Link building is an essential element of any SEO plan. It requires expertise and responsibility, so it’s always better to partner with a specialist.
How to find the best link building agency among all the options available?
We have a list of 5 important questions to ask before you make a deal. Keep reading and learn how to choose the perfect provider for your needs!
Why Asking the Right Questions Saves You Time and Money
Hiring a link-building agency is the smartest investment in your online visibility. However, not all providers offer the same level of professionalism and trust. You have to analyze each candidate and ask the right questions before signing any contracts.
Why does it matter so much?
Avoiding Low-Quality Links
Quality and relevance are a must when it comes to backlinks. Agencies that promise hundreds of links for a low fee often use black-hat techniques, like
- Farming
- PBNs
- Automated placements
These tactics can lead to penalties and lost rankings.
You should ask detailed questions about how the vendor builds backlinks to identify potential red flags and harmful practices.
Alignment with Your Business Goals
A good link-building company will customize its services to your niche and audience.
By properly evaluating the providers, you guarantee they understand your market and can secure backlinks that drive relevant traffic. Make sure to check their quality and key metrics.
That way, you won’t waste time on worthless links that don’t match your objectives.
ROI Evaluation
Link-building services are more of an investment than an expense. Yet, measuring ROI is not easy if you don’t know which outcomes to expect.
Create a list of questions to get details about
- Timelines
- Expected results
- Success measurement
It will give you a more realistic picture, and you won’t overspend on useless services.
1. What’s Your Link Acquisition Process?
This foundational question lets you understand the work process of your potential link building agency.
Evaluating their acquisition methods will help you avoid harmful consequences. Many providers use shortcuts to deliver results faster. They buy backlinks or spin content, which is against Google’s guidelines.
The best link building services should be able to describe all their processes, including
- Prospecting
- Qualification
- Outreach
- Content creation
- Placement earning
Avoid companies that hide these details and guarantee you fast results.
2. What Kind of Sites Do You Place Links On?
The next thing you should know about is placements. Not every backlink has the same value. The relevance and authority of the linking site play a huge role in its performance.
Check if the agency builds contextually relevant and trustworthy backlinks that support your brand and SEO goals. Low-quality alternatives from irrelevant sites can do more damage than good.
Ask for samples of websites they work with. We recommend you focus on sites related to your niche and products, and domains with real audiences. Also, they should have strong editorial standards.
Here are the main metrics to assess:
- DA and DR
- Monthly organic traffic
- Spam score
- Engagement indicators
Eliminate the candidates who use expired domains and rely on thin content blogs.
3. How Do You Choose Anchor Text and Target Pages?
The anchor text and the target pages are critical elements of SEO strategy. Mismanagement here can lead to penalties for over-optimization.
Overusing keyword-rich anchor texts is a common trigger for algorithmic filters. Random or irrelevant anchors can reduce the SEO value of the backlinks.
So, question the link-building company about their strategy. Make sure they use a mix of
- Branded anchors
- Natural phrases
- Exact- and partial-matches
Also, check if they use impactful pages, like blog posts or product pages. The provider should coordinate with your team to match your keyword goals.
4. Can You Share the Reporting and KPIs?
Consistent reporting is essential for evaluating the success of any campaign and maintaining accountability.
A link-building agency that doesn’t share reports probably uses unethical practices and tries to cut corners.
Here are the things to check in their reports:
- A list of live backlinks
- Site metrics
- Information on the article or placement
- Organic keyword movement
- Domain rating growth
- Indexation rates
Ideally, they have to provide monthly or quarterly reports with explanations of results.
Try to avoid services that don’t have a standardized structure and focus only on vanity metrics.
5. What Happens If a Link Gets Removed?
Backlinks can be removed when content gets deleted or sites go offline. It’s not critical, but you need to know how the agency will handle the removal.
You have to ask them about their monitoring and maintenance activities. Make sure they regularly check your backlinks for
- Status
- Placement
- Indexation
A reputable provider should offer a replacement window. They usually replace any deleted backlink with a similar one at no additional cost. Some companies even offer link insurance.
Don’t partner with services that neglect monitoring and have no policy for removal.
Conclusion
Finding the best link building services for your needs is not the easiest process. There are so many agencies claiming they can guarantee your success.
So, you need to vet each potential provider and ask them the right questions. Question them about their acquisition process, placements, anchor text strategy, reporting, and replacement policies.
Hope that our guide will help you find the perfect link building agency for your business!