build-links

SKILL.md

Build Links

Design a targeted link acquisition campaign using asset mapping, prospect
scoring, and outreach sequence design.

Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

Domain and niche. What site needs links? What industry?

Current backlink profile. Any idea of current referring domains count, domain rating/authority?

Linkable assets. Does the site have: original research, tools, data, infographics, comprehensive guides?

Budget and resources. Can the team invest in content creation, outreach tools, or PR?

Constraints. Industries with strict link building ethics (finance, health) need extra caution.

Domain Profile Diagnosis

Before choosing a strategy, diagnose which dimension of authority is weakest. This
determines where link building effort will have the most impact:

Dimension
What it measures
Signs of weakness

Citation
Inbound references from quality sources
Few referring domains, low-authority linkers, no editorial links

Identity
Brand recognition and entity coherence
No branded search volume, no knowledge panel, inconsistent NAP

Trust
Legitimacy and manipulation absence
Spammy backlink profile, no HTTPS, thin content, manual actions

Eminence
Visibility and industry standing
Low organic traffic, no SERP features, no media mentions

Strategy by Weakness

Citation weakness (few referring domains) → Prioritize volume: guest posts, resource page outreach, broken link building

Identity weakness (brand not recognized) → Prioritize brand mentions: PR, Wikipedia/Wikidata, industry directories, podcast appearances

Trust weakness (spammy profile) → Prioritize cleanup first (disavow toxic links), then earn editorial links from authoritative publishers

Eminence weakness (no industry presence) → Prioritize thought leadership: original research, conference speaking, expert commentary for journalists

Most sites have 1-2 weak dimensions. Diagnose before prescribing.

Link Building Strategies (Ranked by Effectiveness)

Tier 1: High Authority, Scalable

Original Research & Data

Publish original data, surveys, studies, or industry reports

Journalists and bloggers cite original data naturally

Works because: nobody else has this data

Example: "We analyzed 10,000 pages and found that..."

Free Tools & Calculators

Build a genuinely useful tool related to your niche

People link to tools they use and recommend

Works because: ongoing utility = ongoing links

Example: ROI calculator, audit tool, template generator

Comprehensive Guides (10x Content)

Create the definitive resource on a topic

Must be genuinely better than everything else on page 1

Works because: people link to the best resource

Update regularly to maintain link-worthiness

Tier 2: Targeted, Relationship-Based

Guest Posting (Quality)

Write for relevant, authoritative publications in your niche

Focus on sites your audience actually reads, not just DA

1 link on a relevant, authoritative site > 10 links on generic blogs

Pitch unique angles, not rehashed content

Resource Page Link Building

Find pages that curate links to resources in your niche

Search: [topic] + "resources", [topic] + "useful links", [topic] + "tools"

Offer your genuinely useful content for inclusion

Broken Link Building

Find broken outbound links on relevant sites

Create or identify your content that replaces the dead resource

Contact the site: "I noticed a broken link, here's a working alternative"

Tier 3: Community & PR

Journalist Query Platforms (Connectively, Qwoted, Featured)

Monitor journalist query platforms for relevant source requests

Provide expert quotes with credentials

Fast response time is critical (within hours)

Community Participation

Contribute genuinely to communities (Reddit, forums, Slack groups)

Share expertise, not links — links come naturally when people discover your content

Build reputation first, then content gets shared organically

Digital PR

Newsjack trending topics with data or expert commentary

Create content tied to seasonal events or industry milestones

Pitch to journalists with data-backed angles

Link Quality Score (LQS)

Score each link prospect (or existing backlink) across 6 factors. Rate each 1-5:

Factor 1: Domain Authority (25% weight)

Score
DR/DA Range
Examples

5
DR 70+
Major publications, NYTimes, BBC

4
DR 50-69
Industry publications, established blogs

3
DR 30-49
Mid-tier blogs, growing companies

2
DR 15-29
Small blogs, newer companies

1
DR <15
New or thin sites

Factor 2: Topical Relevance (25% weight)

