When it comes to link development, the process you undertake, coupled with your overall optimization efforts can make or break your success. While achieving success isn’t necessarily equated to building thousands of links to your site in the very first month, a well researched and methodical approach to link building will allow for fluid execution. The right process will lead to increased rankings and a sound foundation for the continued growth of your link portfolio over time.

At Rosetta, we have a team of dedicated link development specialists who focus on understanding the business goals and online industry dynamic of each individual client. Based on our experience and best practices in general, we have devised a four-phase approach to link development that defines our process for every project, but remains flexible enough to allow for tailored strategies.

Step 1: Analysis

In order to get where you want to go, you have to know where you’re at. In the first phase of our approach, we take the time to understand your site’s current link portfolio, including an assessment of the competitive landscape. This documented analysis provides our team tremendous insight into the direction needed to move forward and create an effective strategy. We immediately identify opportunities to acquire links in a more targeted manner, avoiding a disproportionate percentage of links pointing to the site’s Home page and improving existing anchor text. Most importantly, we examine both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the site’s current inbound links, evaluating the sources of those links and associated trends.

Step 2: Strategy

Successful link building efforts need to be targeted. Otherwise, a quantitative element will be present in your strategy, however the more important qualitative aspect will be lacking. “Flash in the pan” links that will disappear relatively soon after they go live are not the best in terms of a long-term strategy, but depending on each project’s circumstances, we take both short- and long-term development methods into consideration when building out our strategy. The final product is driven by each client’s business goals and key differentiators in order to make the biggest impact for end users (the consumer) and ranking results (the search engines).

Step 3: Execution

After taking the time to do a thorough analysis and create a comprehensive strategy based on our findings, we are able to hit the ground running relatively quickly once the SEO recommendations are live. This allows us to be ahead of the game and plan for fluid execution in the following months of ongoing optimization. Link development specialists work closely with SEO strategists from this point on to determine immediate priorities and areas for strategy enhancements. Since the majority of upfront research is complete, the team is able to spend time building links rather than identifying opportunities in an unstructured fashion. 

Step 4: Measure and Refine

As with all things in SEO, link development constantly evolves. New opportunities arise, new competitors climb the ranks, and new strategies are adopted. As we move forward we are constantly watching our past efforts. Were they successful or not? Should we adjust what we are doing or go in a new route? Teaming up with our reporting team we are able to identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement by using our analytics tools paired with industry trends.

All in all, link development isn’t a complicated process, but it does take a great deal of planning for it to make an impact on your site and its visibility in search results. By adopting a universal process, we have enabled our team to stay flexible when it comes to strategy creation.