Hiring a Link-Building Specialist: Essential Tips and Best Practices for 2024

Is it hard to find a good link-building specialist? What should you pay attention to when looking for one?

We’ve set out to answer these and other questions businesses usually have when hiring a link-building expert.

Let’s tap into the experience of leading SEO experts and marketing professionals to learn how they work with link-building specialists.

Why You Should Hire a Link-Building Specialist

You might wonder, why hire a link-building specialist when anyone can learn the ropes?  

Here’s the deal.

First off, link building is time-consuming. It’s not something you can set and forget, even for seasoned SEO teams. Someone needs to:

• Create a solid link-building strategy;
• Manage partnerships;
• Stay active in relevant communities;
• Find websites for link exchanges, guest posts or link insertion;
• Work with writers to craft content;
• Monitor backlinks, analyze performance, and report results.

Link building helps you connect with the right audience and reputable brands. But landing those valuable links is no walk in the park. Link builders often send hundreds of emails just to get a handful of positive responses. It’s a dedicated, full-time effort.

Fact: According to our recent survey of 113 SEO experts, 47.8% of them find link-building the most challenging part of SEO. Therefore, it's vital to choose the right expert who can navigate these complexities.

Ray Slater Berry, Founder at DSLX, puts it simply:

Link-building is a massive contributor towards increasing technical SEO but also positive brand-building. It helps align you and your business with the right people and brands. Yet, actually winning links is such a heavy lift. Often, link builders will send hundreds of emails to only get a couple of hits. It’s a full-time gig.

A link-building specialist brings a network of partners they’ve built over years. If you do it yourself, you’ll spend months just establishing connections.

Irina Maltseva, Growth Lead at Aura, points out,

“Link building is hard. And it is getting harder every year.

To win links from the best websites, you need to build systems and follow them regularly.”

You also need to know how to get quality links. Without experience, you could waste time and even damage your link profile.

Lauren Funaro, Head of Content at Scribe, explains,

“There is absolutely a WRONG way to build links. Experts are able to take the time and effort to properly scout and funnel the right links to the right place. A link-building expert hopefully has built connections with other teams in the industry whose links are both powerful and relevant to my site.“

In short, if you want to build links effectively and avoid overwhelming your team with outreach tasks, hiring a link-building specialist is the way to go.

Role of Link-Building Specialists in Modern SEO Strategies

Debates about the importance of links in ranking can go on, but here’s the bottom line: link building is a key player in successful SEO strategies and will stay that way.

But link building isn’t a magic bullet. It works best as part of a bigger plan. A link-building specialist needs to work hand-in-hand with your SEO team to hit shared goals. They’re not just outreach pros—they need to think strategically.

So, how do you find a link-building specialist who fits this mold?

How to Choose the Right Link-Building Specialist for Your Business

First things first, get clear on what you need in a link-building specialist.

Here are some questions to guide you:

• Do you need an expert in a specific niche?
• Is this a full-time or part-time gig?
• Do you already have a link-building strategy?
• What’s your budget?
• Are there specific tools the candidate should know?

Answer these questions to narrow down your ideal candidate. This will also help you when we get to where to find these experts.

Next, figure out how you’ll evaluate candidates. Look at their past work—it’s more telling than a resume. Check the types of links they’ve built, the variety of sources, and the impact on the websites they’ve worked with.

Lauren Funaro, Head of Content at Scribe, advises,

“They should be authoritative on the algorithm and versed enough in my industry to have partnerships with relevant businesses.”

If their portfolio looks good, set up an interview. This is your chance to see how they think strategically.

Ryan Prior, Head of Marketing at Modash, suggests,

“Review their portfolio of work (links they’ve built), and pick a few examples. Ask them to give a few thoughts for each link on why they thought that was a good quality link to build.

For me, an example of a bad answer would be “because it’s a famous site” (like Forbes), or “because it has a Domain Rating of 75”.

A good answer would focus on relevance (and potentially referring traffic). For example “The link target is a page on influencer marketing, and the referring site has 10+ pages ranking on page one for influencer marketing topics.”

Following these steps will help you find a link-building specialist who not only knows the technical stuff but also fits your business goals and needs.

Must-Have Skills For SEO Link-Building Specialists

When exploring link-building candidates, make sure they have these five critical skills:

• Competitor backlink analysis;
• Backlink monitoring;
• Developing a link-building strategy;
• Outreach and communication;
• Analyzing link-building results.

Competitor Backlink Analysis

A top-notch link builder should analyze your competitors’ link profiles and outdo them. They need to spot opportunities your competitors missed and capitalize on them.

During the interview, ask how they analyze competitors' link strategies, the tools they use, and how they apply their findings.

Regina M. Noriega, Founder at KONECTU, says,

“The real mastery lies in translating this analysis into actionable strategies for your brand. […]

It’s about learning and evolving, not merely copying.”

Backlink monitoring

Constantly analyzing your link profile is key to a sustainable strategy. Experience with major backlink tools is a must.

