Hiring a Backlinking Service Provider for Beginners: How to Choose a Good Digital PR agency16 min read

October 6, 2023
Anna Chmielewska
Link Building
agency, linkbuilding

Looking into hiring a backlinking service provider? Read this guide to avoid being ripped off!

If you’re kickstarting SEO on a new site, building links is one of the tactics that is going to give you the best results in terms of improving your website’s DR. But if you’re starting from scratch – let’s be frank, you aren’t going to find good websites that are going to link back to your puny little site with 3 blog posts and DR 20. You don’t have the industry connections for someone to do you this favor either.

So you need to hire a backlinking service company – to make these intros for you, secure good backlinks, and manage the whole process.

But how to choose a good one? A lot of link building agencies use shady PBN sites or still build spammy links from forum comments (mostly for clients who don’t know or who don’t care). A lot of agencies don’t monitor your backlinks after building them at all! This means you’ll be loosing a lot of the hard-earned links to the so-called link rot – up to 8% of links get deleted/lost to 404s per year.
In this post – we’ll go through the

TL;DR

Why Hire a Link Building Company? Professional agencies bring expertise, high-quality backlinks, and tailored strategies for effective SEO.
Challenges of Trust: Choosing the wrong agency can lead to poor outcomes and harm your online reputation.
Monitoring your expensive and hard-won links with Backlink Manager: Backlink Manager is a versatile tool for managing and monitoring backlinks, catering to companies using linkbuilding services as well as digital agencies, marketing teams, and freelancers.
Benefits of Hiring a Link Building Company: Agencies offer SEO expertise, quality backlinks, and up-to-date strategies to enhance brand visibility and drive traffic.
How Link-Building Companies Create Backlinks: They employ various strategies like guest blogging, broken link building, and influencer outreach to secure high-quality backlinks.
What to Look for in a Link Building Agency: Seek transparency, case studies, ethical practices, customization, and open communication.
Red Flags in Choosing a Link Building Agency: Beware of unrealistic promises, lack of transparency, excessive automation, and over-reliance on Domain Authority.

Why Is Hiring a Backlinking Service a Challenge for Trust?

Handing over your link-building efforts to an outside team might sound a bit nerve-wracking. After all, the digital world is full of tales about businesses that got burned by shady link building tactics or disappointing services. And there’s so many agencies to chose from when looking for an expert link building service!

When link-building goes awry, it can even earn you a slap on the wrist from search engines, which isn’t great for your online reputation.

And let’s not forget those overnight miracle workers who promise the moon at rock-bottom prices – they’re everywhere!

But don’t fret! This article is your trusty guide to navigating these link builders’ pitfalls and finding the right link-building partner for your long-term success.

First, 5 Link Building Services To Avoid At All Costs

While the allure of quick results can be tempting, it’s crucial to be wary of certain link-building services that promise the moon but deliver little:

Automated Link Building Tools: Quick, yes. Quality, not so much. These tools churn out links in a flash, but they often lack the relevance and quality your SEO needs.
Excessive Link Exchanges: Link exchange can be beneficial when done in a natural, relevant, and non-reciprocal manner between websites with shared audiences and content themes. However, it becomes harmful when it’s done excessively, artificially, or solely for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings, as search engines can penalize such practices.
Paid Links: It may be tempting to buy links to provide a short-term boost but is a slippery slope. Search engines frown upon it, and penalties can be steep.
Generic Article Directories: These directories are often a treasure trove of low-quality content. Associating your site with them won’t do your SEO any favors.
Unvetted Guest Posting: Guest posting can be beneficial, but not when done haphazardly. Avoid services that don’t carefully vet the platforms they use – you want quality, not quantity.

Other “red flags” to avoid in link building service providers

Once you’ve excluded the companies that do the absolute no-nos – here are some more “red flags” that may put you off going with that particular company:

Private Blog Networks (PBNs): Engaging with PBNs might seem like a quick win. They’re essentially a network of blogs working together to boost SEO. However, it’s a risky strategy because if search engines detect them, your website might take a hit in the rankings.

Link Wheels: This strategy involves creating a circle of links across web pages on various websites to enhance SEO. While it might seem savvy, search engines have become quite adept at identifying and penalizing such tactics.

