There’s an old SEO joke that goes like “The best place to hide a dead body is the second page of Google’s search results”.
This refers to the fact that 91% of the searchers do not go past page one of the search results.
So if your website ranks anywhere below the top 10 results of the SERP, you’re not going anywhere.
So how can you rank on page 1 of the SERP? Well, one way is by building links to your website.
Why so? This is because links are one of the top ranking factors by Google.
Now, we understand that not all businesses have the time and resources to build links on their own. Most probably, yours is one among them.
What should you do in such cases? You should…. “Drum Rolls”….. Go for outsourced link building.
In this post, we are going to show you why and how to outsource link building including some tips.
Let’s go.
What is outsourcing
Before learning about outsourced link building, you should understand what outsourcing actually is.
Outsourcing is when one company hires another agency or an individual expert to perform specific tasks or services.
It is when a company approaches an outsider to do the work for them.
Companies outsource for various reasons. This includes:
- Saving cost
- Leveraging expertise
- Saving time
- Focusing on core functions
What is outsourced link building
Now that you understand what outsourcing is. Let’s understand what outsource link building is.
So outsource link building is when you hire another agency to take care of your link building process.
The agency can be any business like SERP Forge that specializes in building strong links for their clients.
This way, you get all kinds of link building results such as high-quality links, brand mentions, etc, while still being able to focus on other parts of your business.
Why should your business outsource link building
Now let us understand the benefits and reasons why you should outsource link building.
To save time
Businesses often don’t have enough time to invest in link building and focus on other key aspects of the business as well.
This means that if you decide to focus on building links to your website, you could miss out on other great opportunities.
However, if you decide not to put much effort into link building, you probably won’t achieve much rankings in Google.
This is why your business should outsource link building.
To save money
If you decide to hire an in-house team for your link building process, you’re going to spend a lot of money.
Such as paying skilled employees and purchasing premium link building tools.
All of these can be important for your business.
On the other hand, if you decide to outsource your link building, you can reduce all these costs because these agencies already have a team of experts who know how to do their job.
In short, you get everything in one basket for less money.
To get real results
Yes, you definitely know how to manage your business. There is no doubt about it. But you know what? You most likely don’t know how to build links.
That’s why when you decide to build links yourself, you’ll need to go through a lot of trial and error phases to learn and get real results.
Agencies, on the other hand, are businesses that specialize in link building and have been doing this for a long time. So they know what works and what doesn’t.
That’s why you should outsource link building.
To achieve consistent results
Link building requires ongoing work. You can’t just work on it for a few days and then leave it as it is.
It’s an ongoing process where you have to constantly plan and manage your campaign.
This is not always possible if you decide to do it yourself.
Why? This is because sometimes you can be busy with something else and not able to get to link building.
When you outsource link building, you get consistent results from agencies.
To access a wide range of skills
If you want to win your SEO game, you need to focus on multiple areas.
This includes:
- Research being conducted
- Outreaching
- Relationship management
- Getting the link
- Content Development
If you decide to run your link building campaign yourself, you’ll need to hire employees for each specific task. This can be costly.
By hiring an agency, you can get all of these skills in one bucket for one price.
Hire In-house vs outsource link building
Should I hire an in-house team? Or outsource link building? Which one is the best? I’m confused.
Well, we are here to help.
Let’s learn about the pros and cons of hiring an in-house team versus outsourcing link building.
Hire an in-house team
Well, hiring an internal team means bringing employees directly into your company. The team you hire is like part of your company and they work within the rules, regulations, policies, supervision and management of your company.
Pros of hiring an in-house team
- Direct control: So when you hire an in-house team, you have direct control over your employees. This makes it easier for you to manage their work and set expectations that align with your goals.
- Immediate availability: In-house employees are readily available in the office making it easier to handle immediate tasks.
- Privacy: Also, the in-house staff provides a high level of security and privacy.
Cons of hiring an in-house team
- Increased costs: You see, hiring an in-house team can be expensive because that’s where you have to pay salaries and also train a lot of employees.
- Recruitment challenges: finding the best talent is not easy. This can lead to inefficiencies and wasted time and money.
- Limited skills: There is a good chance that your team may not have the necessary skills for link building. This can lead you to lose a lot of link building opportunities.