John Aspinall, Senior Account Executive at My Amazon Guy, advises,

“Use tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to dissect your link profile. Find those low-quality, spammy links and get rid of them before Google gives you the stink eye.”

Most SEO experts, including those 113 from our survey, agree that Ahrefs is simply indispensable.

AJ Fall, Senior SEO Marketer at MarketerHire, states,

“My Number Uno tool is Ahrefs! It has firmly established itself as a vital resource in detailed analysis, shining particularly with its Backlink Gap tool. This feature provides deep insights into the intricate world of backlinks, making it an invaluable asset for those who seek comprehensive data. 

Not tailored for beginners, mastering Ahrefs opens the door to well-informed, strategic decision-making. The learning curve is indeed steep, but the insights you gain are unparalleled.”

Developing a link-building strategy

A link builder’s role goes beyond acquiring links; they need to apply a strategic approach to achieve SEO goals.

Ask your candidate about their process for creating a strategy, including identifying target audiences, choosing link-worthy content, and employing tactics to secure high-quality backlinks. They should understand your industry, competitors, and SEO objectives.

Ray Slater Berry, Founder at DSLX, mentions,

“We’re a small agency, and I would never want hundreds of irrelevant, stuffed links out there—it’s damaging. Ask your link builder to filter through the noise, find quality links worth going after, and tailor your outreach to those sites. Everything needs to be personal and relevant.”

Outreach and communication

A huge part of a link builder’s job is communication. Their ability to connect effectively determines their success.

Review their outreach messages:

• Are they professional yet friendly? 
• Personalized? 
• Would you respond to them?

For instance, this message would be a rock-solid no:

Many aspiring link-builders surprisingly lack strong communication skills. So, even if your candidate excels with SEO tools, ensure they’re equally skilled at outreach before hiring them.

Ray Slater Berry adds,

“First up, [I’d be looking for] solid communication skills and creative language skills. Your link builder will need to be able to get their point across clearly and succinctly and do it all with charm and grace. The rest is history.”

Analyzing link-building results

Beyond acquiring links, a link-building specialist should monitor results and evaluate their impact on SEO performance.

• What key performance indicators (KPIs) does your candidate track? 
• Have their efforts increased website traffic, improved rankings, or enhanced domain authority?

These are crucial questions to ask.

What Techniques Will My SEO Link-Building Specialist Use?

“Without serious promotion, your perfect content will probably just exist on your website and potentially generate you some impressions and a few clicks.”

If your main content distribution channel is Google search results, a link-builder will be crucial for your site’s rankings. Here are some common techniques they might use:

Editorial backlinks

Editorial links are backlinks from relevant, reputable websites, acquired naturally. For their significant impact on link profiles, editorial backlinks are gold in the world of link building.

🚨 At Editorial.Link, we specialize in building high-quality organic backlinks, driving web traffic, and enhancing authority.

Unlike working with individual experts, partnering with our agency grants access to a broader pool of websites and diverse best practices. You get over a dozen professionals contributing their expertise to earn quality links for your website.

Guest posting

Guest posts are articles written by experts and published on third-party blogs.

This method takes time due to the need to create quality content but offers numerous benefits. Contributors can insert their own and partners’ links, mention products or services, and establish their reputation as subject matter experts.

By the way, 38.9% of our surveyed SEO experts find guest posting highly effective.

Broken link building

This method involves finding broken links on external websites, reaching out to site owners, and suggesting relevant content as a replacement.

Fixing broken links benefits the site owner and earns you valuable backlinks. However, it requires problem-solving skills and effective communication.

5 Considerations Before Hiring a Link-Building Specialist

You’ve found candidates with the necessary skills. What else should you consider?

Experience with similar projects

Your new link-building specialist needs to understand the nuances of your niche. Have they successfully executed link-building strategies in your industry?

For example, a link-builder with a wide network of e-commerce blogs may struggle to earn relevant links for an insurance company. You get the idea.

Budget consideration

When setting your budget for a link builder, think about the potential return on investment (ROI).

Consider the total cost, including salary, toolkit expenses, and benefits. Determine if it’s more economical to hire someone full-time or if a freelancer or agency might be a better fit.

For SEO agencies managing multiple projects, having a full-time link-building expert often makes the most sense.

🚨 At Editorial.Link, we also work with agencies that re-sell our links to their clients because it’s more efficient.

By the way, according to our 2024 statistics report, nearly 31% of businesses spend less than $300 per high-quality link.

The cost of link building is rising, and a balanced approach focusing on both the quality and quantity of links is most effective.

🔗 Related article: Link Building Pricing: How Much Does One Link Cost in 2024?

Timeline and availability

When discussing the role, be clear about how much time you expect them to commit. Make sure their availability aligns with your overall digital marketing strategy.

Set realistic timelines for the project and encourage them to honestly evaluate their skills and past performance to ensure they're a good fit.

Note that effective link-building shows results in 2-6 weeks, with 42.5% seeing impact in 2-4 weeks.

Here’s one more fact: 54% of SEO professionals build 5-20 high-quality links per month.