Random Links: Acquiring links from websites that don’t align with your niche can dilute your link profile and mislead search engine algorithms. It’s crucial to ensure that the links you gain are relevant and add value to your SEO efforts.

Over-Optimized Anchor Texts: While keyword-rich anchor texts are valuable, over-optimizing and stuffing them with keywords can be perceived as manipulative by search engines, potentially leading to penalties.

Ignoring Technical SEO: Focusing solely on link-building and neglecting technical SEO aspects, like site speed and mobile-friendliness, can undermine your overall SEO strategy. It’s vital to ensure that your website is technically sound to support and complement your link-building efforts.

Using Google Sheets to manage the whole operation and not monitoring your backlinks in any way

Again – if the company you’re paying 1000s of $ per month is not using a proper CRM and is not offering any long-term monitoring for your links – how do you know they will be still there once the campaign is over? That…they were there in the first place?

Monitoring your Links with Backlink Manager – the only CRM for link building services

Whether after reading this you decide to hire a link builder or go solo – you need a tool to monitor your hard-won (and usually expensive) backlinks.

Before hiring a link-building agency, make sure you have a tool that helps you organize and monitor your links using a reliable crawler. BacklinkManager.io is a powerful tool with a 2-factor crawl every 12 hours, designed for managing and monitoring backlinks, tailored to the needs of link-building and SEO agencies, marketing teams, and freelance link builders.

It brings a wealth of features and benefits to the table:

24/7 Link Monitoring: Track link status changes every 12 hours.
Linkbuilding Targets and Goals: Focus and accountability for your link-building efforts.
Linkbuilding Client Relationship Management (CRM) System: Simplify tracking of link exchange and guest posting relationships.
Link Partnership Scorecard: Easily assess your link-building partnerships.
Custom Reporting: Tailored reports for clients and internal use.
Link Matchmaking Tool (Coming Soon): Find new link-building opportunities and manage link exchanges and guest posts efficiently.

Flexible Pricing

Backlink Manager caters to a wide range of users with its pricing options:

Free Plan: Monitor and manage up to 250 backlinks, set 50 targets, and invite 3 teammates.
Pro Plan ($49 per month, billed annually): Monitor and manage up to 2,500 backlinks, 100 targets, and invite 15 team members.
Enterprise Plan ($500 per month, billed annually): Monitor and manage up to 50,000 backlinks, 10,000 targets, invite 30 team members, and enjoy white label reporting.

Both paid plans include priority support and start with a free trial.

Now that we’ve explored the role of Backlink Manager, let’s seamlessly transition from creating backlinks ourselves to understanding the benefits of hiring a dedicated link-building agency in our quest for SEO excellence.

What to Look For in a Link Building Agency: Positive Indicators

When you’re on the hunt for the perfect link-building agency, keep an eye out for these positive signs that separate the cream of the crop:

When you’re evaluating link-building agencies, these positive signs can make all the difference:

Transparency

Why it Matters: Transparent agencies openly share their strategies, tools, and expected outcomes with you. This transparent communication is the foundation of a successful partnership. You can expect regular updates, honest feedback, and clear insights into their strategies and the results they’re achieving.

Case Studies

Why it Matters: Case studies provide real-world evidence of an agency’s expertise. By showcasing their past successes, they demonstrate their ability to deliver results. These tangible examples help you gauge their capabilities and understand what they can achieve for your website.

White-Hat Techniques

Why it Matters: Ethical SEO practices are essential for long-term success. Agencies that strictly adhere to white-hat techniques avoid shortcuts and black-hat methods that could harm your website’s reputation. Choosing such an agency ensures your brand’s integrity and sustainability in the digital landscape.

Customized Strategies

Why it Matters: One-size-fits-all approaches rarely work in link building activities. Agencies that tailor their strategies to your specific business needs and goals demonstrate a commitment to achieving your unique objectives. This customized approach increases the likelihood of successful outcomes.

Open Communication

Why it Matters: Regular communication is a sign of a collaborative approach. Agencies that provide updates, welcome feedback, and are responsive to your concerns foster a partnership built on trust. This open dialogue ensures that both you and the agency remain aligned in your objectives and expectations.

