When I first started out in SEO, the industry was (and in some parts still is) plagued with dodgy agencies and link sellers who would either just sell a link on a PBN, or resell from a reputable provider at an extortionate price.
I really wanted to challenge this, so since becoming a full-time SEO consultant I’ve been working with businesses of all sizes, and blogger outreach is an aspect of most campaigns that I love to get involved in.
My main goal was to provide link building in various forms, with blogger outreach being one of them. Before I started, not many providers would actually let you pre-approve the publishers or site owners they were outreaching to (and many still don’t).
So, why is that? Usually, it’s because they’re working off a list of blogs, so they just mass-outreach to their list to then pass that feature on to the client. Easy, right?
Well, it might be easy for the seller, but the site owner paying for blogger outreach then receives a link that is not contextual, and is on a site where the authority is massively diluted due to them linking to anyone willing to pay.
This then begs the question… is this link actually valuable? I would argue that it isn’t. And that’s part of the reason why I always let clients pre-approve their order, so that they can see exactly who I’ve outreached to, and why.
Also, if you’re a bit lost on how the process works, then be sure to first read my guide to blogger outreach and the type of approaches that can be used to understand site quality, plus establishing long-term relationships with reputable publishers.
The main reason it’s so important to have full transparency is because of how many sites will tell you that they do things by the book, but they simply don’t. They’re banking on you not checking and taking them by their word, and I’ve been building links long enough to know that what some site owners tell you, and what the reality is, are two different things!
Often bloggers are telling the truth, but you need to do your own checks to be sure. I do my own checks which I outline below, but just incase you also want to check, or even if you just want to check that the site fits within your brand or ethos, then you naturally will have the option to approve it or not.
I also always hated working with suppliers who wouldn’t give you insights into the links they were getting, and then once the link was placed it either didn’t meet the metrics or it just wasn’t relevant enough. Again, I’m transparent at every stage.
Like I mentioned above, I’m not working with any lists of contacts or dodgy old blogs who will give a link to anyone for a price. My approach to outreach may take a little longer, but it does so because I make sure that I’m doing as many checks as possible to ensure that you get the most relevant, authoritative link that you can.
Here's how it works:
I start by exploring your site and your competition.
This is first phase to putting an outreach list together - who is linking to your competitors, and are there any opportunities to outreach to authority sites?
The process of research expands from competitors of competitors...
...and so-on until I've built a list of sites that meet the metrics you've requested via the order form (Ahrefs metrics).
I use Pitchbox and SEMrush to outreach to the sites...
...using hunter IO to get contacts information, or heading to. a contact form (where Pitchbox may not be able to provide mass outreach). My pitch is direct in that I state we're looking to work with reputable bloggers, and we're willing to provide content as part of a feature. In return, we want a link with the anchor text of our choosing.
Of the sites that accept, they're then audited via Screaming Frog to ensure that they're not externally linking to any websites we would deem unsavoury. This could mean they're a PBN, or even that they've been hacked via an old plugin and don't realise, Either way, we ensure that the site will not jeopardise your authority in future. You then approve the site(s) based on those that meet our metrics and the number of links you've ordered.
We agree on a content title with the blogger(s) who passes our metrics...
...then write up to 1,000 words of content for them. You then also approve the content, and have full edit access if you want to tweak anything.
This is passed to the blogger...
...and we notify you once the link goes live.
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Within 4 months, I transformed the online visibility of SMC Premier, a contract cleaning company, using technical SEO, content strategies, digital PR and outreach.
You can pre-approve the bloggers we identify as passing our metrics, and you can also pre-approve the content that we write and pass on to the bloggers.
Ultimately it’s down to how long the bloggers take. Generally the process from order placement to go-live is anywhere between 14-21 days, but can take longer depending on the publishing schedule of the blogger. If that’s the case, you’ll be informed.
Yes I do – drop me a message to discuss pricing.
No. Any good link building campaign is varied and will take in aspects of digital PR, journalist outreach, working with bloggers, and even simple aspects like local SEO citations. Blogger outreach is a fantastic way to grow authority and control the anchor texts coming into your site, but it shouldn’t be your only approach.
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James Taylor SEO trading as Dispense Digital Limited.
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Jutland House, Jutland Street, Manchester, M1 2BE