Build Links

Design a targeted link acquisition campaign using asset mapping, prospect scoring, and outreach sequence design.

Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Domain and niche. What site needs links? What industry?
2. Current backlink profile. Any idea of current referring domains count, domain rating/authority?
3. Linkable assets. Does the site have: original research, tools, data, infographics, comprehensive guides?
4. Budget and resources. Can the team invest in content creation, outreach tools, or PR?
5. Constraints. Industries with strict link building ethics (finance, health) need extra caution.

Domain Profile Diagnosis

Before choosing a strategy, diagnose which dimension of authority is weakest. This determines where link building effort will have the most impact:

Dimension	What it measures	Signs of weakness
Citation	Inbound references from quality sources	Few referring domains, low-authority linkers, no editorial links
Identity	Brand recognition and entity coherence	No branded search volume, no knowledge panel, inconsistent NAP
Trust	Legitimacy and manipulation absence	Spammy backlink profile, no HTTPS, thin content, manual actions
Eminence	Visibility and industry standing	Low organic traffic, no SERP features, no media mentions

Strategy by Weakness

• Citation weakness (few referring domains) → Prioritize volume: guest posts, resource page outreach, broken link building
• Identity weakness (brand not recognized) → Prioritize brand mentions: PR, Wikipedia/Wikidata, industry directories, podcast appearances
• Trust weakness (spammy profile) → Prioritize cleanup first (disavow toxic links), then earn editorial links from authoritative publishers
• Eminence weakness (no industry presence) → Prioritize thought leadership: original research, conference speaking, expert commentary for journalists

Most sites have 1-2 weak dimensions. Diagnose before prescribing.

Link Building Strategies (Ranked by Effectiveness)

Tier 1: High Authority, Scalable

Original Research & Data

• Publish original data, surveys, studies, or industry reports
• Journalists and bloggers cite original data naturally
• Works because: nobody else has this data
• Example: "We analyzed 10,000 pages and found that..."

Free Tools & Calculators

• Build a genuinely useful tool related to your niche
• People link to tools they use and recommend
• Works because: ongoing utility = ongoing links
• Example: ROI calculator, audit tool, template generator

Comprehensive Guides (10x Content)

• Create the definitive resource on a topic
• Must be genuinely better than everything else on page 1
• Works because: people link to the best resource
• Update regularly to maintain link-worthiness

Tier 2: Targeted, Relationship-Based

Guest Posting (Quality)

• Write for relevant, authoritative publications in your niche
• Focus on sites your audience actually reads, not just DA
• 1 link on a relevant, authoritative site > 10 links on generic blogs
• Pitch unique angles, not rehashed content

Resource Page Link Building

• Find pages that curate links to resources in your niche
• Search: [topic] + "resources", [topic] + "useful links", [topic] + "tools"
• Offer your genuinely useful content for inclusion

Broken Link Building

• Find broken outbound links on relevant sites
• Create or identify your content that replaces the dead resource
• Contact the site: "I noticed a broken link, here's a working alternative"

Tier 3: Community & PR

Journalist Query Platforms (Connectively, Qwoted, Featured)

• Monitor journalist query platforms for relevant source requests
• Provide expert quotes with credentials
• Fast response time is critical (within hours)

Community Participation

• Contribute genuinely to communities (Reddit, forums, Slack groups)
• Share expertise, not links — links come naturally when people discover your content
• Build reputation first, then content gets shared organically

Digital PR

• Newsjack trending topics with data or expert commentary
• Create content tied to seasonal events or industry milestones
• Pitch to journalists with data-backed angles

Link Quality Score (LQS)

Score each link prospect (or existing backlink) across 6 factors. Rate each 1-5:

Factor 1: Domain Authority (25% weight)

Score	DR/DA Range	Examples
5	DR 70+	Major publications, NYTimes, BBC
4	DR 50-69	Industry publications, established blogs
3	DR 30-49	Mid-tier blogs, growing companies
2	DR 15-29	Small blogs, newer companies
1	DR <15	New or thin sites

Factor 2: Topical Relevance (25% weight)

