What is your SEO agency doing in terms of link building for clients?

[Martin_S]

• What are you or your SEO agency doing for your client's link building efforts?
• What are you (or the agency) doing yourself, or out-sourcing, or having the client do for link building?
• If a new client needs some serious link building done, what do you prescribe and implement straight off the bat?
• What are your go-to link building tactics for clients?
• What are the link building challenges faced by your agency in 2013/2014?
• What's working for your agency and what's not?
• Does your agency work closely with the client's marketing department to gain link traction? If so, what are collaborating on?
• What else might you be willing to share about your agencies link building practices?

Thanks

[RobLaughton]

I'd like to bump this question as well..

I see allot of agency's talking the talk, but when it comes down to actual deliverable's, they still turn to outdated and low value "links" just for the sake of reporting that they have built links. (Blog networks, Social shares, bookmarks and resource pages from their networks of sites etc)

In a nutshell, link building isnt about that anymore. Its about real world marketing, providing value first and getting links second. On one hand, we could put all our eggs into the "New SEO" basket but then we fall short on actual deliverable's that clients have been used to getting. (Links built) with "New SEO" links aren't a guarantee, it all falls around a campaign and in a nutshell is all about Outreach and PR.

I guess its all about educating the client, but at the end of the day, other (Old school) agencies CAN guarantee links and we cant. (Less internal resources, no blog networks all links dependent on outreach and real campaigns)

In response to your questions:
What are you or your SEO agency doing for your client's link building efforts?

• Guest Articles (PR / Outreach)
• Niche Directory Submissions (High Authority and Paid)
• Broken Link Building (no guarantees, based on hours spent)

What are you (or the agency) doing yourself, or out-sourcing, or having the client do for link building?

• Feedback on content ideas for the content team in the industry.
• Commonly asked questions from clients.
• Encourage client Reviews on G+

If a new client needs some serious link building done, what do you prescribe and implement straight off the bat?

Only option here is to go old school. (Social Bookmarks, Directory Submissions, Resource page submissions, Paid Links) Alternatively, make it a point that "serious link building" should not be done unless they create something worthy of the amount of links they want/need. (other than internal links, always room for optimization here)

What are your go-to link building tactics for clients?

• Competitor Analysis - Identify Tactics they use, make notes of possible content / campaigns to create to legitimately get the same links
• Niche Directory / Local link building

What are the link building challenges faced by your agency in 2013/2014?

• As described above, main challenge is educating the client on how a Digital Agency SHOULD be working (with Google, not against it by manipulating rankings IE "building" links)

What's working for your agency and what's not?

• Outreach... We need more contacts and mutually beneficial relationships (PR stuff)

Does your agency work closely with the client's marketing department to gain link traction? If so, what are collaborating on?

• When their PR agency creates a campaign, we review and find ways for them to incorporate a link to the site in all online publications were possible.
• When reporters contact them for an angle on a story, we take a look and advise were applicable

What else might you be willing to share about your agencies link building practices?

• Looking at the future, we're trying to set ourselves apart from the average agency. Staying away from Link building and moving towards "link earning". Having the motto were whatever we create, it needs to be link worthy or provide real value to people. If we do this consistently for all clients, the links will come in automatically. This is all in theory obviously but really don't want to be doing old school "link building" if i know the value isn't going to last very long. What's the real alternative??

In summary, I'd love to know what other agencies get up to as well. Do they rely solely on outreach? Do they have their own network of sites to rely on for when its time to report and links haven't yet been built? I guess its about finding that balance, old school and new school. Its a work in progress i guess!!