Link Building Playbook

LINK BUILDING STRATEGY

Link Goals Framework

LINK BUILDING GOALS

CURRENT STATE:
Domain authority (DA/DR): _____
Referring domains: _____
Monthly new links: _____

TARGET STATE (12 months):
Target DA/DR: _____
Target referring domains: _____
Monthly link velocity: _____

LINK PROFILE ANALYSIS:
Industry average DA: _____
Top competitor DA: _____
Gap to close: _____

PRIORITY PAGES (pages that need links):
1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________

Link Quality Criteria

Factor	Low Quality	High Quality	Target
DA/DR	<20	>40	>30 average
Relevance	Unrelated	Topically aligned	Industry-relevant
Traffic	No traffic	Real visitors	Traffic evidence
Editorial	Paid/automated	Earned/editorial	Editorial context
Anchor	Exact match spam	Natural variation	Varied, natural

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LINK BUILDING TACTICS

Digital PR for Links

DIGITAL PR LINK CAMPAIGN

STORY ANGLES:
☐ Original research/data
☐ Industry survey results
☐ Trend analysis
☐ Expert commentary on news
☐ Contrarian viewpoint

OUTREACH TARGETS:
• Industry publications
• Business media
• Trade journals
• Podcasts
• Newsletter curators

PITCH TEMPLATE:
Subject: [Data/Story] for [Publication]

Hi [Name],

[One sentence hook with data or newsworthy angle]

I thought this might be relevant for your coverage of
[their beat/topic].

Key findings:
• [Data point 1]
• [Data point 2]
• [Data point 3]

Happy to share the full data or provide expert quotes.

[Your name]

Guest Posting Strategy

Quality Tier	DA Range	Effort	Links/Month Target
A-tier	70+	Very high	1-2
B-tier	40-69	High	3-5
C-tier	20-39	Medium	5-10

Guest Post Pitch Template

GUEST POST PITCH

Subject: Guest post idea for [Publication]

Hi [Editor name],

I'm [Name] from [Company]. I've been reading [Publication]
and especially enjoyed [specific recent article].

I'd like to propose a guest post on [specific topic]:

Title: "[Proposed headline]"

The piece would cover:
• [Point 1]
• [Point 2]
• [Point 3]

This would be original content, not published elsewhere.

Here are a few examples of my previous writing:
• [Link 1]
• [Link 2]

Would this be a fit for your audience?

Best,
[Name]

Resource Link Building

RESOURCE PAGE LINK BUILDING

STEP 1: FIND OPPORTUNITIES
Search operators:
• "[your topic]" + "resources"
• "[your topic]" + "useful links"
• "[your industry]" + "recommended reading"

STEP 2: QUALIFY PAGES
☐ DA >30
☐ Actually curated (not abandoned)
☐ Relevant to your content
☐ Contact info available

STEP 3: OUTREACH

Subject: Resource suggestion for [Page name]

Hi [Name],

I came across your [resource page name] while researching
[topic]. Great collection of resources!

I noticed you don't yet have a resource on [specific angle].
We recently published [your content] that covers [value].

Would it be a good fit to add? Here's the link: [URL]

Either way, thanks for putting together such a useful list.

[Your name]

Broken Link Building

Step	Action	Tool
1	Find broken links on relevant sites	Ahrefs, Check My Links
2	Create/find replacement content	Your existing content
3	Reach out to webmaster	Email
4	Suggest your content as replacement	Value-focused pitch

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OUTREACH MANAGEMENT

Prospect Database Template

Prospect	Domain	DA	Contact	Status	Last Contact	Notes
				Identified/Pitched/Won/Lost

Follow-Up Sequence

Touch	Timing	Focus
1	Day 0	Initial pitch
2	Day 4	Gentle follow-up
3	Day 10	Add value
4	Day 20	Final check-in

Relationship Management

LINK RELATIONSHIP TRACKER

CONTACT: _______________
PUBLICATION: _______________
RELATIONSHIP LEVEL: Cold/Warm/Strong

INTERACTIONS:
Date: _____ | Type: _____ | Outcome: _____
Date: _____ | Type: _____ | Outcome: _____

OPPORTUNITIES:
☐ Guest post
☐ Expert quote
☐ Co-creation
☐ Event collaboration

NEXT ACTION: _______________
NEXT CONTACT: _______________

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MEASUREMENT

Link Building Dashboard

MONTHLY LINK REPORT

PERIOD: _______________

LINKS ACQUIRED:
Total new links: _____
Dofollow links: _____
Average DA: _____
Referring domains gained: _____

BY TACTIC:
Guest posting: _____
Digital PR: _____
Resource pages: _____
Organic/earned: _____

OUTREACH METRICS:
Emails sent: _____
Response rate: ____%
Conversion rate: ____%

IMPACT:
Domain authority change: +/-_____
Target page ranking changes: _____

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