You’ve probably heard that link building is important for search engine optimization (SEO), but you may not be sure why. Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from other websites to your own. Backlinks are incoming links to a webpage.

When a webpage has a link to an external webpage, it is referred to as a backlink. Backlinks are critical for businesses because they play a meaningful role in how Google ranks websites on their search engine results pages (SERPs).

A website with a lot of high-quality backlinks is more likely to rank higher on the SERPs than a website with very few or no backlinks. This is why link building is important.

It’s also why link building can be difficult:

• You may not have the time needed to carry out manual outreach to websites – this often includes spending hours of research finding sites, finding the owner and their email, crafting personalized content and sending the email and following up. And this is then followed by creating the post, editing, linking, submitting and then waiting for your content to go live.
• It can draw you away from other tasks. Link building outreach can take a few days or even months to see a result. You may not have the time or energy to work on this and neglect other important business tasks.
• You need to build relationships and have frequent back-and-forth conversations in order to convince the website owner or editor to link to your post. Such tasks are better given to an agency that already has established contacts.

As a business owner or marketer, there are many reasons why outsourcing your link-building is a good idea.

However, there are several factors to consider before you outsource your link building to an agency or freelancer. Here’s what you should think about.

Factor One: Reputation

When outsourcing your link building to an agency or freelancer, you must make sure that the person you’re considering is reputable and that they use white hat link building methods.

This is critical because if you work with someone who uses black hat link building techniques like spamming web directories or buying links, it can negatively impact your website’s reputation. These tactics will get you penalized by Google and could ultimately result in the loss of all of your hard-earned ranking power!

Factor Two: Reliability

Another thing to consider is reliability. You want to make sure that the person or team you are working with follows through on their end of things and that they actually achieve results. If they say they’ll produce X number of links but only manage a fraction of that, what good does it do?

Of course, it’s hard to gauge reliability unless you’ve worked with someone for a while. 

But make sure that you care about how reliable a person or agency is from the get go. You’ll be alert for both warning signs and positive signals about the people you’re working with. 

Factor Three: Cost

Also, cost is something else to take into consideration before outsourcing your link building.

Link building is a lucrative and high-demand service so you can expect to pay a fair price for it. However, before you agree to pay any agency or freelancer significant amounts of money, be sure that they are worth the price and that they know what they’re doing.

There’s no point in spending thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars on possible SEO improvements if all you get are links from questionable sources.

Remember, if Google decides to penalize your website, it’s virtually the end of years worth of effort.

Take your budget into consideration, you want to spend enough money that guarantees that you’ll get backlinks from good sources. But you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a single link when you can build goodwill and a relationship with other website owners.

Factor Four: Link Quality

One of the most important factors when it comes to link building is the quality of the links you acquire. Not all links are created equal, and some will negatively affect your website’s ranking rather than support it.

Make sure you only partner with reputable link building firms who will only provide high-quality links.

This means no links from websites that ask for money in addition to a guest post. And it also means no links from spammy websites like those with low domain authority.

Instead, you want to focus on acquiring high-quality links from websites that are relevant to your business.

These links can come from guest posts, infographics and videos, directories, blog comments and more.

The important thing is to find a team of link builders who know what they’re doing, who will only produce high-quality links and who can get the results you need within your budget.

Factor Five: Diversity and Relevance

Another important factor when it comes to link building is diversity. Having a diverse range of backlinks will help show Google that your website is authoritative and trustworthy. Make sure your link building firm provides different types of links, including blog comments, guest posts, social media shares, etc.

Relevance of your content is also key when it comes to trusting your link building team. They should know what types of sites make the most sense for your business and your audience, and they should focus on acquiring links from those sites.

For example, if you run an eCommerce website about winter sportswear, you do not want links from a website about ancient aliens and other unrelated and suspicious topics.

Instead, you want links from sports blogs, outdoor gear websites and other similar sites.

So before you outsource your link building, be sure to weigh all of these factors so that you can find a team that will help you achieve the results you need.

Factor six: Trust

The truth is that you’re putting your business in the hands of an external agency. Before you hand over any money, it’s important to build trust with the link building team.

This means doing your due diligence and asking for case studies, testimonials and past results from clients.

It also means looking at the company’s reputation online, including customer reviews and their website’s traffic numbers.

And ultimately, it should mean getting to know the team who will be working on your link building campaign.

This could include a phone call or meeting before you sign any contracts or hand over any money.

Factor Seven: Convenience

Finally, when it comes to outsourcing your link building, being able to work with a team that is convenient to you is important.

Whether this means working with a team that’s in your time zone, or simply being able to work online and on your own schedule, you want a firm that will be flexible and convenient for you.

That way, you can focus on the tasks that matter most for your business without having to worry about the link building process.

By taking these steps, you can ensure that you’re putting your business in the right hands and working with a trustworthy link building or SEO firm.

How To Find the Right Link Building Firm

Finding the right team is crucial to make your link building efforts successful.

Factors like quality, relationship building, good content creation and more will all play a major role in how successful your campaign is.

So, how do you find the right freelancer or agency when there are such high standards and high stakes involved?

Here are some key tips:

1. Start by doing some research online. Look for established firms and freelancers that have a good reputation for providing quality links.
2. Ask for referrals from colleagues or other business owners in your industry.
3. Read customer reviews and testimonials to get an idea of how a particular firm has performed in the past.
4. Reach out to potential agencies or freelancers and ask for a free consultation or audit to get a better idea of their experience and expertise.
5. Use platforms like Upwork where you can see freelancers’ past ratings and reviews to find someone who can get the results you need.
6. When you finally do choose a team or individual, be sure to build trust by doing your due diligence and getting to know the people who will be working on your link building campaign.

Ultimately, finding the right link building firm will involve doing your research, building trust with the team or individuals you hire and weighing all of the factors that go into a successful campaign. With these steps, you can put your business in the best possible position for success

Over to You

We’ve covered several key factors to think about when hiring an agency or freelancer for your link building.

There are a few more things you should look at too.

First, make sure you partner with an agency or freelancer who understands your business and your goals. They should also have a good understanding of SEO and how to build links.

Second, be realistic about what the agency or freelancer can achieve. Don’t expect them to get you links from high-authority websites overnight. Start with a few links to test the waters and then ramp up if they’re meeting your expectations.

Third, make sure you have a solid plan and communicate your expectations clearly. The agency or freelancer should be able to give you an idea of what’s achievable within your budget and timeline.

Finally, trust your gut instinct. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Do your research, ask for references and talk to other business owners who have worked with the agency or freelancer before making a decision.

Keeping these things in mind will ensure you find the right link building team to help your business succeed online. Good luck!