The Uncomfortable Truth About Links
I wrote a whole piece about why most link building is theater. The summary: the SEO industry is addicted to links like it's still 2010. Google has moved on. They can now evaluate content quality directly instead of relying on links as a proxy.
But I'm not saying links don't matter at all. They do, in specific situations. If you're in a competitive space where everyone has great content, links can be a tiebreaker. If you're in a new domain with no authority history, links help establish trust. If you're trying to rank for highly contested commercial terms, links remain part of the equation.
The problem is that 90% of what the SEO industry calls "link building" is garbage. Guest posts on sites nobody reads. Directory submissions. Forum spam. Paid placements that violate Google's guidelines. These don't help. They might actively hurt.
What works is different. It's slower. It's harder. And most agencies don't do it because it's not scalable in the way they need it to be.
What I Don't Do
- Buy links from link farms or PBNs
- Mass guest posting on low-quality sites
- Automated outreach to hundreds of sites
- Links from sites that exist only to sell links
- Anchor text manipulation schemes
- Any tactic that could trigger a manual action
I've seen companies get destroyed by aggressive link building. Manual penalties, algorithmic demotions, years of work wiped out. The temporary ranking boost isn't worth the existential risk.
What Actually Works
Digital PR
Real press coverage from real publications. When Forbes or TechCrunch or your industry's equivalent writes about your company, you get a link that actually carries weight. This requires having a story worth telling. Product launches, original research, expert commentary on news, company milestones. I help identify the angles and connect with journalists who cover your space.
Linkable Assets
Content that people link to because it's useful, not because you asked them to. Original research with data nobody else has. Tools and calculators that solve real problems. Comprehensive guides that become reference material. This is the content marketing that actually earns links organically over time.
Strategic Partnerships
Relationships with complementary businesses, industry associations, educational institutions. These aren't link exchanges or reciprocal linking schemes. They're genuine partnerships where links are a natural byproduct of the relationship.
Resource Link Reclamation
There are sites right now linking to broken resources or outdated content in your space. If you have better content, outreach to suggest your resource as a replacement is legitimate and often successful. This is finding existing intent to link and redirecting it.
Brand Building
This is the longest game but the most sustainable. When people know your brand, they link to you naturally. They mention you in discussions. They cite you as an example. Brand recognition generates links without any link building activity at all.
How I Approach It
Link building isn't a standalone service for me. It's part of a comprehensive SEO strategy. I don't take clients who just want "50 links per month" because that's a recipe for doing things the wrong way.
The approach varies by client:
For new sites: Focus on foundational links through business relationships, industry directories that matter, and creating one or two genuinely linkable assets. Slow and sustainable beats fast and risky.
For established sites: Digital PR opportunities, resource reclamation, and leveraging existing brand recognition for links. Often there are low-hanging fruit opportunities where you're already being mentioned but not linked.
For competitive markets: Original research, data journalism, and building genuine authority in your niche. If your competitors are buying links, the winning strategy is often to out-quality them rather than out-spend them.
What You Can Expect
- Links from sites that real people actually read
- Editorial links within relevant content
- Diverse link profile that looks natural
- Full transparency on where links come from
- No tactics that put your site at risk
- Realistic timelines (months, not weeks)
What You Should Know
Good link building is slow. If someone promises you 50 high-quality links in a month, they're lying about the quality. Real editorial links from real publications take time to earn. Expect a handful of genuinely good links per month, not dozens.
Good link building is expensive per link. When you factor in the time to create linkable content, do outreach, and build relationships, each real link might cost $500 to $1,000 or more. Agencies selling "$50 links" are selling garbage.
Good link building might not be what you need. If your content isn't good enough to rank, more links won't fix that. If your site has technical problems preventing indexation, links are irrelevant. I'll tell you honestly if link building should be a priority or if your budget is better spent elsewhere.
Pricing
Link building is custom-quoted based on your industry, competitive landscape, and goals. It's typically part of a monthly management engagement rather than a standalone service.
If you're specifically looking for help with links, let's talk about your situation. I'll tell you whether I think link building should be a focus, what approach would work for your market, and what realistic outcomes look like.