SEO is the process of optimizing content and web pages so that search engines can easily find them. It involves improving a website’s overall visibility in organic (or unpaid) search engine results.
Since Google reads websites’ backlinks (links from other websites pointing to your website or page) as part of its algorithm, link building is one of the most important factors in driving organic traffic and improving a site’s search engine ranking.
But trying to acquire quality links yourself is cumbersome and time-consuming. That’s why so many companies invest in fully-managed link building packages.
What are Link Building Packages?
If you want to build links to your website and reap the glorious benefits of SEO, you have three options:
- DIY link building
- Per-link link building
- Link building packages
DIY Link Building
Some people decide to go the DIY route and try to build links on their own. Several elements go into this:
- Conducting keyword research: First things first, you need to determine which keywords you want to target so that you can optimize your website accordingly.
- Analyzing competition and brainstorming content: What are your competitors talking about? What aren’t they focusing on? How is their audience responding to their content? Before finding opportunities, link builders need to answer these questions.
- Finding link opportunities: This involves researching websites and finding those that might see value in linking to your content or placing links on their site.
- Vetting placement sites: You need to be sure the websites you select are reputable and have an acceptable SEO profile.
- Blogger outreach: You can then contact the website owners, often via email, and ask them for a link. Unless you want to spend months doing this, you’ll need to use cold email software automation to help you manage the outreach process at scale.
- Creating content: To entice site owners and bloggers to link to your website, you need content that’ll pique their interest and make them want to link back to it.
- Monitoring success and tracking results: Your hard work won’t be worth much if you don’t track how your efforts are performing. Tracking KPIs like link velocity, referring domains, and Domain Rating (DR) will help you refine your process.
If you choose this option, be prepared to invest a lot of time into the process. You’ll need to understand the ins and outs of SEO (or hire an in-house marketing team to do so) and be willing to consistently put in the work.
Per-Link Link Building
If you have a small budget, paying per-link can help you avoid large monthly retainer fees.
Per-link services sometimes provide recommendations of which anchor text you should use and how many links you should obtain per page.
While this seems attractive, there are some things consider:
- A few links here and there might not move the needle. You may end up paying a lot of money for not much return.
- Your talent pool will be smaller. The best link building services usually require a minimum number of links for fully-managed packages.
- Individual links are challenging to scale. If you want to rank for competitive keywords and topics, you’ll need to invest continuously in more and more links.
- You may not build relationships with websites. Creating long-term relationships is harder when you view these interactions as transactional.
- It can be expensive. It can be extremely costly if you want quality backlinks from authoritative sites.
- It isn’t always completely hands-off. When your link builder just places links for you, you’ll still need to monitor their success and keep tabs on your SEO profile.
Paying for individual links is an excellent option for companies and individuals who have limited budgets or who want to test the waters with low-competition keywords before investing in a full-fledged service.
But it’s important to remember that those who choose to work this way must take the time to understand the basics of link building and be diligent when monitoring their links.
Link Building Packages
Remember all the things we listed for DIY link building?
Well, with a complete link building package, you won’t have to do any of that yourself. A reputable link building agency will take care of the entire process, so you don’t have to.
Link building packages are comprehensive solutions for businesses looking to maximize their online visibility and improve their site’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). They provide an all-in-one service that includes everything from research and outreach to tracking and reporting.
When it comes to packages, the most important factor to consider is the quality of your links. You’ll want to ensure that you’re working with an agency or freelancer who can provide high-quality, relevant links from authoritative websites.
These packages are often preferred by businesses and individuals who have the budget for them but don’t have the time or skills to do it themselves.
Plus, complete link building strategies are easy to scale. You can start with a smaller package and then increase it as your website grows or you have more money to invest in SEO.
Is it Worth it to Buy Link Building Packages?
If you can’t decide whether or not to invest in link building, you’re probably wondering whether or not it’s even worth it. The truth is, that depends on several factors.
- Company Size: Small companies can benefit from backlink packages (and they often do), but if they plan on increasing their online presence or ranking for competitive topics, they may need to invest in larger packages.
- Budget: The cost of link building varies depending on numerous factors, but companies should be able to invest several thousand dollars per month in a fully-managed campaign (at a minimum).
- Competition Level: Companies that only want to rank for a few small topics and terms may not need to invest in a full-fledged link building package. But if you want to rank for multiple keywords, grow in your industry, and focus on bigger topics with higher competition, you absolutely need one.
- Backlink Quality: Low-quality links from link farms, private blog networks (PBNs), and other spammy sources will sour your campaign faster than you can say “S-E-O.” Toxic backlinks don’t always hurt your website, but Google ignores them. For a package to be worth it, there has to be some sort of minimum criteria or quality assurance.
- Existing SEO Infrastructure: Companies with technical SEO problems or a lack of content marketing should address these issues before investing in link building.
- Readiness to Scale: Increasing your organic traffic is a huge undertaking. Carefully consider your current resources and plan for future growth when deciding on a package.
- Conversion Rates: SEO efforts will drive the traffic you need to your website, but it won’t convert that traffic into sales unless your website is optimized for conversions. Test different landing pages and content pieces for effectiveness before investing time and money into promoting them.
- Overall Business Health: SEO experts can’t fix a bad business, product, or service. It is also the business’s responsibility to ensure the success of its SEO campaigns.
