petrogurcak/link-building

Link Building

Source: Eric Ward & Garrett French "Ultimate Guide to Link Building"

Quick Router

| What you want to do | Go to | | --- | --- | | Understand the value exchange framework | Core Philosophy | | Choose what to create to attract links | Linkable Assets | | Find link opportunities at scale | Prospecting Techniques | | Fix broken links on other sites | Broken Link Building | | Qualify whether a link prospect is worth pursuing | Link Opportunity Qualifiers | | Write outreach emails that get replies | Outreach Email Principles | | Request expert interviews for roundups | Interview Request Template | | Track backlink profile growth | Phase 5: Measurement |

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• Building a backlink acquisition strategy from scratch
• Running an outreach campaign to acquire links
• Creating content assets designed to attract links
• Auditing competitor backlink profiles to find opportunities
• Recovering from a thin backlink profile

Do NOT use when:

• Planning internal linking structure → use on-page-seo
• Optimizing on-page content for rankings → use on-page-seo
• Technical crawlability issues affecting links → use technical-seo

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Core Philosophy: Value Exchange

"There is no trick in SEO" — Every quality link requires exchanging value.

Five Currencies:

1. Time: Manual outreach, finding broken links, relationship building
2. Money: Sponsorships, paid directories, scholarships
3. Community: Leveraging existing relationships and networks
4. Expertise: Guest posting, interviews, expert roundups
5. Information: Creating linkable assets (most scalable)

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Linkable Assets (Content Worth Linking To)

| Asset Type | Example | Link Potential | | --- | --- | --- | | Original Research | Survey data, studies | Very High | | Tools/Calculators | ROI calculator, quiz | Very High | | Comprehensive Guides | "Ultimate Guide to X" | High | | Data Visualization | Infographics, interactive charts | High | | Templates/Downloads | Spreadsheets, checklists | Medium | | Expert Roundups | "50 Experts on X" | Medium | | Resource Lists | Curated tool lists | Medium |

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Preciprocation Strategy

Give value BEFORE asking for anything:

1. Link to their content first
2. Share their content on social
3. Leave thoughtful comments
4. Offer genuinely helpful feedback
5. THEN reach out for collaboration

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Prospecting Techniques

Step 1: Define Market Keywords (MDKW)

• Generic industry terms (not buying keywords)
• Example: "kayaking" not "buy kayak"

Step 2: Use Search Operators

| Opportunity Type | Search Query | | --- | --- | | Directories | [MDKW] directory, [MDKW] "add URL" | | Guest Posts | [MDKW] "guest post", [MDKW] "write for us" | | Interviews | [MDKW] intitle:interview | | Resource Pages | [MDKW] "resources", [MDKW] "useful links" | | Roundups | [MDKW] "weekly roundup", [MDKW] "best of" |

Advanced operators:

• ~ for synonyms: ~health matches health, wellness, fitness
• - to exclude: kayaking -buy -shop
• site: for specific domains: site:edu [MDKW]

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Broken Link Building (Process)

1. Find resource pages:

   [MDKW] intitle:resources inurl:links
   

2. Scrape all outbound links (use Screaming Frog or similar)

3. Check for 404s (URL Status Checker)

4. Create replacement content (or identify existing content)

5. Outreach:

Email Template:

Subject: Broken link on your [Topic] resources page

Hi [Name],

I was reading your excellent resource page on [Topic] and noticed
that the link to [Broken Resource] is no longer working.

I recently published a comprehensive guide on [Similar Topic] that
could serve as a replacement: [Your URL]

Either way, thought you'd want to know about the broken link!

Best,
[Name]

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Link Opportunity Qualifiers

Automated checks:

• [ ] Domain Authority > 30
• [ ] Page has < 100 outbound links
• [ ] Site is regularly updated
• [ ] No spammy ads/content

Manual checks:

• [ ] Actual topical relevance
• [ ] Human-written content (not AI spam)
• [ ] Active social presence
• [ ] Editorial standards visible
• [ ] Contact information available

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Outreach Email Principles

1. Personalization: Reference specific content they created
2. Value first: Lead with what you can offer them
3. Brevity: 3-5 sentences max
4. Clear ask: One specific request
5. Easy action: Provide exact URL, suggested anchor text

Interview Request Template:

Subject: Can I interview you for [Publication/Roundup]?

Hi [Name],

I'm putting together [type of content] on [Topic] and would love
to include your perspective.

Questions (only need 2-3 sentences each):
1. What's your background in [field]?
2. What's the hardest skill to learn in [field]?
3. [Topic-specific question]?

Deadline: [Date]

I'll also be considering your recent article [URL] for our weekly
roundup.

Thanks!
[Name]

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Phase 5: Measurement

Track four metrics monthly to know if link building is working:

Referring Domains Growth

• Track total unique referring domains over time (not raw backlink count — one domain linking 100 times counts once)
• Target: steady month-over-month growth, not spikes followed by drops
• Tool: Ahrefs / Semrush / Google Search Console (partial data only in GSC)

DR/DA Trends

• Domain Rating (Ahrefs) or Domain Authority (Moz) as a proxy for link profile strength
• These are relative scores — track trend direction, not absolute numbers
• Compare against top 3 competitors monthly

Anchor Text Distribution

• Healthy profile: branded anchors dominant (40-60%), generic ("click here", "here") secondary, exact-match keyword anchors small minority (<10%)
• Red flag: over-optimized exact-match anchors — manual penalty risk
• Tool: Ahrefs → Anchors report

Link Velocity

• Rate of new referring domains per month
• Unnatural spikes (e.g., 5 → 500 in one month) can trigger algorithmic scrutiny
• Organic growth looks like a gradual upward slope
• After a linkable asset launch, a spike is expected and natural — velocity normalizes afterward