What's your process?Link building is a crucial aspect of SEO, involving obtaining backlinks from other websites to improve a website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).How much time do you spend on it?
How much do you charge your clients for it?
Do you outsource it?
What kinda results do you get from it?
Are the results consistent?
What are your do’s and don’ts?
Building high-quality backlinks can significantly boost website authority, traffic, and overall online visibility. It’s a process that involves identifying relevant websites, creating valuable content, and reaching out to website owners for link opportunities.
Ahrefs is a popular tool used by many for data analysis, identifying link opportunities, and outreach. For example, by using Ahrefs Content Explorer, one can find sites with broken links and reach out to them, offering to replace the broken link with a link to their article or blog. The target websites are typically those with a domain rating (DR) of 30 or higher and receive over 1,000 visitors per month, ensuring quality and relevance.
Link building can be done as a standalone service or as part of a broader SEO package. The pricing varies depending on the project scope, client’s industry, and the target link acquisition rate. Prices can range from $300 to $1,500 per month.
While repetitive tasks such as data collection or low-level outreach can be outsourced, strategic decisions and major outreach efforts should be handled internally for better quality control.
It takes time to build high-quality backlinks, typically 10-15 hours for initial setup and planning and 20-30 hours per month for ongoing maintenance.
Consistency in link building efforts is key, and the results are generally observed within 3-6 months. This includes improvements in keyword rankings, increased organic traffic, and improved domain authority within 6-12 months.
While SEO can be volatile due to algorithm updates and competition, a well-executed backlink strategy usually yields consistent improvement over time.
Some key do’s when building links include:
- Focus on quality over quantity: A few high-quality links are more valuable than many low-quality ones.
- Prioritize relevance: Links should come from relevant domains or contexts.
- Monitor the link profile actively: Avoid penalties from toxic links.
- Monitor the backlinked page: Ensure the page has good on-page and technical SEO.
Some key don’ts include:
- Engaging in black-hat techniques: This includes buying links, participating in link farms, or using automated tools that spam websites.
- Ignoring anchor text diversity: Over-optimized anchor text can look manipulative to search engines.
- Neglecting the disavow tool: It can be used to dissociate from harmful links that might negatively impact SEO.
- Buying links from Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
Ultimately, link building is an ongoing process requiring dedication, strategy, and patience. By focusing on quality, relevance, and white-hat strategies, one can build a strong backlink profile that benefits their website’s visibility and online success.