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Delegating Link Development Las Vegas PubCon 2007 Outsourcing Overview Outsourcing link development is when you choose to hire an outside firm or off-site independent contractor to handle your link development efforts. Outsourcing link development can take on a variety of forms…
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Outsourcing Overview Outsourcing link development is when you choose to hire an outside firm or off-site independent contractor to handle your link development efforts. Outsourcing link development can take on a variety of forms… SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Outsourcing Overview • Outsourcing link development is when you choose to hire an outside firm or off-site independent contractor to handle your link development efforts. • Outsourcing link development can take on a variety of forms… • Link exchange services • Triangular linking services • One way link development services • Link buying services • Mass Blog/Forum/FFA (spamming) services • Public relations services • Link baiting services • Advertising firms and agencies Or any combination of the above services… SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Outsourcing Overview • Outsourcing link development is when you choose to hire an outside firm or off-site independent contractor to handle your link development efforts. • Outsourcing link development can take on a variety of forms… • Link exchange services • Triangular linking services • One way link development services • Link buying services • Mass Blog/Forum/FFA (spamming) services • Public relations services • Link baiting services • Advertising firms and agencies Or any combination of the above services… The right link development firm can help you achieve great success. The wrong firm can cause you harm in the search engines and also to your online reputation. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Finding and Researching Firms • Finding a reputable and competent link development firm is not the easiest task and because of the potential for harm to your search engine rankings, it should be a calculated decision. • Where to find good link development firms… • Highly Recommended: Referrals from friends and colleagues • Recommended: Sponsor lists from industry tradeshows (such as PubCon and SES) • Last Resort: Jump in the water and see if you sink or swim SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Finding and Researching Firms • Finding a reputable and competent link development firm is not the easiest task and because of the potential for harm to your search engine rankings, it should be a calculated decision. • Where to find good link development firms… • Highly Recommended: Referrals from friends and colleagues • Recommended: Sponsor lists from industry tradeshows (such as PubCon and SES) • Last Resort: Jump in the water and see if you sink or swim • Even with recommendations, you’ll want to research your choices very well before signing on… • Be sure to ask for references and talk with past clients • Use the search engine of your choice (or all of them) to see their backlinks and buzz • REMEMBER: You ARE who you hire… SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Finding and Researching Firms • Some potential questions for link development firms… • How do they develop links? • Do they use any automated programs? • What types of links do they produce (one way links, reciprocals, triangular, etc.)? • Do they utilize networks within their control to produce temporary links to clients? • How well do their links developers read and speak [insert language needed here]? • What factors do they consider when deciding on reciprocal link partners? • What training is provided to their link developers? • Will they require access to your site if they arrange reciprocal or triangular links? • How is it decided what anchor text is used and what pages of your site are being linked to? • Do they limit clientele to avoid providing direct competitors the same services? • What is the average number of links their developers generate each month? • What is the cost per link or per hour? • How and when is payment due? • Are they willing to sign a confidentiality agreement? • What expertise does the person managing your link development strategy possess? SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Finding and Researching Firms • Some potential questions for link development firms… • How do they develop links? • Do they use any automated programs? • What types of links do they produce (one way links, reciprocals, triangular, etc.)? • Do they utilize networks within their control to produce temporary links to clients? • How well do their links developers read and speak [insert language needed here]? • What factors do they consider when deciding on reciprocal link partners? • What training is provided to their link developers? • Will they require access to your site if they arrange reciprocal or triangular links? • How is it decided what anchor text is used and what pages of your site are being linked to? • Do they limit clientele to avoid providing direct competitors the same services? • What is the average number of links their developers generate each month? • What is the cost per link or per hour? • How and when is payment due? • Are they willing to sign a confidentiality agreement? • What expertise does the person managing your link development strategy possess? Remember:No firm is going to give away their secret sauce and hand you their link development training manuals. Expect general answers and do your homework. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
In House Overview Hiring and training a link developer is not a light task. But, if you have the resources and time to bring link developers in house, it has been my experience that the number and quality of links generated can surpass that produced by an offsite link development firm in most cases. Providing that… SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
In House Overview • Hiring and training a link developer is not a light task. But, if you have the resources and time to bring link developers in house, it has been my experience that the number and quality of links generated can surpass that produced by an offsite link development firm in most cases. • Providing that… • You hire the right people • You are able to train them well • You are able to task them efficiently • You monitor their progress • Hiring and training a link developer is most ideal for companies or individuals with the SEO and marketing knowledge to develop inbound links, but who lack the time or interest to develop links themselves. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
