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Hey there everyone! So i’ve got this new client who hired me to do some web design and offered to pay me to do some seo work for them. Im not really new to paid search marketing. I also am pretty familiar with the basics of seo and have had some minor successes in the past. However, a lot of those successes were attributed to low market competition and really strong and pertinent urls. As I build sites and come up with content, its all thought out for what these companies are selling. So content is optimized for keywords as well as images etc. Here’s my current issue. I am really not great at backlinking. First off, let me tell you how I found this client. Lets say this particular client is in real estate in new york city (which is very close to the market theyre in.) Lets also assume I typed into google “the best apartment buildings in nyc.” Now, I come across an article from a site with a very high page and aite authority (over 90) and the article, lets say, is a “Top Ten Apartment Buildings In NYC.” The very first building on the list (the presumed best) is obviously the one most people are going to check out. The page for that building is so keyword optimized and the content is relevant. Turns out, this building is the creator of this article. Naturally, they add 9 more buildings to the list and my client falls at number 7. Now, they ARE getting some traffic from this article, but not nearly as much as number one. I did some investigative work and went into the building who created the article. Turns out they have a barter partnership with the website the article was published on. This gives them a complete competitive edge. (This website is like the TECHCRUNCH for apartment buildings.) Right now, my client is spending huge amounts on ppc and unfortunately, dude the competitive nature and the amount of options in the market, doesn’t necessary see roi its needing to. People will come into the building and check it out (but of course, in the back of their mind there are always the other 6 rated buildings ahead of it.) I am trying to develop a strategy to win here. My client doesn’t have a very strong social presence, which is an easy fix and something i’m working on. Their site has some duplicate page errors and simple title tag fixes but is built with squarespace and overall is very comparable to the competition. What do I do next? Even if I guest blog on some other sites, their competition is already a huge step ahead because they have an article out on the MOST authoritative site in the space. Thanks for the help!