In a recent Twitter Poll by Brodie Clark, one area of search engine optimization has proven unequivocally to be the hardest tactic for SEOs – link acquisition. If link building is stumping SEOs, how can brands harness the inherent power of link acquisition to propel their brands? Only trusted SEO experts should be at the helm of these initiatives and as we discuss this further, let’s first explore the current landscape.
As clearly identified by over 750 SEOs, link acquisition is most challenging, garnering 58.7% of the vote. This doubled the runner up which was Technical SEO at 24.4% of the votes.
Which area of SEO do you find the most challenging?
— Brodie Clark (@brodieseo) October 27, 2021
Quality Link Building Works But How Do You Manage The Challenge?
Link building is fundamentally not the hardest element an SEO must manage, however, to further crystalize these findings, the caveat is the following: link building done right is vastly difficult. There are a plethora of metrics to consider which run far deeper then simply pulling the DA (domain authority). In fact, backlinks must be examined deeply to uncover many more metrics, including and not limited to, PA (page authority), spam score, citation flow, et al.
Additionally, the sheer number of hours that are invested by SEOs to first give analysis to a potential link, from scouring the web for thematically contextual content, to performing natural / organic link building outreach, can consume the day of an SEO. This beckons the question, if SEOs struggle with link building, how are brands expected to manage the task in an efficient, scalable and ROI driven capacity?
Can Brands Leverage SEOs to Bring Link Acquisition to Scale?
Not all links are created equal and the same can be said about SEOs. While some SEOs are immensely skilled at technical SEO, others find their passion in content SEO, and the same can be said about off-site SEO, namely backlinks, and strategic link building campaigns. At Strategic SEO Solutions we find that it takes a team bringing their passions and skills together in concert, methodically, strategically, and with an unwavering dedication, for true success to culminate.
In the day and age wherein immediacy is no longer the desired but rather, the expected, patience, steadfast diligence and old-fashioned personal communication cannot be undermined when planning and implementing a quality link building campaign.
Questions to Ask SEOs Before Entrusting Them with Your Backlink Acquisition Business
Understanding that some SEOs are experts when it comes to backlink acquisition and improving your domain authority is step one. Step two however is understanding how to qualify the builder, or team, before entrusting them with the overarching keys to your trust, authority and rankings. Consider these questions:
- What link building strategies do they utilize? The answer here gives insights into their myriad of approaches. Strategic SEO Solutions backlink services often leverages link inserts, content placements, digital PR, skyscraper, unlinked brand mentions, link reclamation, no-follow to do-follow and more.
- What metrics do they consider when evaluating the quality of a link? If you ask us, we look at more than 70 points of quality before deciding a link is verifiably Google compliant. What do others look at and for? Ensure that the link builder performs a deep dive analytically.
- How do they find thematically, contextual sites when embarking upon outreach? Many link builders have a network of connections, but ultimately, data analysis should be at the core of these efforts too. There are many tools that can help, and if the crawls are set up properly, SEMRush, Ahrefs and Moz are great places to harvest a large variety of sites to begin vetting before outreach.
- Is Outreach Organic? Natural, organic outreach is the best way of building relationships that manifest into quality links. Ensuring there is an organic nature to the placements of links is indeed best-in-class and thus prudent.
- Are Their Links Built to Last? Quality links stand the test of time. We guarantee the links will live for a minimum of 12 months, but many are still live two, three and even four years later. Make sure to find out if the link builder offers a guarantee.
While their are certainly many more questions to explore, the aforementioned is a great start and will often help you quickly to create a short list of candidates. Strategic SEO Solutions is always happy to answer any questions a brand may have regarding link acquisition, SEO, or content development and we invite you to reach out and convene with us for a no-obligation, insightful, conversation. Reach out today!
