If you are looking to outsource your link building to an agency, then please read this super short Code of Link Building.

The Problem With Buying Links

The vast majority of link building services just care to sell you links because...well, that’s what you pay for.

That really bothered me all the time (partly due to my natural feeling of fairness, legitness and transparency) because a lot of what they do is really shady.

The funny thing, the links they sell can actually work...but only in the short-run.

It goes like this:

You get crappy links (with manipulated high DA), then your rankings can go up (as it takes some time for Google’s algo realize what you are up to) and you are happy.

Then you might even stop working with that agency (because, well, your rankings are up, right?) and then the algorithm will penalize you in a few months (or with the next update).

The reality of our industry is that people don’t take the time to understand what link building is about, buy crappy services for cheap and then get what they paid for (and part of it wasn’t their fault).

Why Would Anyone Link to You?

So the problem is that people treat links like commodity.

Don’t get me wrong - this still works (even though big players are shifting away from this inelaborate type of link building - they pay us big money for that).

But this is only a short-term strategy.
To really BE a business (in this online world), you need to give away some sort of real value.

What’s that you got on your website that people would love to link to?

We call this a linkable asset.
This is just a form of link-worthy content (examples below).

Once you have that (and very often you only need just one of those to get the party started), you are set.

It’s really that simple.

Here is Why People Link to Things

Fortunately, there is only a handful of reasons.

People link to other content because:

1. It’s Useful
2. It’s Controversial
3. It’s Innovative
4. It’s Authoritative
5. It’s Fun
6. It’s Fresh

Now I am going to give examples for each and every one of those.

It’s Useful

If you created something useful for other people, then it has all the potential to acquire links.

Typical Examples:

• 101 (Beginner) Guide
• Expert (Advanced) Guide
• A “How to” Type Article (with excruciating detail)

Example From a Former Client

We had an Airbnb-like client focusing on travelling to Iran.

We decided to create “Iran Travel Guide” and ended up acquiring good white hat links for it using resource page link building.

The guide still ranks on Google’s first page and brings a hefty % of traffic.

This means that:

• People (potential clients included) discover the guide and subconsciously learn about the brand (1st touch point out of 5-9 before they make a purchase)
• Some of them would already book their stay using the platform
• Those that don’t, would end up on the retargeting list (Facebook and GDN)

It would also be a good idea to make the guide available as a PDF for people to leave their emails in order to receive it via their inboxes.
Once you get their emails, you know what to do next 😉

You can read about this case here.

It’s Controversial

People love linking to controversial pieces that go against the grain of the public opinion.
So if you have a statement to make, go for it!

Not everyone will like you but you are not a $100 banknote anyway...

Example from Real World

I met Rand Fishkin (the founder of MOZ) at theInbounder conference in Madrid in 2018.

During his (awesome) presentation he told us a story about his wife, Geraldine.

Geraldine runs a cool blog...and she wrote about Mario Batali’s (a famous chef) sexual misconduct apology which she titled:

“I Made the Pizza Cinnamon Rolls from Mario Batali’s Sexual Misconduct Apology Letter”

I suggest you google it and just skim through it...it’s crazy (in a good way).

Here are some quotes to get you a taste of it:

• Batali does not specify how tightly to roll the dough. I do so too tightly because fuck everything.
• I was right about the texture – the dough is too tough. I hate them, but I keep eating them. Like I’m somehow destroying Batali’s shitty sexist horcrux in every bite.

Sounds savage (it is)...

But the “linking” results are crazy:

-> 215 (!!!) links coming from the likes of New York Times, Politico, The Daily Beast, Geekwire, Anews etc...

But that’s not everything.

Geraldine got a lot of media attention (being invited to shows) as a positive collateral damage.

All that from just one well-made, carefully timed post she published making a statement (yes, this also requires some luck so I am not discounting survivorship bias here).

It’s Innovative

This one is really easy.

Got something new you created?
It can get links.

I am not saying you should create a Tesla or a new Cryptocurrency...

I usually get a lot of ideas from studying what works in one industry but has never been used in another industry (if you read Nassim Taleb and the story about how it took long to create luggage with wheels attached to it, you will get it; google for “The Story Of The Wheelie Suitcase And The Importance Of Implementing Innovation”).

It’s Authoritative

If you have authority in the field then your word weighs more than anybody else’s.

Say, if me and Jamie Oliver both shared our omelette recipes, which one would you most likely try?
When it comes to cooking, Jamie is an authority so you are likely to try his recipe (and possibly link to it afterwards).

Another way of thinking about authority is when you need someone else’s expert tip in order to back up your point.

Using studies, surveys and research to back up your point is a good way to make a statement.

Now, can you think of a way to become a quotable authority in your field?

It’s Fun

If something is really funny, then people can link to it...yes.

But it’s a bit too simplistic on its own so I advise you to use a combination of Fun (as a broad term) with other characteristics of a typical linkable asset that we are covering here.

Can you be fun and authoritative?
Can you be fun and innovative?

You see my point.

Emotions amplify your efforts and ROI (just see Geraldine’s post).
Use them!

It’s Fresh

We are not getting younger...and so is Internet!

This means that many of the articles people are linking to have diminished (or completely lost) their value.

Can you provide a fresher piece on the subject?
Can you include more examples?
Can you keep your work updated?

Example From a Current Client

We have been promoting a page that talks about copyright (and does so in great detail, touching many adjacent topics - a truly valuable asset).

We noted that there are other copyright guides that are a lot older than what we got…

So all we did was ask all those websites (linking to older guides) link to ours, as it’s fresh(er) and includes the important updates (that other guides failed to include).

Can you, as a business, create a guide that you would then keep updated?
Or would it be some important stats that are essential for your industry?

Fresh, up to date content is a very good angle for link building in niches like:

• Travelling
• Finance
• Law
• Health
• Education
• The list goes on…

Final Words

To us, a link building service is not (just) about building links…

It’s more about helping you find that silver bullet (linkable asset) which would then supply you with clients in the years to come.

And, yeah, you will get your links too.

Written by Artem | Linkshero