Score	Relevance Level
5	Exact match — same niche, same subtopic
4	Closely related — same industry, adjacent topic
3	Broadly related — same general field
2	Tangentially related
1	Unrelated

Factor 3: Traffic to Linking Page (15% weight)

Score	Monthly Traffic
5	10,000+
4	1,000-9,999
3	100-999
2	10-99
1	<10

Factor 4: Link Position (15% weight)

Score	Position
5	In-content, editorial mention
4	In-content, contextual resources section
3	Author bio or about section
2	Sidebar or dedicated links section
1	Footer, sitewide, or hidden

Factor 5: Anchor Text Quality (10% weight)

Score	Anchor Type
5	Descriptive, natural language
4	Partial keyword match, natural
3	Brand name
2	Naked URL
1	Generic ("click here", "read more")

Factor 6: Follow Status (10% weight)

Score	Status
5	Dofollow, editorial
4	Dofollow, non-editorial
3	Sponsored (rel="sponsored")
2	UGC (rel="ugc")
1	Nofollow

Calculating LQS

LQS = (Authority x 0.25) + (Relevance x 0.25) + (Traffic x 0.15)
    + (Position x 0.15) + (Anchor x 0.10) + (Follow x 0.10)

LQS Range	Rating	Action
4.0-5.0	Premium link	High priority — pursue aggressively
2.5-3.9	Acceptable link	Worth pursuing if outreach effort is low
1.0-2.4	Low quality	Skip — or review for risk if it's an existing backlink

Link Profile Health Benchmarks

Use these to assess the overall backlink profile:

Metric	Healthy	Warning	Critical
Dofollow ratio	60-80%	>90%	>95%
Exact match anchor %	<15%	15-25%	>25%
Brand anchor %	25-45%	<15%	<5%
Toxic link %	<5%	5-10%	>10%
Average linking DR	25+	15-25	<15

Outreach Template Framework

Do NOT use generic templates. Personalize every email. But here's the structure:

First Touch

1. Personal hook — reference something specific about their content (a post you liked, a point you agree with)
2. Value proposition — what you're offering (not asking for)
3. The asset — link to your content with a one-sentence description
4. Soft ask — "thought you might find this useful for your readers" (not "can you link to me?")

Follow-Up (5-7 days later)

• Brief, adds new value (new data point, related resource)
• One follow-up maximum. Two is acceptable if the first was missed. Three is spam.

What NOT to Do

• Mass-send identical emails
• Lead with "I'd like a backlink"
• Offer to pay for links (violates Google guidelines)
• Use fake compliments or AI-generated personalization that's obviously generic
• Send more than 2 follow-ups

Campaign Tracking

Track outreach in a simple table:

Prospect	URL	Score	Strategy	Status	Date Sent	Response	Link Live?
...	...	8/10	Guest post	Pitched	[date]	Interested	Pending
...	...	7/10	Broken link	Sent	[date]	No reply	—

Benchmarks:

• Response rate: 5-15% is normal for cold outreach
• Conversion (response → link): 20-40% of responses
• Overall: expect 1-5 links per 100 outreach emails
• Quality campaigns with great assets: 10-20 links per 100 emails

Output Format

Link Building Campaign: [domain]

Current Profile Assessment

• Estimated referring domains: [count]
• Profile quality: [strong/average/weak]
• Notable gaps: [what's missing — e.g., no links from industry publications]

Strategy Selection Based on available assets and resources:

• Primary strategy: [which tier and tactic]
• Secondary strategy: [backup approach]
• Rationale: [why these fit this site]

Linkable Assets

• Existing assets to promote: [list]
• Assets to create: [list with brief descriptions]

Prospect List

Prospect	Score	Strategy	Contact	Notes
...	...	...	...	...

Outreach Plan

• Timeline: [weekly/monthly cadence]
• Volume: [emails per week]
• Follow-up schedule: [when]

Success Metrics

• Target new referring domains: [per month]
• Target domain authority increase: [over 6 months]

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Pro Tip: Use the free Domain Authority Checker to assess your current authority baseline and prospect domains. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:backlink-audit to see which domains link to you, identify lost links worth recovering, and assess link quality — list_backlinks finds recently lost backlinks for broken link building.