on a per-link or bundle basis, meaning that the more links you order, the more cost-effective the exercise turns out.
Above is a great example from Batlinks.io.
According to this tiered pricing system, 3 links would cost $149 USD per link, but 10 links would work out to only $129 USD per link.
So first and foremost, the cost-effectiveness of link-building packages makes it more financially advantageous to hire a company for your link-building needs rather than employing an in-house team.
Leveraging the Expertise of Link Building Agencies
A second benefit of outsourcing your link-building campaign is that SEO companies have link-building expertise that makes the entire process flow much smoother than what your in-house team would be able to achieve.
There are various link-building tactics that you could employ, and many of them take time and effort to do right. Link-building services have their own methods down to a T.
They know exactly who to contact, what each link should be worth, and how to get the best value for their clients.
Many link-building first will focus on one aspect of link building, such as link inserts or guest posts. These experts are super useful as they often get results way quicker than an individual (novice) link builder would.
Saving Time through Outsourcing Link Building
While link building isn’t rocket science, the ins and outs of the process can take a lot of time, and the results aren’t always guaranteed.
This makes in-house link-building challenging as most businesses want to see a real ROI. After all, we’re all in the business of making a profit, aren’t we?
And any SEO strategy takes time to show results. Reports suggest that it can take up to 6 months to see significant changes to a website.
That’s because it takes time to build backlinks.
Long before the first outreach messages can be sent, you need to identify websites within the same niche that will add value to your website browsers, then you need to vet those sites to make sure that it’s worth your time even to approach the web admins for a link.
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During the vetting process, you’re looking at the quality of the sites, making sure that you’re building links that will have a lasting effect on your search results. You also need to make sure that they have sufficient website traffic that could potentially be redirected to your chosen page.
This takes time.
It also takes time to reach out to web admins or website owners. Link builders often send mass emails and requisition link-building partnerships with verified website owners which speeds up this entire process.
Scalability and Flexibility in Link-Building Strategies
Scalability is like adding turbo boosters to your link-building efforts.
Sure, having an in-house team is great, but when you need to take things up a notch, outsourcing to a specialized agency is where the magic happens. These link-building companies are the pros of link-building, with a dedicated team armed with skills, knowledge, and industry expertise.
They’re ready to ramp up your backlink profile and skyrocket your online visibility. More backlinks mean more exposure, leaving your competition in the dust. That’s the kind of scalability that makes a real difference.
Now, let’s talk flexibility.
In the fast-paced online world, things change quicker than you can say, “search algorithm update.”
By outsourcing link-building services, you’re tapping into a team that stays ahead of the game. They know the latest trends, techniques, and algorithmic tweaks.
For example, imagine you have a thriving online store selling handmade jewelry. Your in-house team is doing ok, but you’re ready to take the jewelry world by storm.
By outsourcing link building to a specialized agency, you get access to a crew that knows the jewelry industry like the back of their hand. They know the top influencers, the hottest blogs, and the most reputable websites to showcase your unique pieces.
They’ll rev up your link-building efforts, reaching more potential customers and amplifying your brand’s presence. It’s like having a jewelry-loving dream team in your corner.
Choosing the Right Link Building Agency
Ok, so there are clear, undeniable benefits to outsourcing your link-building efforts to a legitimate link-building agency. But how do you choose the one that’s best for you?
There are so many SEO companies out there today, all claiming to have the ability to send your website right up the search engine results. So let’s look at a few factors that you might want to keep in mind.
Firstly, Where Do You Even Find Link Building Partners?
There are a few well-known white hat link-building agencies that have helped many a company rank better.
A simple Google search for link-building companies will give you hundreds of results. Another useful way of doing it would be to use a freelancer-orientated platform like Fiver or Upwork. Here’s where thousands of freelancers that specialize in different fields flock daily to find work.
And link-building agencies also use these very platforms to link up with prospective clients.
But a word of warning. Not all freelancers or agencies have the ability to meet your needs. You need to vet the link-building freelancers or companies to find one that truly suits your needs.
Key Factors to Consider When Selecting a Link Building Agency
Each company has a different vision. While some have short-term goals in mind, others want to build their brand into a worldwide phenomenon and be around in decades to come.
So the SEO approach to these companies should be different. Here are a few things to look out for when considering different link-building agencies for your project
1 Transparency
Does the link-building company offer full transparency with their campaigns, meaning that they will let you in on all the conversations, negotiations, and negotiations with webmasters?
This is important as you, the website owner, will be left with the bill at the end of the day, and knowing what you’re spending your hard-earned cash on is always desirable.
2 Proficiency
Make sure that the link-building agency knows how to get results. You need to be allowed to set reasonable targets throughout your partnership to keep the campaign on track.
A good link-building service will be able to meet targets and deadlines that show their proficiency and abilities to deliver results.
3 Niche specific
An integral part of any successful link-building campaign is link-specific outreach.
As we said earlier, each business is unique, and the audience that your trying to reach is also unique. So the agency should be able to pick up on a specific niche and tailor their campaigns accordingly,
This is important as you want to reach an audience that actually adds real value.
For example,10 DR 50+ links with a total traffic of 500 000 would be great for the algorithm.
But what if none of these visitors are actually interested in purchasing your product or subscribing to your service? You’ll end up with a high bounce rate and have very few conversions.
Your link-building campaign should be tailored to your specific niche and reach an audience that will actually be interested in your service.
Successful Partnerships with Link Building Agencies
Successful partnerships are the sweet-tasting results that help drive our success.
We can gauge whether or not a partnership has reached its desired results by looking at the metrics over a given time on an SEO platform like Ahrefs or Google Analytics.
