It’s not always what you know; sometimes it’s who you know that really makes a difference. Humans are social animals. Networking, making connections, and teaming up is hardcoded into our DNA. As such, we sometimes — consciously or otherwise — evaluate one another based on our associations.
And this is also true for websites. Consider backlinks.
What Are Backlinks?
A backlink (or inbound link) from a respected site is like an endorsement, telling Google that the site is vouched for, and may deserve a higher ranking in the SERP. This endorsement goes further if Google can see that this site is authoritative.
Of course, it takes more than just a single vote of confidence to sway the Google algorithm, which is why successful sites maintain entire profiles of relevant, authoritative backlinks.
These may occur naturally, as websites generate new content and include hyperlinks to other sites. But if you’re just getting started out, or if you’re having trouble making your high-quality content more visible, you might end up waiting a long time for good backlinks. After all, in the ever-expanding ocean of the internet, your little island can be easy to overlook.
Getting authoritative sites to link to your content demands time, attention to detail, and an in-depth understanding of the SEO landscape. In most instances, backlinks will slowly gather to your site over time. That being said, if you are intentionally trying to rank for a specific keyword and you want to make sure the backlink part of your SEO strategy is locked in, you’ll need to be more intentional with how you’re setting yourself up for success when it comes to the types and amount of backlinks going to your site. In other words, you’ll likely need professional link builders.
What Does It Mean to Outsource Link Building Services
Done right, link building can help you prove your site’s relevance and value, reaching higher search rankings and enjoying increased organic traffic and conversions in the process. But — done right — it’s also a full-time job.
It’s worth mentioning that when it comes to links, quantity isn’t nearly as valuable as quality. Want to go out and buy up a thousand low-quality links from sub-par sites? More power to you, but that SEO needle probably isn’t going to budge. If it does, it’s hard to say how long that growth will last — Google has gotten really good lately at sniffing out in-organic spikes in new backlinks and ultimately devalues the ability those links have in ranking your site higher.
On the other hand, a few links from authoritative pages with relevant content can make a world of difference in your search rankings. It’s all about knowing what makes good links, and how to get them.
Few businesses have the resources or time to manually build and track the kinds of links that make a difference. To improve backlink profiles and help give their sites the visibility they deserve (without having to hire and train entire in-house departments), businesses across all industries outsource their link building services. This is especially true if the goal is to rank for competitive keywords in your industry.
When you choose to outsource link building services, you hire a specialist agency to handle your link-building strategy. So, while you run your business, your partner makes sure that the right links are in place to help you realize your dream.
What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Link Building?
Outsourcing to the right link builders brings with it a range of benefits, including the following:
- Increased Affordability
Hiring an outside agency is typically significantly less expensive than having to recruit and/or train in-house specialists. And, because your contract will outline all of the costs and deliverables before you even get started, you won’t have to worry about surprise expenses pushing you over budget. - Faster Agency Spin-up Time (and Faster Results)
There is so much more to link building than sending emails. Simply learning the right way of doing things can take years (or more), and if you’re trying to divide your time between building links and handling whatever other tasks are on your plate, then it can all become a painfully slow process. By outsourcing your links to a trusted agency, you get to benefit from the relationships and processes they’ve already established. That means faster time to results (and a more direct path to ROI). - Easier Link Management
If you decide to keep your link-building initiative in-house, then your people are going to have to be responsible for managing it. But links get removed, pages disappear, and partnerships fall through — when your link-building strategy depends on in-house teams, you’re the one left scrambling to set things right. Or, you can hire an agency, and let them handle any issues that might arise while still delivering consistent, predictable results. - Improved Quality Control
As we said before, link building is about quality over quantity. There is no reliable shortcut to sharing in page authority, and spammy links and shady link building practices will only get your site buried further and further down the SERP. With a link building agency, you have a contract-backed lock on what kind of links are OK, and what ones are not. Simply tell the professionals what you want, and it’s their job to make sure it gets done.
Tips on Choosing a Link Building Partner
If you’re looking for an agency to take over your link building, the good news is that there are a lot to choose from. Of course, that’s also the bad news, because many of those agencies kind of suck. Here are a few tips to help you find the right link builders to boost your traffic.
- Know Your Goals
There’s more than one way to define successful SEO. Are you trying to increase organic traffic? Own valuable keyword searches? Establish yourself as an authority in your niche? All of the above? Before your agency can start helping you achieve your objectives, you need to have a clear idea of what those objectives are. Then, you can make sure that you and your agency are aligned and working together to make it happen. - Shop Around
There’s a lot riding on your sites’ backlinks, and that means you’ll want to make sure that you’ve found the right agency before you make any commitments. As you evaluate your compare prices, services, and reputation. Also, it’s not always a good idea to just go with the cheapest option; if the price sounds too good for what’s being promised, then it probably is — or it’s built on the kind of shady, black-hat link building that could get you and your site into trouble. - Ask the Right Questions
How can you determine whether a specific agency is a good fit? Talk to them. Discuss the specifics of the contract. Get confirmation about the kinds of links the agency works with, and how long they’re guaranteed to be live. Have your agency explain the tactics they use, and ask for examples of other businesses in your industry that they have worked. And, make sure that you have a dedicated point of contact, so that if any more questions arise after the contract goes into effect, you know whom you can go to for answers. - Watch Out for Red Flags
Before you hand over the keys to your backlink profile, take a close look at how the agency operates. If they make unrealistic promises, guarantee impossibly fast results, or quote prices that are too good to be true, then they’re probably not playing by the rules (and you could be the one who ends up getting penalized). Transparency is key; without it, you have no way of knowing what the agency is doing with your site. - See what Metrics They’re Using
If you can’t measure something, then you can’t improve it. Your link building agency needs to be clear with you on what kinds of metrics they use when deciding what types of partnerships they’ll work with. These SEO metrics will likely include things such as the site’s Domain Authority, Moz Spam score, Estimated Monthly Traffic levels, whether or not a link is indexed/followed, and more. Have your agency walk you through the metrics, and be sure that the contract includes some sort of reporting mechanism, so you can always be sure that everything is on track.
Hiring the Right Link Building Agency
If you’re ready to outsource link building, then we can help. BASE link building services are built on dedication and a deep understanding of SEO. Our high-authority partnerships and experience working with industries of all kinds give us the insight and resources we need to build powerful backlink profiles. Give your site the connections it needs to stand out from the crowd; contact our team today, and get ready to be seen.