Communication and reporting

I’ve already stressed the importance of a link builder's communication skills when dealing with partners. Now, make sure you establish clear communication with your link-building specialist:

• Make it clear from the start what kind of updates you expect, how often you want progress reports, and any adjustments you might need;
• Your link-building specialist should keep you updated with detailed, easy-to-understand reports, preferably every month.

This keeps everyone in the loop and ensures you’re both working towards the same goals.

Nane Karapetyan, Team Lead at SayNine, advises,

“Set realistic goals. I don’t mean go for a quantity here. Make sure you get backlinks from SaaS/Service domains. Always remember that 10 SaaS/Service backlinks are worth 100 paid ones.”

References and reviews

Before making a hiring decision, check out the candidate's case studies. Ask for references from their previous clients or employers, and look for reviews of their work.

How to Find a Professional Link Building Specialist

Ready to hire? Here's a straightforward checklist to help you find the perfect link-building pro:

• Write a Job Description: Clearly lay out your project goals. Use these goals to define the responsibilities and requirements for your ideal candidate.
• Use LinkedIn: Post the job opening and actively search for candidates. Check out their networks, read their recommendations, and assess their overall professional presence.
• Ask for a Portfolio: Reach out to candidates who seem like a good fit and review their portfolios to see their past work.
• Run an Interview: Even if their resume looks great, an interview is essential. It helps you gauge their communication skills and spot any potential red flags.
• Go for a Test Project: Before making a final decision, run a small test project. It’s a great way to see how well you work together and validate their skills.

KPIs for Your Project

Before you even start a test run with your potential link-building expert, you need to set clear KPIs for your project. This helps in tracking progress and ensuring alignment with your goals.

Number of backlinks

This high-level metric gives you an overview of your link-building productivity. However, remember that quality trumps quantity. Focus on the value each backlink brings to your site.

🔗 Related article: How Many Backlinks Do I Need to Rank in 2024?

Referring domains

Check the number of unique domains linking to your site. This helps gauge the diversity of your link sources. Use tools like Ahrefs to monitor the domain authority of each referring domain.

Domain Authority (DA)

Quality backlinks enhance your domain’s reputation, making it easier to rank new pages. Aim for a steady increase in your site’s DA as you accumulate high-quality links.

Keyword rankings

Link-building should correlate with improved keyword rankings. Track your target pages to see how their rankings improve over time.

“I look at link-building as a rank and traffic play. How well was my page performing before I added links vs. after.

Lost and broken links

A skilled link builder not only acquires new links but also maintains existing ones. High rates of lost or broken links could signal issues in your approach.

Other important factors to consider:

• Niche Relevance: Ensure your backlinks are relevant to your industry. Check the content of your link placements.
• Anchor Text Diversity: A varied anchor text profile is crucial for a healthy link profile. Avoid repetitive keywords.
• Toxic Markers: Use tools like Semrush’s Backlink Audit to identify and address any toxic backlinks that could harm your site’s SEO.

Red Flags When Hiring Link Building Specialist

Hiring the wrong person can be costly. Here are some warning signs to look out for:

The candidate that:

• focuses excessively on the number of links rather than the quality of those links;

• struggles to articulate a strategic plan based on your goals;

• isn’t familiar with essential tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz;

• has subpar communication skills;

• can't provide evidence of successful link-building projects;

• promises rapid results or guarantees a specific number of links within a short period; 

• lacks knowledge about your niche or shows an inability to tailor strategies to fit your industry;

• has a history of employing black hat SEO techniques, such as buying links from link farms, cloaking, or other manipulative practices;

• is unwilling to participate in a test project before a full commitment;

… is a wrong fit for your project.

“At DSLX, we’ve had a few link builders reach out from time to time, a huge red flag for me is when they try to hide what they’re doing under the guise of providing you great content. We all know you’re building links, so be honest with me from the start.”

Hiring or Outsourcing?

Deciding between hiring a full-time specialist or outsourcing link building depends on your needs and budget.

Hiring a full-time specialist

Ideal for SEO agencies handling multiple projects. It involves salary, benefits, and tool expenses, but offers dedicated attention.

Outsourcing

Cost-effective for smaller projects. You pay for services rather than committing to a full-time salary. Agencies often have a broader network and handle performance tracking and reporting.

FAQ

Why is hiring a link-building specialist crucial for my website?

Link-building is a full-time project. You can’t just assign the task to a team member who already has their share of tasks on the to-do list. Hiring a link-builder allows you to earn links strategically, without distracting anyone on your team from their responsibilities.

How can I ensure the specialist is right for my project?

You can validate the link-building specialist’s compatibility with your project in three steps:

• Establish clear criteria for your project, considering factors like niche expertise, full-time or part-time availability, existing strategies, budget, and tool proficiency;
• Review your candidate’s portfolio, analyzing the types of links the specialist has earned for previous clients, the diversity of sources, and the impact on the websites they've worked on;
• Assess a candidate's ability to think strategically by discussing examples from their portfolio.