The above screenshot is from a SAAS niche SEO case study where Batlinks managed to grow the organic traffic 80-fold.
That’s a huge return on investment for the client. Their metrics continued on upward trend months and months after the business partnership ended.
The average paid advertising cost (PPC) is between $2-$10 in this niche. So even with $2, the value that has been created thus far translates to $16,000 per month.
Not taking into account that organic traffic has a higher conversion rate compared to paid traffic in most cases.
The graph above shows that the break-even point for the campaign was during month 5.
After that, the cumulative value of SEO traffic started to grow exponentially and is still growing as we’re constantly building on more content and links to increase the traffic further.
What’s the point?
The point is that link-building, when done right, works. And it has the potential to grow your online visibility and business potential many times over.
Successful partnerships are the ones where the agency and the website owner both see a monetary value in the business partnership.
Best Practices for Outsourced Link Building
As with every venture in life, there are some serious do’s and don’ts when it comes to outsourcing the link-building aspect of your SEO endeavors.
Let’s look at some of these best practices that you’d want to remember when looking for the right partnership:
Effective Communication and Collaboration with Link Building Agencies
Establishing clear lines of communication and fostering collaboration with your chosen link-building agency is vital to the overall success of your business partnership. We can break communication down into the following:
- Regular Communication
Maintain an open line of communication with your link builder. Clearly articulate your goals, requirements, and expectations, and encourage them to provide regular updates on the progress of your link-building campaigns.
- Collaborative Strategy Development:
Engage in a collaborative process to develop a comprehensive link-building strategy that aligns with your business objectives. Leverage the expertise of the agency to identify the most effective tactics and approaches for building links.
- Provides Necessary Resources:
To facilitate efficient link-building services, ensure that the agency has access to the necessary resources, such as relevant content, images, and other assets.
Timely provision of these resources will streamline the link-building process.
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Setting Goals and Expectations for Outsourcing Link Building
To achieve success with your outsourced link-building efforts, you need to establish clear goals and set realistic expectations.
Consider the following steps:
- Define Objectives:
Determine what you aim to achieve through your link-building campaigns.
Whether it’s improving search engine rankings, increasing referral traffic, or enhancing your brand’s online visibility, clearly articulate your objectives to the agency.
- Realistic Expectations:
Understand that quality link-building services take time and consistent effort. Discuss realistic timelines with the link-building agency to manage expectations and ensure a long-term approach to your campaigns.
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Establish measurable KPIs that align with your goals. These may include metrics like the number of acquired high-quality links, improvements in search engine rankings, or increases in referral traffic.
Regularly review and analyze these KPIs to gauge the success of your outsourced link-building activities.
Quality Control and Monitoring of Outsourced Backlinks
Maintaining quality control and monitoring the performance of your outsourced backlinks is crucial to the success of your link-building strategy.
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Here are some best practices to consider:
- Quality Assessment
Regularly evaluate the quality of the acquired backlinks to ensure they align with your desired standards. Consider factors like relevance, authority, and credibility when assessing the effectiveness of each link.
- Performance Tracking
Utilize tracking tools to monitor the impact of acquired links on your website’s organic search rankings, referral traffic, and overall SEO performance. This data will help you make informed decisions about future link-building activities.
- Ongoing Collaboration
Maintain an ongoing relationship with the link-building agency to review and discuss the performance of your links. Collaborate on strategies to improve results and address any potential issues promptly.
Overcoming Challenges in Outsourcing Link Building
Outsourcing link-building can bring about various challenges that need to be effectively addressed for successful outcomes.
By understanding and proactively managing these challenges, you can ensure a smooth link-building process. Here are a few common challenges and ways to overcome them:
Challenge #1 Limited Control and Oversight
When you outsource link building, you may feel a loss of direct control over the process.
However, by establishing strong communication channels and maintaining regular updates, you can stay informed about the progress and maintain a level of oversight.
Challenge #2 Alignment with Brand Guidelines
It can be challenging to ensure that the link-building agency adheres to your brand guidelines and maintains the desired tone and messaging.
Provide comprehensive brand guidelines and collaborate closely with the agency to ensure consistency and alignment throughout the link-building campaigns.
Challenge #3 Integration with Existing Marketing Efforts
Link building should complement your overall marketing strategy.
It is important to integrate outsourced link-building efforts with other marketing activities to ensure a cohesive approach. Again, regular communication between your in-house marketing team and the outsourced link-building agency is crucial to align efforts and achieving desired results.
Ensuring Ethical and White-hat Practices with Link Building Agencies
When outsourcing link building, you need to prioritize ethical and white-hat practices to maintain the integrity of your website and avoid penalties from search engines.
Encourage your link-building agency to prioritize the acquisition of high-quality and relevant links from reputable websites. Emphasize the long-term benefits of quality links in terms of improved search rankings and user experience.
Avoid Black-hat SEO Techniques!
Ensure that the link-building agency strictly avoids any black-hat SEO techniques, such as hidden links, keyword stuffing, or doorway pages. Such practices can lead to severe penalties from search engines, damaging your website’s reputation and rankings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, partnering with a reputable outsource link-building agency can bring significant benefits to your link-building processes and overall search engine optimization efforts.
Treat it as a valuable investment that has the potential to deliver substantial returns on the time and effort invested in your campaigns.
While there are many link-building agencies to choose from, it is crucial to select a reliable outsource link-building agency that can meet your specific needs.
Look for a partner that employs white hat link-building tactics and prioritizes targeting high authority sites. Batlinks.io is one such agency that has gained recognition for its exceptional results across various niches.
With their minimalistic approach, they focus on quality over quantity, ensuring maximum return on investment.
Article sources
1 – ZipRecruiter