Link building is a critical element of a comprehensive SEO strategy. However, the link building process tends to be tedious, so many businesses outsource this initiative to an agency that specializes in it.
In this article, we will discuss how to choose the best link building outsourcing partner. We will start by discussing some reasons businesses invest in link building before discussing the top two approaches.
From there, we’ll cover the step-by-step process of choosing the best link building provider and review a few of the top options on the market.
Benefits of link building
Before we dive into the nitty gritty of choosing a link building outsourcing company, let’s quickly review some of the benefits of link building:
- Increases organic traffic by creating valuable context for search engines (Ahrefs)
- Improves domain authority (DA)/domain rating (DR)
- Encourages industry connections
- Enhances brand credibility
- Creates brand visibility
Together, these perks will help get your offer in front of your target audience and increase your sales.
Link building: outsourcing vs. in-house
There are two significant link building approaches: doing it yourself or outsourcing to a specialist. Each approach has pros and cons. Let’s check them out.
Outsourced link building
Outsourcing link building is the most efficient and popular approach. According to a survey by SEO.ai, 60% of participants outsource link building efforts. Doing so allows marketing departments to offload this critical task to specialists with the resources and valuable connections required to land high-quality backlinks.
Beyond that, link building is significant, so it makes the most sense to outsource it to a pro that does it daily.
Since outsourced link building isn’t inexpensive (the same survey from SEO.ai found that SEOs spend 28% of their budgets on link building), it may not be as accessible to start-ups and smaller businesses. However, this is worth carving into your future marketing budget or including in your pitches for funding.
In-house link building
Another option is building links in-house. Although this approach can be costlier than outsourcing. It all depends on factors like your timeline and whether you have team members with the necessary skills or if you’d need to hire.
If you take the approach, the in-house link builder must create a link building strategy, reach out to media publishers for collaboration, create content, and track the results. In addition to the time it takes to carry out these tasks, the person on your team who owns this task will also need to spend some time learning how to do them.
Although building links yourself is possible, it’s not the ideal way to go. Large companies with established marketing departments often outsource their link building efforts since the process is time-consuming.
5 steps to choose the best link building outsourcing partner
Now that you understand the value of outsourcing link building better than trying to secure backlinks yourself, let’s break down the step-by-step process for choosing the best partner to outsource your link building initiatives to.
1. Determine your goals
The first step in choosing the right building partner is determining your goals with link building. Map out what you want to achieve. Get specific on the number of links you’d like to place, the types of sites you’d like to place them on, and the minimal DA/DR sites you’re willing to collaborate with.
You should also consider how link building fits your broader digital marketing goals.
For example, are you looking to place links simply to get backlinks, or would you like to do some digital PR? Do you want guest posts credited to you, or are you happy with a link being placed in a guest post credited to another author?
Thinking these points through will come in handy as you compare link building agencies and navigate your discovery calls.
2. Set a budget
Once you have your goals in mind, it’s time to figure out your budget. Start thinking about how much of your SEO or marketing budget you want to allot to link building.
You should plan on spending at least a few thousand dollars per month on link building. Placing higher-quality links with the support of an SEO agency that also prioritizes content quality could cost you closer to $10,000 to $15,000 per month.
Remember that this is not somewhere to pinch pennies or take the cheapest route possible. Low-quality backlinks can hurt your site’s search engine rankings. That’s why investing in a quality service that builds high-quality links is important.
3. Compare top link building companies
Now that you’ve figured out what you need from a link building outsourcing partner, you can start looking at the available service providers.
Some things you should look for as you compare link building companies include:
- They use link-building techniques (white hat link-building is a must!)
- Pricing (monthly commitments, a la carte services, etc.)
- Additional digital marketing/SEO services offered
- Scalability (so your efforts can grow with you)
- Results and reviews from past clients
- Experience within your industry
Many agencies have this information on their websites but feel free to ask for more insight on your discovery calls.
4. Request a quote or proposal
Once you find a couple of link building companies that offer the services you need and have produced the results you’re looking for, it’s time to reach out.
For many link building companies, this involves getting on a call to discuss your goals. Luckily, if you follow the steps we’ve discussed here, you should already have your goals mapped out.
In addition to the pricing, pay attention to the terms of the deal, such as minimum contract length, contract cancellation terms, and refund policies. It is usual for SEO service providers to have minimum contract lengths of a few months since it takes time to get results. However, you just need to make sure the terms work with you.
5. Choose the best option
With a few proposals in front of you, comparing apples to apples is easier. Review the proposals you’ve received and decide which is the best fit.
At this stage, you should also pay close attention to your communication with each agency. If someone was slow to respond or didn’t submit the proposal on time, consider taking them out of the running. Keep an eye out for red flags, like disorganization, lack of transparency, or mention of black hat techniques.
