Why I Avoid Manual Link Building in My Agency


Many wonder if there are effective, time-intensive, and free link-building strategies. While some business owners prefer a manual approach, we find investing my time in revenue-generating activities is far more valuable than focusing on link building.

Table of Contents

Understanding Linkable Assets

Linkable assets are pieces of content or resources that attract backlinks naturally. However, I must admit that I don’t have the bandwidth or the desire to build these links manually. Instead, I’d rather allocate my time to tasks that directly contribute to revenue.

Manual link building can be a full-time job. It involves researching viable link prospects, conducting outreach, and creating high-quality content. While these actions can yield results, they require a significant investment of time with no guaranteed success. For me, the tradeoff isn’t worth it.

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Years ago, I started a white-label link building service because the vendors I was using weren’t meeting my needs. I never enjoyed the tedious process of outreach or the hoops I had to jump through to secure links on higher authority sites. Instead, I found a passion for hunting down expired domains with good metrics and rebuilding them, which has proven to be effective.

Building a Process

While I don’t manually build links, I’ve trained my team to create our own link sources. Developing a streamlined process for link building is what I enjoy. It’s about creating workflows that make the process efficient and effective. If you have more time than money, pursuing free backlink strategies could work for you, but it’s essential to be prepared for a slow journey with no guarantees.

Exploring Alternative Strategies

For those who are willing to invest the time, there are various strategies to consider:

  • Niche Edits: Reach out to websites for opportunities to add your links to existing content.
  • Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other sites and suggest your content as a replacement.
  • Guest Posting: Write articles for other blogs in exchange for a backlink.
  • Creating High-Quality Content: Produce content that naturally attracts links.

Conclusion

While manual link building can be effective, it’s not the route I choose for my agency. I prefer to invest in quality paid link building services that yield a higher return on investment. If you’re looking to get serious about local SEO and link building, consider joining our weekly Local SEO Hump Day Hangouts for live Q&A sessions and training.

FAQ

What are the benefits of using a paid link building service?

Paid services can save you time and often yield faster results compared to manual efforts.

How can I start building links for my business?

Begin by identifying reputable websites in your niche and exploring guest blogging or niche edits as potential strategies.

Is manual link building worth the time investment?

It depends on your resources. If you have more time than money, it can be effective, but be prepared for a slow process.

Where can I find more resources on local SEO?

Check out our resources page for tools and guides on local SEO and link building.