In House Overview • Hiring and training a link developer is not a light task. But, if you have the resources and time to bring link developers in house, it has been my experience that the number and quality of links generated can surpass that produced by an offsite link development firm in most cases. • Providing that… • You hire the right people • You are able to train them well • You are able to task them efficiently • You monitor their progress • Hiring and training a link developer is most ideal for companies or individuals with the SEO and marketing knowledge to develop inbound links, but who lack the time or interest to develop links themselves. If you don’t possess the knowledge to complete the above steps, but still have the need or desire for an in house link development program, you might want to bring in someone who does to help get you set up. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Interviewing for Link Developers • Some questions to help you find a future link developer… • How familiar are you with the Internet? • What is your favorite search engine and why? • Can you name three search engines? • Do you know what a blog is? • Do you know what a message board is? • Do you know what a link is? • What are your three favorite websites and why? • Do you use instant messenger? • Do you know any HTML? • What email client do you use and why? • What browser do you use and why? • Can you find me a Canon SD-200 digital camera I can BUY? Through trial and error I have consistently found my experience to be that… It is easier to train someone inexperienced at marketing, but very familiar with the Internet than it is to train an experienced marketer who can barely use Internet Explorer when hired to develop links. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Training a Link Developer Creating training documents will be vital to the success of your new link developer and the speed at which that success is obtained. • What might be in your link development training manual… • Information on tracking competitor backlinks • Guidelines and conditions for reciprocal linking (i.e. nofollow tags, etc.) • Links to your own articles or articles, forum posts, etc that follow your beliefs on link development • Example email templates for reciprocal, one way link request, media intros, etc. • A clear listing of expectations as far as their job duties are concerned • Links to access SEO tools you think they’ll use in the link development process • A listing of sites and communities they should start to make contacts in and relationships with SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Training a Link Developer Creating training documents will be vital to the success of your new link developer and the speed at which that success is obtained. • What might be in your link development training manual… • Information on tracking competitor backlinks • Guidelines and conditions for reciprocal linking (i.e. nofollow tags, etc.) • Links to your own articles or articles, forum posts, etc that follow your beliefs on link development • Example email templates for reciprocal, one way link request, media intros, etc. • A clear listing of expectations as far as their job duties are concerned • Links to access SEO tools you think they’ll use in the link development process • A listing of sites and communities they should start to make contacts in and relationships with • The most important thing you can do during their training is to train them to be traffic developers and marketers and not simply link requesters. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Warning: Student Link Developer In the beginning you will want to task your link developer with extreme detail in regards to what pages to get links to, what anchor text to use, what to look for in potential link buys, etc. You may want your link developers to eventually gain independence in these matters or you may choose to continue to task in detail. The choice is yours. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Warning: Student Link Developer In the beginning you will want to task your link developer with extreme detail in regards to what pages to get links to, what anchor text to use, what to look for in potential link buys, etc. You may want your link developers to eventually gain independence in these matters or you may choose to continue to task in detail. The choice is yours. Should you choose to make your link developer as independent as possible, remember that a new link developer is like a new driver… • Give them detailed instructions and keep a close eye while they are driving the Porsche, but let them have a bit of freedom with the station wagon. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Warning: Student Link Developer In the beginning you will want to task your link developer with extreme detail in regards to what pages to get links to, what anchor text to use, what to look for in potential link buys, etc. You may want your link developers to eventually gain independence in these matters or you may choose to continue to task in detail. The choice is yours. Should you choose to make your link developer as independent as possible, remember that a new link developer is like a new driver… • Give them detailed instructions and keep a close eye while they are driving the Porsche, but let them have a bit of freedom with the station wagon. • Because, sometimes, accidents happen… SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
Outsourcing vs. In House • Whether you choose to outsource your link development or hire in house will depend on a variety of factors. • Your expectations of quality • Your ability to house employees • The value of your search engine rankings vs. the cost of each • Whether or not you have the expertise to train, task and manage link developers • Whether or not you want the added work of (more) employees Both have their advantages and their disadvantages. What it really comes down to is looking at your needs, your available options and deciding which avenue will bring you better piece of mind or better ROI… whichever happens to be your motivator. SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
The Bottom Line • You need links to develop brand awareness and to get traffic. And you need links to rank in the search engines. If you don’t have the time to develop them yourself, outsourcing and bringing link development in house are two viable options to achieve your goals. • For Outsourcing Link Development… • Get referrals from friends • Do your research on all prospective companies • Ask a lot of questions of the companies themselves SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
The Bottom Line • You need links to develop brand awareness and to get traffic. And you need links to rank in the search engines. If you don’t have the time to develop them yourself, outsourcing and bringing link development in house are two viable options to achieve your goals. • For Outsourcing Link Development… • Get referrals from friends • Do your research on all prospective companies • Ask a lot of questions of the companies themselves • For In House Link Development… • Hire Internet capable individuals you think you can turn into marketers • Task them in detail at least until they have their “link developers license” • Train them to develop traffic and brand awareness along with links SUGARRAE INTERNET CONSULTING sugarrae.com
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