Agency VS Freelancer: Industry rates for a GOOD link builder

[xlucax]

Hello Moz Community,

I am looking to hire a link builder for SEO purposes. What are the normal rates and what I should expect for my money? Can you guys please share your knowledge with me so I am better prepared when hiring the right person!

Bonus point for tips on what to look for when hiring someone and also best places to look for an SEO specialist!

I look forward to all your replies!

[xlucax]

Thank you Marcus !

[Marcus_Miller]

Hey. I have followed and read Eric's advice for years. He is an old hand. I am also unfortunately.  His Link Moses newsletter is well worth the subscription fee. So much of this comes down to strategy and I am sure a consultation with Eric would give you enough direction for 12 months.

Hope that helps.

[xlucax]

I can completely relate. Do you have Skype please? I'd love to know your process as I feel I am exactly in the same boat!

[xlucax]

Hey Marcus,

I couldn't have hoped for a better reply. You really have helped me out a ton here! I will 100% talk to Eric Ward - have you used his services?

L

[Marcus_Miller]

Hey

I think there are only like a handful of really good, all round link builders out there. Sure, some folks may get good at building links in a specific niche or sector but it can be tough to know every potential avenue.

Another problem we tend to see at the agency I run in the UK is that folks want absolutes:

• we want 10 x links from DA 30 domains per month for £1000 (or whatever)

But, the best link building is often a form of digital PR. So it can be a bit lumpy. Certainly, you can go out and find 10 sites that accept guest posts and hit the proposed metric, but are you getting any real big wins like that? How valuable are those links that are just so easy to get?

Likewise, you really want to get your strategy dialled in first. That is, have something that really deserves to be linked to. If you can create that linkable asset then it makes the link building process so much easier. If you don't have linkable assets then it could be that is the first step here so make sure the agency or freelancer can help in that regard (or go back to the drawing board).

There is a good overview here of how to start with the value for your link building efforts (by me - as a disclaimer).

:http://searchengineland.com/organic-traffic-link-building-small-businesses-269353

If you want the best check out Eric Ward:

http://www.ericward.com/evaluation.html

He can put you a strategy together and give you the direction. With the strategic elements in place you can then better understand what component parts you need to run that strategy. Not cheap but if you want to win big then... start with a solid strategy and layer your link building tactics over that.

So much of this depends on the current situation and marketplace. So you need some form of situation analysis. Are you in a crazy competitive space? Is the competition low end? The price you pay will need to consider the difficulty of the task at hand.

So... lots of moving parts but I certainly hope that helps.

Marcus

[xlucax]

Very useful. Thanks for your input!

[mcncl]

A lot of the time it's all about what you can do for them too; writing an article for a website on a subject and linking back to your own site as a form of payment (though you may actually ask for $$ too), especially early on in your 'outreach' campaign. Building a reputation is important.

Over time you may be asked for articles etc, or be able to show off your work in order to gain more exposure.

[xlucax]

Thanks for the reply, fascinating for to me to read as I'm new to SEO and not heard of these commissioned articles. Is there a marketplace for these deals or is it all about the right contacts?

[mcncl]

Sure.

In a broad sense, you get what you pay for. If you buy 10,000 links from fiver then expect it to be picked up almost instantly by Google and watch your rankings fall.

I know of people who commission articles for $300-500 and ask for a link back to a certain product or page as part of the deal, usually around 800-1000 words and on a reputable website, rather than some MIT personal student blog.

When it comes to link quality, it is usually the case that less links from high quality sources, over many links from low quality sources is best practise. However, building links naturally is a true recognition of quality.

[xlucax]

I would still like to know what to expect from the industry in regards to this question but thank you for the reply!

[mcncl]

I'd suggest doing the work yourself with the assistance of programs such as BuzzSumo.

Doing the work yourself will help keep you in touch with how your brand/business is being talked about in both social platforms and blogs, as well as everything in between.