Manual link building takes a ton of time – that’s no secret.
What seems to be the secret, though, is how you can speed it up.
In this ultimate guide, we’ll share:
- Why manual link building is worth the investment
- How to speed up each step of the process
- How to run a manual link building campaign from start to finish
Let’s get started.
Link building cheat sheet
Is Manual Link Building Worth the Hassle?
Manual link building is undeniably labor-intensive, but the benefits can be well worth the effort.
In the competitive digital landscape, having a strong backlink profile can be a game-changer.
A solid link building strategy offers several crucial advantages:
Elevating Search Engine Rankings
Backlinks are a fundamental part of Google’s algorithm, impacting a page’s authority and relevance.
High-quality backlinks from credible sites can significantly boost your rankings, making it easier for customers to discover your content.
Enhancing Domain Authority
While Google no longer shares PageRank scores, metrics like Domain Authority (DA) from Moz and Domain Rating (DR) from Ahrefs indicate your site’s trustworthiness based on its backlink profile.
More quality links translate to higher DA or DR, increasing your chances of outranking competitors in search results.
Driving Referral Traffic
Referral traffic comes from users who find your site via links from other relevant websites.
This traffic is highly targeted because users are engaging with content they’re already interested in.
Increased referral traffic can lead to more social media followers, newsletter sign-ups, and even direct conversions.
Manual Outreach Link Building Challenges
Time-Intensive
Even with the best tools, manual link building and digital PR demands significant time and dedication.
Typically, you need at least one team member fully engaged to secure 5-10 quality links weekly.
This involves extensive tasks like finding opportunities, collecting contact details, personalizing blogger outreach emails, selecting anchor texts, tracking exchanges, and crafting guest posts.
Simply put, it’s a time sink that requires focused efforts.
Requires Niche Knowledge
While not technically difficult, manual link building is tedious and demands industry knowledge.
The SEO landscape changes frequently, making it vital to stay updated with Google’s latest updates.
It’s crucial for your team or the individual handling the task to be well-versed in these changes to ensure effectiveness.
Constant Adaptation Required
Navigating the ever-evolving world of SEO means your strategies need regular updates. Google’s frequent algorithm updates can disrupt your current strategy.
To avoid wasting resources, you must be prepared to adapt and devise new approaches when necessary.
While local SEO remains relatively stable, other aspects of SEO require ongoing vigilance and flexibility.
Create a Campaign
Let’s now walk through every step of running a successful manual link building campaign.
Well, by “manual”, we mean that we have a custom approach to our target prospects – we don’t necessarily mean we’re using the old Google Sheets and one-by-one email searches.
In this example, we’ll be using our own link building tool, Respona, for guest posting.
Despite using a tool to speed things up, you still have to pick your prospects, review/create personalizations, and manage your conversations – all of these aspects stay manual.
Respona just makes things a little easier.
Input the general topics you’re interested in writing about, as well as a recent sample of your work.
The topics will be used to create your search queries, and the writing example will go straight into your email sequence.
You can also use AI keyword suggestions to broaden your search reach and get more opportunities.
Prepare Your Email Outreach Sequence
Since we used a campaign template, it’s already pre-set for us.
However, we highly encourage you to experiment and come up with manual outreach sequences that work for you specifically.
For that, Respona offers a powerful email editor.
In addition to “normal” variables, you can add AI-powered fields that will automatically create unique personalizations for every single one of your opportunities, on auto-pilot.
Check for spam words, change the follow-up delay, add an unsubscribe link – those are only a few of the options available to you.
How to Write a Good Pitch? – Respona
Find Opportunities & Their Contacts
Respona simplifies prospecting by using search operators to find relevant opportunities, such as “write for us” pages.
Refine your search with SEO filters to target the best prospects.
You can further customize email settings and instructions for AI personalization to suit your needs.
Set searches to recur automatically, ensuring a steady stream of potential links without manual effort.
Review & Launch
Take time to review AI personalizations and add human touches where necessary.
Leverage Respona’s safety checks to ensure emails are correctly personalized and not sent to unsubscribed contacts.
Respona also finds LinkedIn accounts – so make sure to send a connection request to increase your chances of getting a reply.
Once ready, launch your campaign, monitor responses, and prepare to write compelling guest posts.
Manage Inboxes
Respona’s shared inbox consolidates multiple email accounts, allowing seamless management of conversations without switching tabs.
This centralized approach streamlines communication and relationship building.
From here on, all you have to do is build connections, so what are you waiting for?
Now Over to You
So, speeding up manual link building involves 4 main steps:]
- Finding prospects and their contact info
- Preparing your email template
- Personalization
- Managing conversations
Need help?
Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day free trial with Respona to see how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is manual link building?
Manual link building involves actively seeking opportunities to acquire backlinks from other websites to your site.
This process is intentional and requires personal outreach, aiming to build high-quality, relevant links that boost your site’s authority and search engine rankings.
Why is manual link building important for SEO?
Backlinks are a key factor in Google’s ranking algorithm, helping to establish site authority and improve visibility in search results.
Manual link building focuses on acquiring high-quality, relevant links, which are more valued by search engines than automated, low-quality links.
How does manual link building differ from automated link building?
Manual link building requires a personalized approach, reaching out to individual site owners or editors to request links.
Manual link building techniques include the skyscraper technique, broken link building, etc.
In contrast, automated link building uses software tools to generate links with minimal human involvement, often resulting in lower-quality links that may not align with your site’s goals.
What are some effective strategies for manual link building?
Effective strategies include guest posting, collaborating on content creation, engaging on forums and communities, and building relationships with industry influencers.
These methods focus on creating valuable content and connections, leading to natural, high-authority links.
How can I measure the success of my manual link building efforts?
Success can be measured by tracking metrics such as the quantity and quality of backlinks acquired, improvements in search engine rankings, and increases in referral traffic. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics and high quality backlink analytics software helps monitor progress and adjust strategies accordingly.