With the recent Penguin update on Google, it’s more important than ever to focus on quality link building methods rather than black-hat techniques. With all of the new information available about ranking in Google, you’d think we would know everything there is to know by now, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. One of the most difficult topics for SEOs is deciding whether or not to hire a link building agency.
In this post Guest Blogging Technology I will break down link building agencies, what to look for in a link building company, and how to use them most effectively.
I’m not here to debate whether or not link buying is effective or ethical. That’s something you should decide for yourself based on your personal convictions and the current guidelines set forth by Google .
Before you even begin looking at lead generation companies, you need to make sure that you understand the value they bring. The primary benefit of using an agency is that they provide qualified links from real sites (hundreds or even thousands) that pass PageRank. They also do this at scale and are able to turn around orders very quickly.
Everything You Need To Know About Link Building Agencies :
1. How Much Do They Charge?
When evaluating a link building agency, the first thing you should look at is how much they charge. Most agencies now charge by order, with prices ranging from $50 to sometimes thousands of dollars per link. Because most link-buying businesses are completely underground and operate in the black-hat world, customer service and quality assurance can be poor or non-existent.
Some agencies will guarantee results, but there is no way to tell if their results are legitimate until months after they’ve already gotten paid.
I would recommend staying away from any company that charges a flat rate or salary for one reason: it’s impossible to determine the value you’re getting for your money . Most businesses that offer a flat-rate are not operating with any type of transparency and will charge you for every possible service.
2. How Do They Get Started?
When you’re hiring a link building agency, make sure to find out if they already have a number of links to work with. For the most part, link building agencies are small businesses that started their business specifically to build links.
They are not established or well-known websites that already have links built up over time. Think of them like sales reps or marketing firms who sell their services to businesses of all sizes.
3. How Do They Generate Links?
The first thing you need to understand about hiring an agency is that they prioritize internal links (links from other pages on your website) over anything else . To ensure that your links are valuable and valuable links, the agency will have already done their research to find the sites most relevant to your business.
4. Anything Else To Consider?
You should also think about what you can provide to them in exchange for their link building services. You may have hundreds of high quality, unique articles on your website but if you don’t know how to get them published on sites that are relevant, you won’t be able to take advantage of the value provided by high authority websites. In this case, they might be worth having on retainer and using their services as needed.
5. How Do I Know They’re Legit?
The easiest way to ensure that an agency is legit is to ask them to send you an example of their work. If they have a positive experience with you and can provide proof as to their success, that’s usually a good sign. Also, make sure they are able to show you the results of your link building campaign and what sites it produced links for.
The best way to do this is by either showing them part of your site or pointing them in the direction of your content management system if available. You can also ask them if there are any testimonials from clients to see if they have a good reputation in the industry or not.
6. How Do I Implement Their Services?
When working with a link building agency, you’ll probably want them to do much of the heavy lifting for you. You will want them to find relevant websites, build high-value links, and submit your links to the appropriate sites on your behalf. Most agencies will also have a tool built in that will allow you to check their progress and see what sites they’ve submitted your links to.
You should also be sure that they have an experienced team of link building personnel that can handle all of this work for you. Hiring staff that have experience is important because these kinds of services take a lot more time than most people realize.