Outsourcing Link building
So outsourcing link building is all about hiring another company to do your link building process. They are not part of your company and they work for you and they have the ability to build strong links on your website.
Pros of outsourcing link building
- It is cost-effective: Outsourcing your link building is cost-effective because you only pay for the services and you get all the features you need in one bucket.
- Skills: Agencies have a team of professionals who specialize in building connections for their clients. You can use their expertise by outsourcing your link building to these companies.
- Get real results: Agencies know what works and what doesn’t in link building. They also know when to change strategy and when to just go with it. So, you get the best of outsourced link building.
Cons of outsourcing link building
- You get lesser control: So when you outsource your work to an agency, you might lose some control over your work and fail to align their work with your expectations.
- Communication challenges: There can be sometimes communication challenges between you and the agency which may lead to improper alignment with your goals.
- Cultural and time zone difference: The agency you hire might be working in a different culture from yours which can lead to different beliefs and ways of performing tasks.
We at SERP Forge promise our clients to maintain complete transparency of the work and proper alignment with their goals to ensure a win-win result is achieved.
How to outsource link building
Now let us understand the exact process that you should go through when outsourcing link building.
Here is a step-by-step process.
1. Set your goals
The very first step to outsourcing your link building is setting up your goals.
There is no point in outsourcing link building if you are not clear on what kind of links you need, how many links you need, and when you need them.
For that, you should first clarify the goals to be achieved in your link building that will support your onboarding process when you hire an agency.
2. Set up your website
Before outsourcing link building, you need to make sure everything is set up so that it can maximize your results.
Here are the things you should consider setting up before link outsourcing:
- Setting up your overall site layout and checking to see if it’s been checked for ease of navigation.
- All technical issues like fixing broken links.
- Optimize your website for SEO by improving loading time, making it mobile-friendly, and using the right keywords.
- Building a foundation for internal links.
At SERP Forge, we provide all kinds of SEO auditing features helping you set up your website.
3. Make sure you have high quality content
Good content is like a magnet for good links to your website.
Writing helpful and engaging content for readers makes your website seem trustworthy. Other websites may want to link to your content as a reference or information source.
This can boost your website’s reputation and visibility in Google.
In addition, great content can drive more visitors to your website. People love to share and read things that are informative or funny.
When your content is high quality, it keeps people on your site longer, and they will come back for more.
So make sure your website includes great content before you upload it.
4. Set your budget
Your budget is a big factor when considering outsourcing link building. Here are some things to consider.
Check the wallet: First things first, figure out how much you can invest in link building. Knowing your budget takes care of everything else. It’s like making sure you’ve got enough gas for a road trip.
Don’t just chase cheap : You will find that when it comes to link building, some services offer the cheapest prices that companies try to chase. But remember, you get what you pay for. Sometimes spending a little money on a good pair of shoes is like investing in a good pair of shoes that will last a long time.
Shop around: SaaS link building agencies come in all shapes and sizes. Some charge per service, while others operate on a monthly subscription basis. Determine what suits your needs.
Value for money: Lastly, go for companies that know their business.
5. Outsource to the right service provider
So if you’re thinking of outsourcing your link building, you have two main options: Freelancer or Agency.
First, let’s talk about freelancers.
Link building freelancer:
Freelancers are like independent contractors working on a contract basis. You can find them on popular websites like Fiverr and Upwork.
The good part of going for freelancers is that they can often be more cost friendly than agencies.
But be warned – good freelancers are often hard to find.
This means that if you choose to go with freelancers, there are a few possibilities that you are dealing with someone who is using harmful techniques that can damage your website.
Link building agency:
Now agencies are like the A-teams of link building. They offer a wide range of services from continuous links to one-off links. They’re like a whole bunch of experts.
Going with agencies is the best decision you can make when it comes to outsourcing link building.
The only downside is that hiring an agency can be expensive. But hey, remember, you get what you pay for.
6. Discuss your strategy
Once you’ve found a team of link builders you want to work with, your next task is to talk to them about what you want to achieve so they’re on the same page.
Also, take a closer look at your current links and see if there are any missing pieces or parts that need to be fixed.
All of this helps you coordinate with service providers and create smart plans tailored to your needs.