Focus on High-Quality Content

Why it Matters: In today’s information-saturated digital landscape, high-quality content sets your brand apart. Agencies that prioritize creating well-researched, relevant, and engaging content not only boost your SEO but also establish your brand as an authoritative voice in your industry. Quality content resonates with your audience, providing genuine value.

Realistic Goals

Why it Matters: Setting clear and realistic goals based on data and experience is essential for a successful link-building campaign. Agencies that provide a roadmap rooted in achievable objectives help you understand the path to success, facilitating better decision-making throughout the campaign.

Links Based on DR and Real Traffic

Why it Matters: Domain Rating (DR) and real traffic are crucial indicators of backlink quality. Agencies that consider both factors when acquiring links ensure that you receive valuable backlinks from reputable sources. These high-DR links, combined with acquiring backlinks with genuine, relevant traffic, contribute significantly to your website’s authority and visibility.

Willingness to Disagree

Why it Matters: A reputable agency prioritizes your brand’s long-term success over short-term gains. While they may occasionally disagree with your suggestions, their willingness to advocate for more effective strategies based on their expertise and experience can lead to better results. This constructive disagreement fosters a partnership focused on achieving the best outcomes for your brand.

The Benefits of Hiring a Link Building Service

Choosing a quality link up-building company is like having an ace up your sleeve.

They’ve got the SEO know-how and resources to make your backlinks top-notch and right on target.

Plus, they can go big, hitting multiple platforms at once, making your site a big deal.

And don’t forget, they’re always up to date with the latest SEO trends to keep you in the game for the long run in this ever-changing digital marketing world.

So, what exactly can a link-building company do better than you can do by backlink building all on your own?

Improve Your Brand Visibility

Unlike individual efforts, link-building companies have extensive experience in navigating the complex world of SEO. They understand the nuances of quality link building and acquisition, ensuring that backlinks come from reputable and authoritative sources within your industry. This targeted approach is difficult to replicate independently.

Link-building companies have:

SEO Expertise: They bring invaluable SEO knowledge to the table.
Top-tier Backlinks: They secure backlinks from reputable, industry-relevant sources.
Industry Connections: Their established relationships with webmasters and influencers open doors to quality backlinks.
Consistent Excellence: They build high quality links, enhancing your brand’s online presence and reputation.

Build Traffic to Your Website

Driving traffic to your website is more than just numbers; it’s about attracting the right audience.

When it comes to driving website traffic, both link building strategy and content promotion is key, and hiring a backlinking service excels for several reasons:

Strategic Expertise: They employ a strategic approach, targeting the right sites for maximum conversions – a challenging task for individuals.
Compelling Content: They create engaging content that lures in organic traffic effectively, maintaining a consistent publishing schedule.
Adaptive Strategies: They stay ahead of SEO trends and algorithm updates to maintain and increase traffic, a task that can be overwhelming for individuals trying to manage other aspects of their business.
Efficient Opportunities: They efficiently identify valuable link-building opportunities, saving your time and effort.

Save on Marketing Costs

One of the most significant advantages of hiring a link-building company is the potential for cost savings in your overall marketing budget.

This cost-effectiveness arises from several factors:

Higher Conversion Rates: Organic traffic from quality backlinks often leads to more sales and desired actions compared to paid traffic, saving you on advertising costs.
Long-Term Benefits: Backlink companies focus on building a strong backlink profile over time, enhancing your domain authority and search rankings. This reduces the need for ongoing paid advertising, resulting in substantial long-term savings.
Avoiding Penalties: Backlink experts steer clear of black-hat SEO practices, ensuring you don’t face penalties or additional expenses due to unethical tactics. The potential legal and financial consequences of black-hat SEO far exceed the cost of hiring a reputable backlink company.

How do Link-Building Companies Create Backlinks?

Link-building companies employ various strategies to acquire links and create backlinks. These include: guest blogging and posting, building broken links, skyscraper technique, and influencer outreach.

They focus on creating high-quality content that the site owners other sites want to link to, ensuring that backlinks are relevant, authoritative, and beneficial to SEO.

How do those strategies work? Let us show you a few simple examples.

Guest Blogging and Posting

Imagine you run a travel blog, and a link-building company writes a fantastic guest post about your latest adventure. In the post, they include a link to your blog, helping you get more traffic from their readers.

