Link builders, online relationship creators, search media networkers, SEO associates/strategists, and whatever else your company decides to label you: I feel your link building pain.
You know who doesn’t? Most of your coworkers.
If you are someone who has never built a link in your life: that is about to change.
Oh, to be a non-link builder. To have no idea what it’s like to be banned by forum moderators, wonder if the publisher you sent a guest post to stopped responding because they were attacked by a gang of rabid monkeys, had to prove you aren’t a robot to overprotective mommy bloggers… and the rest of the internet, written posts on the pros and cons of plumbing with chlorinated polyvinyl chlorine pipes vs galvanized steel, had to fend off creepers on various social media persona profiles who just don’t seem to understand that “relationship creation” for (at least) what you do doesn’t involve nude photos, and, most of all, to not know what this feels like:
If you are in sales, marketing, account management, and/or are a CEO, a CMO, a CFO, a VP of WhoKnowsWhat, a founder, a partner, an intern… it doesn’t matter who you are:
You need to experience link building for yourself. For an entire week.
Your Argument is Invalid
“But I’m too busy to build links! That’s why we have a team!”
Busy? Doing what? Most likely: selling and recommending strategies for link building – something you yourself has never done but are expecting an entire team to take on so you can make a sweet bonus.
There are countless reasons as to why you should know what it’s like to build links, but here are just a few:
- You will know what you are asking your link building team to do on behalf of clients – and understand the constraints there are (or what excuses they may give that don’t make sense).
- You will have a better understanding of the processes of a core offpage SEO strategy.
- Based on your experience, you may be able to directly contribute to making your link building’s team process more efficient.
- You will be able to contribute to evolving your team’s link building strategy and tactics.
- You will know exactly what you are telling your clients you are doing for them – you will be able to explain different link building tactics or processes intelligently and in depth.
- You will be able to confidently tell your clients exactly how your company’s link building strategy is innovative and different from your competitors’. They will probably be impressed you’ve actually tried it yourself.
- You will use the phrase “link building” less, and use phrases that correctly characterize what your team does such as “content placement” or “relationship creation” more. These phrases will no longer just sound like industry buzzwords to you, and you will be able to fully explain their meaning.
- You will have a better picture of the future of offpage SEO strategy.
- You will easily be able to point out the differences between “bad” and “good” link building – which will help you convert leads who may have hired Crappy SEO Company, Inc.
- It’s possible your link building team will respect you more for at least attempting to empathize, so when you sign or upsell that online gambling client, they won’t talk about you behind your back (well, they won’t say as much, at least).
Link Building is Just the Beginning
Link building is just the start. It isn’t easy, but it is rewarding – and you’ll understand the enthusiasm of your team breaking link building records.
This is just at the tip of the iceberg. There are endless tactics to link building from broken link building to link reclamation and being familiar with these strategies will help you grow your SEO knowledge.
Next, you’ll be able to explore strategies beyond link building. You can dig even deeper into tools and topics like content strategy, social media strategy and beyond. You can educate your link building team about why certain requests are made or how to better processes to fit into the SEO puzzle. You yourself will see even more clearly how all of these tactics, strategies and tools connect to build a strong comprehensive recommendation for clients.
Is Your Company up for the Challenge?
So, what are you waiting for? Considering the benefits, there’s no need to be scared or avoid learning how to build links. To reissue my challenge from the beginning of this post:
We challenge everyone in your company to build links for a week.
Obviously, you won’t have to build to the extent that the team does, since you do have other things to do (hopefully). But EVERYONE should spend a week finding qualified leads, sending outreach messages, writing quality content, ensuring it’s posted or testing out other link building tactics.
And, being that we are never ones to back down from a challenge (hello, iAcquire 10K pushup challenge), we are going to do it too.
We’ll even give you some help: download this “Link Building Quick Hits” PDF for efficient (and time saving) link building tactics.
Also download the 12 Days of Linkmas for some advice from industry leaders. If you have time for a little more light reading, add studying The Noob Guide to Link Building to your to do list.
Make the commitment to be an expert in all aspects of your agency – and start by link building. Your link building team – whatever they may be called – will thank you.
Let us know in the comments if your team is up for the challenge and how it went – whose team will build the most links fastest?