7. Monitor the results
Once you hand over your link building tasks to the pros, there is no time to sit back and relax. You have to keep an eye on how you are going. It’s a bit like checking your garden to see if the plants are growing well.
It’s not just once you hand over your link building tasks to the pros and you’re done. Then you have to watch your progress.
Here are a few things to look out for:
Check the quality of your links: You need to make sure that the links you get are not any kind of spammy links and are strong backlinks.
Check the number of new visitors: Check the number of new visitors to your site. If a new link generates more traffic, that’s a good sign. You can use tools like Google Analytics to find out.
Check ROI: Finally, check if you are getting good returns from link building campaigns.
Outsource link building tips
Now let us learn about some of the best outsource link building tips.
1. Always prefer quality over quantity
You must not get caught up in the numbers game. You see, it’s not about trying to get the most links you can, but about trying to get the best links you can.
1 quality link from a quality website is far better than 100 low-quality links from average websites.
That is why you must always aim for links from trustworthy sites that actually make sense in your field.
2. Diversify anchor text
Anchor text is the text where your link is placed. When it comes to anchor text, try to diversify it with different keywords and words that are relevant to your business.
You can inform your link builders and let them know that you want them to have links with diverse anchor texts.
This not only makes your links look more natural to search engines but also offers a better user experience
3. Stay away from link farms
So link farms are like the quick fix schemes that promise you to gain links in no time.
But here’s the catch: They actually harm your website’s reputation. That is why it is always best to stay away from such link farms and play safe to build natural links that maintain your website’s reputation.
Moreover, low-quality links can sometimes end up in getting your website penalized by Google as Google hates spammy backlinks.
4. Educate yourself
When outsourcing link building, it’s important to educate yourself first. You must at least have a basic understanding of how links work, what kind of links are good for your website, and so on.
This way you can have a complete understanding of what’s happening with your link building process and make informed decisions with the service provider.
5. Build relationships
It’s also important to tell your link builders to get social. Building relationships in your industry or niche is like making new friends. When your link builders know the right people they can score you the best links.
It’s one of the best ways to get those quality links to your site with minimal effort.
6. Patience is key
Remember, link building is like your garden. Just as your plants take time to grow, link building takes time to show you the results.
The best link building tip you can ever get when outsourcing is to never rush and be patient.
Link building is a long-term game and not a quick game. That is why you might not see any immediate results, but with time and consistency, your website will start growing.
7. Communicate clearly
If you decide to work with people outside your team to build links, you undoubtedly need good communication.
Why so? Well, that is because no one’s a mind reader. That’s why you have to communicate with them and send those emails telling them what you expect and how you want it to be achieved.
Just be open and clear. And you’ll get what you want.
8. Stay informed
Yes, yes, we all know that the online world is changing rapidly. There is no doubt about it. This also brings a new SEO factor into play on a daily basis.
If you don’t stay on top of these trends, you could be missing out on huge opportunities.
Not only that, you also need to know what’s going on with your link building as well.
Ask the link creators what’s going on and how to report it.
9. Look at your ROI
If you invest your time, effort, and money into something you want to ensure you get the best results.
That’s what ROI is all about.
For example, if, after starting your link building process, you started getting more traffic, higher rankings, and your brand image improved, you are getting good ROI. If not, it’s time to rethink your plan.
10. Go for white-hat techniques
Tell us one thing, what happens if you break a rule in a game? Well, you get eliminated, right? That’s the case with SEO.
Google has developed a set of rules (white-hat techniques) for SEO. If you do not follow them, you may be removed.
So just remember to always avoid shady content and focus on quality links.
11. Internal links
Before outsourcing your link building, you need to make sure that your website’s internal linking is in good order.
Be sure to link to relevant pages. This helps users find your site faster and gives search engines more important pages.
12. Analysis and audit
Finally, keep an eye on your backlinks. You need to make sure your website links are still good and helpful.
You need to find all the harmful links and keep them with relevant and quality links.
So do some routine checks, pull out the bad guys, and check out the good guys.
Conclusion
Okay, so this was a complete guide on outsourcing link building tips and how to outsource.
With all the tips and steps you’ve learned in this blog, you’re all set to go with your link building process.
If you are looking for the best service provider, you can consider SERP Forge as your go-to option. SERP Forge is a link building agency with a team of experts focused on building links to your website while being transparent about what’s happening.