In the end, the value you get from link building depends on a combination of your internal business health, preparedness to take on more site traffic, and how competitive you need to be for your target keywords.
You’ll also need to pay close attention to the quality of links you get. You can hire someone off Fiverr and pay them $5 per link, but we advise against it for numerous reasons.
When done right, link building is a powerful tool for growing your website and improving its ranking in SERPs. But to realize the maximum ROI from link building efforts, you have to lay the groundwork to ensure its success.
Pros of Monthly Link Building Packages
When you outsource link building to an agency or freelancer, there are several benefits:
- Support and guidance from SEO experts with link building experience.
- An outreach team that handles link placement for you.
- SEO professionals who vet the content and links included in the package.
- High-quality links from authoritative websites.
- Scalable packages that can grow alongside your website.
- Time savings versus manual outreach, reporting, and optimization.
- Cost savings versus hiring an in-house SEO team.
- A research-based link building strategy specific to your niche.
When you buy link building services, the package you choose will be tailored to your website and business goals. This means you’ll get the right quantity and quality of links necessary to reach your objectives.
Cons of Monthly Link Building Packages
The biggest downside of link building packages is the cost. Depending on the scope and size of your project, you could pay several thousand dollars per month for services.
And if you don’t hire quality services to do the job, you will face a few other risks:
- Losing traffic during Google algorithm updates for low-quality links.
- Loss of time and money with no tangible results.
It is also essential to note that there are no guarantees in SEO—many factors go into organic search rankings and the success of your campaign. But a transparent service provider who vets every link and uses white hat link building tactics goes a long way in mitigating some of the inherent risks associated with link acquisition.
Types Of Links vs. The Price
One of the key things to consider when buying a link building package is the types of links you’ll get. Some packages may offer low-quality, spammy links from questionable sources, while others will focus on content promotion and outreach for high-quality links.
There are a number of different types of links you should know about:
- Spammy Links: These are the links that will cost you very little. Shady SEOs will use them to secure the most links possible to your site without considering the quality or purpose. You typically find these on gig websites like Fiverr.
- Editorial Links: These links are placed on an article or blog post by an editor or content creator. They vary wildly in price. If you want an editorial backlink from Forbes, for example, it will cost you a lot more than if you want one from a smaller blog in your niche.
- Guest Blog Links: Link building and content marketing go hand-in-hand with guest blogging. This process includes writing an article for a website and getting a link to your site in return. Guest blogs generally cost between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars.
- Directory Links: These are links on business directory sites like Yellow Pages or Yelp, which usually charge you to get listed. It’s not the most effective way to build links, but it is a cheap option to diversify your backlink profile (as long as you choose trustworthy directories).
- Earned Links: If you create quality content or sell a legitimate product, you’ll probably earn mentions from other publications across the web. These natural links are free, but are given at the other party’s discretion.
Other ways to earn backlinks include publishing webinars, creating infographics, and building relationships with influencers. A good rule of thumb when estimating the cost is to consider the size and scope of the placement site. Expect to pay more if it is a big brand or news publication.
The Best Link Building Packages for SEO
The best link building package for your business will depend on a number of factors, including your site’s current SEO health and the competitive landscape.
Let’s take a look at the best ways to secure links and how to choose the right link building package for you.
Linkflow
When you work with a quality link building service like Linkflow, you’ll have an account manager who will guide you through the process. They’ll create a customized plan that will focus on growing your website in the most effective way.
Our team will manually reach out to our large network of bloggers and site owners to place your links and boost your rankings on SERPs. We’ll also provide you with detailed monthly reporting on the progress of your campaigns, plus advice on how to improve each metric.
Since we vet our placement sites based on DR, every link is of high quality, has high domain authority, and will come from natural-looking anchor text.
If a link building package is a good fit for your business and you’re serious about your online presence, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better service elsewhere.
PR Agencies
Those who need a more hands-on approach to their online presence (e.g., for brand recognition, thought leadership, and content marketing) will be better off going with a PR agency.
PR agencies typically offer a wide range of services, including editorial placements and outreach from a database of bloggers and influencers. They’ll help you devise a strategy to get your message in front of the right people and create a steady stream of high-quality links to your website.
The downside is that they can be costly, with rates ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Also not all PR agencies are link focused. Some can get you mentions but not link placements.
HARO
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a free service that connects journalists and bloggers with experts who can provide relevant content for their stories. This is a great tool to use if you’re just getting started with link building and don’t have the budget to hire an agency.
By signing up, you’ll be notified via email when reporters are looking for sources related to your industry or niche. Responding to HARO queries is a great way of getting high-quality links from authoritative websites and news publications.
If you want to secure a few links and boost your industry credibility, working with someone specializing in HARO link building can be a good value.
However, it is also a time-consuming and laborious process (though you can outsource it). And most of the links you’ll earn will be roundup quotes, meaning that when you get a link from something you’ve quoted, 5-10 others will be right next to you.
Scalable Backlink Packages With Linkflow
Your backlink profile is an essential part of your site’s performance in search engine rankings. And without a solid strategy, you can easily fall behind the competition.
At Linkflow, our team of experts will create a customized plan to build quality backlinks for your website and help grow your search visibility. We provide detailed reporting with each package so you can track your progress, plus guidance on maximizing your results.
Don’t leave link building to chance—gain the upper hand when you partner with us. Click here to talk to an expert.