Broken Link Building

Let’s say you have a gardening website, and a link-building company discovers a gardening blog with a broken link to a useful tool. They reach out to the blog owner and suggest replacing the broken link with a link to your website, where you also offer the same tool.

PBNs (Private Blog Networks)

PBNs are networks of websites used to build links to a single website for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings. Think of it as having a bunch of secret helpers praising your online store in various places.

While quick, PBNs can be risky. PBNs often lack genuine, high-quality content, making them easy for search engines to identify and devalue.

Skyscraper Technique

If you have a cooking blog, a link-building company creates an incredibly detailed and helpful guide to baking chocolate chip cookies. They then find websites linking to inferior cookie recipes and suggest replacing those links with a link to your ultimate guide.

Blogger/Influencer Outreach

Suppose you sell fitness equipment. The link-building company connects with fitness influencers and gets them to write about your products on their blogs or social media. Their followers trust their recommendations, so they click the links to your site and potentially make purchases.

How to Find The Right Backlinking Service For You

When it comes to your website’s SEO journey, finding the right link-building agency is like picking the right teammates.
Here’s how to do it in just 5 steps:

Set Your Goals and Budget: Start by figuring out what you want and how much you’re willing to spend.
Do Your Homework: Research potential agencies, dive into their reviews and case studies, and see what they’ve been up to.
Chat it Up: Get in touch with these agencies, have a chat, and ask them about their game plan, past wins, and any challenges they foresee.
Quality Over Quantity: Make sure they’re all about quality links and ethical techniques, not just stacking up numbers.
Transparency Matters: Go for agencies that believe in being open, doing things right (white-hat style), and aiming for long-term success.

9-Step Process for Hiring Someone for backlinking

Define Your Goals: Understand what you aim to achieve, be it increased traffic, higher domain authority, or better search rankings.
Research Potential Companies: Look for reputable firms with a track record of success in link building.
Ask for Case Studies: Reputable companies should provide examples of their past successes.
Check Reviews and Testimonials: Gain insights from past clients about their experiences.
Interview Shortlisted Companies: Discuss strategies, expectations, and communication methods.
Ask About Their Link Acquisition Methods: Ensure they use white-hat techniques and avoid black-hat practices.
Discuss Reporting: Regular updates and transparent reporting are crucial for tracking progress.
Negotiate Pricing: Understand the pricing model, be it monthly, per link, or project-based.
Start with a Trial: Before committing long-term, consider starting with a short-term project to evaluate their services.

Bonus Step: Try a Link Building Agency

Before committing long-term, consider a trial run with a potential link-building agency. This allows you to:

Evaluate their efficiency, communication style, and results.
Understand their approach and see if it aligns with your brand values.
Gauge the ROI and decide if a long-term partnership is beneficial.
Provide feedback and see how receptive the agency is to making adjustments based on your input.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Link-Building Company?

The cost of hiring a link-building company can vary based on several factors:

Scope of the Project: A comprehensive campaign will cost more than a one-off strategy.
Agency’s Reputation: Established agencies with a track record of success might charge a premium.
Geographical Location: Rates can differ based on the agency’s location and target market.
Customization: Tailored strategies, extensive research, and high-quality content creation can influence the cost.

Need specifics?

According to a recent article from Linkbuilder.io, as of 2023:

Major content marketing agencies can charge between $15,000 to $30,000 for a campaign, with link costs averaging $400 to $1500 each.
Specialist link building agencies vary widely in cost, ranging from $3,000 to $15,000 or more per month.
Freelancers typically charge $50 to $100 per hour but may require additional expenses for writers, link payments, and software.

How Long Does It Take to See Results from Link Building?

Link building process is a gradual process, and results can take time:

Initial Results: Within 3-6 months, you might notice an increase in referral traffic and improved domain authority.
Significant Movement: It can take 6-12 months to see substantial improvements in search rankings, especially for competitive keywords.
Long-Term Benefits: Over time, a robust backlink profile can lead to sustained organic traffic and increased brand visibility.

Conclusion

Now you hopefully know how to build more links with backlinking services, which agencies to hire and which ones to avoid! Happy linkbuilding!