Bonus step: moving forward
After you’ve signed the contract, you can take a few actions to keep things moving smoothly and ensure the best results.
First and foremost, you should provide as much valuable information as possible during the onboarding process. Your backlink outsourcing partner should have all the necessary information about your ideal customer profile (ICP), what your business offers, and how link building fits into your overall digital marketing strategy.
Once your onboarding is complete and the work has started, keeping up with the regularly scheduled check-ins and deliverables required from your end is crucial. Provide feedback to help keep the link building campaign aligned with your other digital marketing efforts, and track all of the results along the way.
Top 9 partners for outsourcing link building
There are so many link building companies to choose from if you decide to outsource, so it can be challenging to start your search. We’ve narrowed down some of the top options to make the process easier for you.
Here are some of the link building services to consider.
1. uSERP
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uSERP is an SEO agency that primarily focuses on high-quality link building. In addition to link building, uSERP helps clients with SEO strategy and content creation. uSERP is an excellent option for businesses that need more comprehensive SEO support.
This agency serves businesses in almost every industry, but it has had tons of success with SaaS businesses, like monday.com. In fact, monday.com scaled its traffic from 677,000 to 1,200,000 visitors per month with uSERP’s help.
Pricing for only link building and strategy for anchor text and target page starts at $10,000 per month.
2. Page One Power
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Page One Power is another link building outsourcing partner that serves various clients and specializes in the SaaS industry. In addition to link building, this agency also provides content marketing and digital PR services.
What’s particularly impressive about Page One Power is that they’ve been in business since 2010, making them relatively early to the SEO game.
Page One Power’s guest posting services price starts at $600 per link.
3. Editorial Link
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Editorial Link is another prospective partner for outsourcing link build. This agency specializes in PR-focused link building for SaaS clients.
Editorial Link’s two promises are speed and quality. It has established partnerships with a broad network of media publishers with high-quality domains, making backlinks easy to secure. As a quality control measure, Editorial Link guarantees link placements on sites with a DR of 50 to 90.
Link building plans from Editorial Link start at $1750 monthly for five backlinks.
4. BlueTree
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BlueTree is a link building outsourcing company that leans toward digital PR. This agency uses a mix of creative and data-driven techniques to ensure high-quality backlink placements. The team also boasts a network of over 450 reliable publishing partners that streamlines the process.
BlueTree’s pricing starts at $5000 per month for seven to eight editorial mentions on domains with a DR of 70 or higher. However, more flexible pricing plans are available upon request for businesses that are open to placing links on sites with lower DRs.
5. Siege Media
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Siege Media is a full-service marketing agency that serves online businesses looking to ramp up their SEO efforts with link building. Link the other prospective link building partners we’ve covered, Siege Media takes a quality-over-quantity approach.
This reputable agency is an excellent choice for businesses seeking more comprehensive marketing services since it also provides content marketing strategy, content writing, graphic design, and more.
Backlinks from Siege Media start at $250 per link.
6. The HOTH
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The HOTH is an experienced agency that offers link building and a full suite of additional SEO services, including strategy and content creation. This agency uses quality metrics to assess the value of backlinks and prices them accordingly, making the services accessible to businesses with any budget.
One unique aspect of The HOTH is that this agency offers local SEO services, making it an excellent choice for retailers and service providers who serve a local audience.
Link placement on high DR sites starts at $400. However, flexible pricing for lower-DR sites is available for clients who need to compromise on quality to get started.
7. Sure Oak Agency
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Sure Oak is a full-service marketing agency that offers link building and other SEO services. It provides digital PR/editorial link insertion services and
This agency executes growth-centric marketing campaigns for startups, such as link building for e-commerce businesses, educational institutions, and telecom businesses. Like The HOTH, Sure Oak offers local SEO services.
Link building packages start at $2000 per month for six links with a DA of 30 or higher.
8. Stellar SEO
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Stellar SEO is an agency that offers a variety of link building services, including guest posting and outreach to have links added to existing articles.
This link building outsourcing partner serves several types of clients, including real estate firms, law firms, restoration companies, and more.
Stellar SEO’s custom link building campaigns start at $2500 per month. However, prices vary based on the quality of links placed.
9. FATJOE
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FATJOE is an SEO agency that offers services under its brand and white-label services for other marketing agencies to sell to clients. Link building is their bread and butter, but they offer content marketing, video creation, written content creation, and digital PR.
FATJOE’s fee structure is a bit complex, so prospective clients can add their desired article length and domain quality to a pricing calculator to generate a quote.
Final thoughts
Link building is an essential part of a solid SEO strategy since it helps search engines understand what your site is all about. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s critical to outsource this task to a qualified and reliable link building outsourcing partner.
If you’re looking for a link building outsourcing partner with proven results, look no further. uSERP is the partner for you.
Book a call to learn how we can work together to help you boost your SEO and reach your business goals.