Score
Relevance Level

5
Exact match — same niche, same subtopic

4
Closely related — same industry, adjacent topic

3
Broadly related — same general field

2
Tangentially related

1
Unrelated

Factor 3: Traffic to Linking Page (15% weight)

Score
Monthly Traffic

5
10,000+

4
1,000-9,999

3
100-999

2
10-99

1
<10

Factor 4: Link Position (15% weight)

Score
Position

5
In-content, editorial mention

4
In-content, contextual resources section

3
Author bio or about section

2
Sidebar or dedicated links section

1
Footer, sitewide, or hidden

Factor 5: Anchor Text Quality (10% weight)

Score
Anchor Type

5
Descriptive, natural language

4
Partial keyword match, natural

3
Brand name

2
Naked URL

1
Generic ("click here", "read more")

Factor 6: Follow Status (10% weight)

Score
Status

5
Dofollow, editorial

4
Dofollow, non-editorial

3
Sponsored (rel="sponsored")

2
UGC (rel="ugc")

1
Nofollow

Calculating LQS

LQS = (Authority x 0.25) + (Relevance x 0.25) + (Traffic x 0.15)
    + (Position x 0.15) + (Anchor x 0.10) + (Follow x 0.10)

LQS Range
Rating
Action

4.0-5.0
Premium link
High priority — pursue aggressively

2.5-3.9
Acceptable link
Worth pursuing if outreach effort is low

1.0-2.4
Low quality
Skip — or review for risk if it's an existing backlink

Link Profile Health Benchmarks

Use these to assess the overall backlink profile:

Metric
Healthy
Warning
Critical

Dofollow ratio
60-80%
>90%
>95%

Exact match anchor %
<15%
15-25%
>25%

Brand anchor %
25-45%
<15%
<5%

Toxic link %
<5%
5-10%
>10%

Average linking DR
25+
15-25
<15

Outreach Template Framework

Do NOT use generic templates. Personalize every email. But here's the structure:

First Touch

Personal hook — reference something specific about their content (a post you liked, a point you agree with)

Value proposition — what you're offering (not asking for)

The asset — link to your content with a one-sentence description

Soft ask — "thought you might find this useful for your readers" (not "can you link to me?")

Follow-Up (5-7 days later)

Brief, adds new value (new data point, related resource)

One follow-up maximum. Two is acceptable if the first was missed. Three is spam.

What NOT to Do

Mass-send identical emails

Lead with "I'd like a backlink"

Offer to pay for links (violates Google guidelines)

Use fake compliments or AI-generated personalization that's obviously generic

Send more than 2 follow-ups

Campaign Tracking

Track outreach in a simple table:

Prospect
URL
Score
Strategy
Status
Date Sent
Response
Link Live?

...
...
8/10
Guest post
Pitched
[date]
Interested
Pending

...
...
7/10
Broken link
Sent
[date]
No reply
—

Benchmarks:

Response rate: 5-15% is normal for cold outreach

Conversion (response → link): 20-40% of responses

Overall: expect 1-5 links per 100 outreach emails

Quality campaigns with great assets: 10-20 links per 100 emails

Output Format

Link Building Campaign: [domain]

Current Profile Assessment

Estimated referring domains: [count]

Profile quality: [strong/average/weak]

Notable gaps: [what's missing — e.g., no links from industry publications]

Strategy Selection
Based on available assets and resources:

Primary strategy: [which tier and tactic]

Secondary strategy: [backup approach]

Rationale: [why these fit this site]

Linkable Assets

Existing assets to promote: [list]

Assets to create: [list with brief descriptions]

Prospect List

Prospect
Score
Strategy
Contact
Notes

...
...
...
...
...

Outreach Plan

Timeline: [weekly/monthly cadence]

Volume: [emails per week]

Follow-up schedule: [when]

Success Metrics

Target new referring domains: [per month]

Target domain authority increase: [over 6 months]

Pro Tip: Use the free Domain Authority Checker
to assess your current authority baseline and prospect domains. SEOJuice MCP users can run
/seojuice:backlink-audit to see which domains link to you, identify lost links worth
recovering, and assess link quality — list_backlinks finds recently lost backlinks
for broken link building.