Relationship-based link building can sound like a buzzword with not a whole lot of meaning behind it.
But it’s actually the ultimate way to scale your link building.
It goes like this: you have your cold email link building – and then you have a separate process of building quality backlinks with your partners.
In this ultimate guide, we’ll be breaking down exactly how relationship-based link building works, how to find and recruit new partners…
…And of course, how to KEEP them.
Let’s begin.
Link building cheat sheet
What is Relationship Based Link Building?
Relationship-based link building is a loose term used to describe an agreement between two or more link builders.
This agreement involves regularly providing each other with links – either from the same domains or new ones.
The most common setup looks like this:
- Both link builders regularly write guest posts for new sites
- They send each other their drafts to include each other’s links
- Profit! Both sides get links
Now, imagine you have a network of 30 partners you do this with.
Building links is a game of numbers – and the more partners you have to support your link building efforts, the more links you’ll build in the end.
Additionally, your partners may have insider access on some really good sites you wouldn’t normally be able to reach with a cold email – like Backlinko.
How to Find New Partners?
In this section, we won’t be focusing on every individual link building strategy like link insertion, broken link building, resource page link building, guest posting, etc.
Instead, we will focus on the top four (in our opinion) tips on how to get the most out of your relationship-based link building.
Each one is applied internally in our link building team on a daily basis.
If you’d like to learn more about specific link building campaign types, feel free to start our fere video link building course.
It covers:
- Technical setup
- How to write a good pitch
- Step-by-step tutorials on 15 different strategies
Pitch Long Term Relationships to Every Prospect
Let’s imagine a situation: you were running some blogger outreach campaigns in the background and have already secured some links from your target sites.
Why not try and recruit these people as regular partners?
After all, you’ve already got your foot in the door.
A solid starting point for a long-term collaboration is to pitch a guest post.
Even if they don’t have a “Write for us” page.
Here’s the catch – we call it the Content Gap strategy.
In it, you’ll be figuring out which keywords your prospect does not have a search engine ranking for but their competitors do.
Then, you’ll be taking a screenshot of the missing keywords report and offering to write an article to cover their content gap.
Pro tip: Don’t call it a “guest post”. Everyone is tired of link exchanges, “partnership opportunities”, and guest posts – but the careful choice of words may land you an article on a site that doesn’t typically accept guest posts at all.
You’ll need a keyword tracking tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush.
We’ll be using Semrush in our example.
Go to the Keyword Gap report and paste your prospects’ website along with 1-2 competitors.
Then, hit “Compare” and navigate to the “Missing” tab.
From here on, just pick a keyword or two that you like and offer to write a piece to cover the gap!
This strategy is great for building relationships because you’re:
- Providing an immense amount of value to your prospect by covering a real content gap they have
- Showing your expertise and proactivity by researching their website vs their competitors beyond what’s available with just a search engine query
Now, on to the next strategy.
Join SEO Link Building Communities
Link builders are a crowd that likes to stick together – because it’s easier to get their work done.
So, if you’re looking to quickly find some long-term partners, the first place you should look would be the dozens of online link builder communities.
These are present on every major social media platform – and even on Slack.
Take for example Link Building HQ ran by uSERP:
Fun fact: our link builder (who is coincidentally the writer of this article) built 38 links on the week that they joined 5 or so link building communities.
The downside to them is that they tend to attract the same few people – but are an awesome way to quickly grow your partner list.
Provide Value Upfront
One of the biggest things that makes you a great partner is not being a pain to work with.
By this, I mean that you should always be quick about giving partners their links.
Or, at least, sending them resources where they can get them.
This ties in into our Content Gap strategy – it works because it’s one huge value proposition.
So, in your pitches, instead of asking “Hey, can I get a link here?”, say:
- Your link is live here
- Here’s a new guest post draft, feel free to insert your link here
- I have sites x, y, and z right now, interested?
Even though you can be on friendly terms with your link partners, this is business we’re talking about.
If you want something, you’ll have to give something in return – and the quicker you do it, the faster you’ll get your link in return.
Use Tracker Sheets
This may seem like an inconsequential tip, but tracker sheets are important.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to send my best partners a new draft simply because I relied on memory alone.
You can have one master sheet with tabs for each individual partner, or have a dozen different sheets.
We recommend going for the former – link building and content marketing in general can get VERY messy if you keep multiple sheets.
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
So, in conclusion, relationship-based link building involves regularly providing your partners with new links.
It is a great way to scale your link building and get more high quality backlinks on auto-pilot.
It’s almost like a managed link building service for free.
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 Relationship-Based Link Building?
Relationship-based link building involves creating mutually beneficial partnerships with other link builders.
This strategy focuses on regularly exchanging links through guest posts or other collaborations rather than relying solely on cold email outreach.
How Do I Find Potential Link Building Partners?
Potential partners can be found in white label link building communities, social media groups, and industry forums.
These platforms are full of other link builders looking for similar opportunities, making it easier to establish long-term collaborations.
What Should I Include in My Pitch to a New Partner?
A successful pitch should emphasize mutual benefits and provide value upfront.
Consider offering a guest post idea based on keyword gaps in their content or delivering immediate, high quality link placements to demonstrate your commitment to the partnership.
How Do I Keep Track of Links and Partnerships?
Use tracking sheets to manage your partnerships and links systematically.
This ensures you never miss an opportunity to share new content with partners and helps maintain a smooth workflow in your link-building efforts.
Why Choose Relationship-Based Link Building Over Traditional Methods?
Genuine relationship based link building is more sustainable and scalable, providing ongoing link opportunities with trusted partners.
It also helps you access relevant websites that might be difficult to reach through traditional cold email outreach methods.
