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With digital marketing becoming more and more complex, it's no surprise that many marketing professionals have started focusing on specialized fields. From Facebook ads experts to direct response copywriter, there is now a professional available for a business' most specific needs.
Today, we take a look at one of the more specialized roles in SEO - link builders. What exactly do they do? Why is there a need for someone specializing in link building? And what does it take to become a good link builder?
But first things, first...
What Is Link Building?
To get your business visible in search engines and attract visitors to your website, you need "backlinks", or simply "links". A backlink is created when a website links to another site.
The goal is to encourage high-quality sites to link back to your page to build your credibility with search engines and rank at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
What Does a Link Builder Do?
Back in the day, when SEO was still in its infancy, the responsibility of on and off-page optimization, such as link building, fell under the jurisdiction of a "general" SEO specialist.
However, as time went by, and SEO grew more complex and demanding, certain responsibilities branched out to more specific professions. Thus, the birth of the Link Builders.
A link builder focuses on promoting their client's content and other pages to other relevant websites until they link back to you on their content. There are plenty of ways to do this - blog outreach, getting active on forums, social media engagement, to name a few.
A Link Builder Job Description Includes:
- Researching potential websites and people for outreach
- Conducting a content audit to identify linkable potentials
- Performing keyword research and identifying the best keywords for SEO-optimized content projects
- Monitoring and promoting blog posts and other content to be used for backlink purposes
- Working with copywriters and web developers in continuous monitoring and improvement of content and website architecture for better SERP ranking
- Consistent monitoring and assurance of the client's website's healthy backlink profile
Using online tools to submit business listings - Performing competition research to analyze and monitor their backlink and advertising link strategies
- Tracking of outreach efforts via social media, forums, email, and other communication channels used
What Does It Take To Become a Link Builder?
The top requirement in any link builder job description is to breathe and live SEO. This means that you must have a solid grasp of the guidelines and principles of SEO.
You must also be well-versed with different strategies in reaching out and building relationships with potential linking opportunities without using dubious and spammy software to speed up the process.
Being excellent in the communications department is also good since you'll be engaging with plenty of websites and people. Good interpersonal and writing skills can do you wonders in interacting with people and achieving your backlinking goals.
Link Builders should also be great communicators.
You'll not only be doing plenty of prospecting for linking opportunities online, but you'll also be filtering them to find the most relevant ones to your client's website.
A little background on coding, particularly with HTML, is also a big plus. Although if you're already well-versed in SEO, you might already have the programming part covered.
You'll find some companies may require a bachelor's degree for their applicants, preferably in the marketing field. However, if you don't have said degree, you can always back up your application with your proven SEO work experience or certifications.
In addition to these, a good link builder must also possess the following traits:
Organized. Link building strategies are complex - you'll find yourself juggling between sending follow-up messages while continuously checking the quality of backlinks and potential prospects. Having a clear head in the game will keep you focused and results-driven.
Analytical and good decision-maker. When the need for a decision arises, you must be ready to give your best judgment of the situation to produce your client's intended results without further delay.
Creative. Every link building blueprint is unique, even if it's for the same business. For instance, you can't rely on an outreach message template all the time. You'll still need to craft messages specific to the person or business you're reaching out to.
Also, when researching websites for outreach opportunities, you'll need to get creative with your keywords and your online digging skills to accumulate as many outreach opportunities as possible.
Team player. Collaboration with other people in your team, especially the writer and the web developer, is important if you want to achieve success with your overall SEO game plan.
Link Building Specialist Salary In The Philippines
The pay scale of a link builder varies depending on what they can bring to the table. But to give you a general idea, they earn as close as an SEO specialist's salary. Most companies in the country looking for a link builder offer an average pay of 18,000 PHP - 30,000 PHP per month.
However, if you're looking to cater your services to foreign clients, you can expect higher offers and rates. Clients can hire a freelance link builder for an average of $10 - $150 (approximately 485 PHP - 7,270 PHP) per hour, depending on skills and years of experience.
If you offer additional services like SEO content writing or graphic design, you can even negotiate for higher rates.
How To Become a Link Builder
Step 1: Learn
If you're still starting, you can take online SEO courses and training programs to prove to future employers you know what you're doing. SEO Training Philippines has one, and it also comes with a certification.
Step 2: Put It Into Practice
After the course, put your knowledge into practice. Create your online store or blog, test out your link building ideas, and evaluate what works and what doesn't. Our own course helps you create your own portfolio website to test out your link building skills and knowledge
You can also try offering your services to your target niche for free.
For example, if you want to help restaurant owners appear on local search results, reach out to small restaurant owners on social media. In exchange, you can ask their permission to include the results of your endeavor to your case studies, which you can show to future employers and clients.
Step 3: Keep Yourself Updated
The road to becoming a rockstar link builder doesn't stop with courses, though. You've got to keep up with the latest SEO trends. Read references and blogs from time to time.
Step 4: Find Clients Or Apply For Work
Once you're confident enough with your skills and loaded with quantifiable claims to back up your credentials, go forth and take on clients in need of a link builder.
Key Takeaway
Thanks to today's digital marketing innovations, more and more specialists have risen, including link builders. These specialists focus on establishing rapport by reaching out to relevant websites and individuals.
As any link builder job description goes, the perfect candidate needs a sturdy grasp of SEO practices and trends to come up with the best game plans. They also need to be analytical, creative, skilled with research, communicative, and a team player.
While the responsibilities may seem a lot for an individual to have, the lucrative pay makes up for it. Link builder salary in the Philippines averages at 18,000 PHP to 30,000 PHP per month. You can even go higher if you cater to overseas clients.
If you're interested in becoming one of these specialized experts, start with equipping yourself with the right SEO knowledge. Take a course, watch videos and read articles and whitepapers about SEO, and get an SEO certificate.
Once you've got a stable comprehension of the subject, put your learnings into practice. Work and implement a link building strategy for your website or blog, or take on a client in need of SEO assistance.
