In the world of SEO, backlinks reign supreme. These external links pointing back to a website continue to be one of the strongest ranking signals. However, securing high-quality backlinks at scale is far from easy. It requires deep knowledge of link building tactics and outreach strategies.
This extensive effort is why many brands enlist specialized backlink companies dedicated to earning powerful links. But what exactly are these agencies and what services do they provide? As an SEO, let’s explore the role backlink companies play.
Core Services Provided by Backlink Firms
At their foundation, backlink companies exist to build incremental links to their clients’ sites. The exact services they provide can include:
- Backlink Opportunity Research – Identifying relevant websites and pages to pursue links from based on authority metrics, organic traffic, and topical relevance.
- Manual Outreach – Personalized emails, DMs, and messaging to editors, webmasters, and influencers pitching exclusive content, infographics, guest posts, and other assets for backlinking.
- Automated Link Building – Leveraging software to post links across thousands of niche forums, blogs, directories, and bookmarking sites.
- Content Creation – Developing posts, visual assets, tools, and resources centered around keywords targeted to earn backlinks.
- Link Insertions – Getting previously created content placed on and linked from third-party sites.
Scale and consistency are vital in link building. Relying solely on internal staff often fails to move the needle month after month. Backlink firms have the specialized knowledge, relationships, and technology to significantly expand visibility at accelerated paces.
Types of Backlinks Generated
There are a variety of backlink types modern companies pursue, including:
- Editorial Links – Naturally given in blog content, roundups, lists, mentions, etc. Most valuable for SEO.
- Guest Posts – Contributor articles allowing dofollow backlinks and exposure to new audiences.
- Web 2.0 Links – Interactive properties like forums, profiles, comments, and bookmarking pages.
- Resource Links – Links within listings and web directories related to relevant keywords and categories.
The best agencies build predominantly high-quality, editorially-given links rather than lower-quality web 2.0 links. Diversity across these link types lends credibility and metrics boosting abilities.
Central Goals of Backlink Firms
These companies orient their services around accomplishing three core SEO goals for clients:
- Expand Domain Authority and Trust – Increase metrics like Domain Authority scores, Trust Flow, etc that search engines analyze as credibility signals.
- Boost Organic Reach and Rankings – Earn direct visibility gains via target keywords and associated organic traffic month over month.
- Diversify Backlink Profiles – Continuously grow and diversify the types and attributes of external sites linking back to improve domain perception.
Evaluating the work strictly based on links built misses the downstream website strengthening effects quality links bear over time.
What Do Backlink Companies Typically Charge?
Investment costs can swing substantially between basic and premium link building firms:
- Solo link builders – $500 to $1,500 per month
- Small firms – $1,500 to $3,000 monthly
- Large agencies – $4,000 to $10,000+ monthly
Factors like link volume guarantees, additional services, experience level, and projected ROI influence costs. Packages with ongoing dedicated outreach resources prove more valuable for sustaining growth rather than limited one-off projects.
Vetting Backlink Firms Thoroughly
Not all companies work to standards that garner lasting results or align with Google’s rules. When researching providers, demand clear answers on:
- Specific link building tactics – Avoid agencies focused solely on easily-automated web 2.0s.
- Samples of existing link building work – Review examples of actual placed links and resulting rankings growth.
- Policies on guidelines – Reputable companies explicitly follow Google parameters.
Transparency on historical results and how they conduct outreach demonstrates real expertise in action.
Are Backlink Companies Worth the Investment?
Hiring an external team holds advantages but also may deter businesses on tighter budgets. Consider both perspectives:
Pros:
- Faster link and rankings growth at scales hard to achieve solo
- Reduces demands on internal staff to handle outreach
- Economic way to leverage world-class link builders to amplify organic visibility
Cons:
- Slow and pricey path if not pairing with content production
- Inability to vet new vendors effectively brings risks
- Relies on third-party work rather than cultivating outreach skill internally
Dedicated agencies make sense for many, but for smaller sites just starting, learning foundational tactics first before outsourcing may set their programs up for longer-term scalability.
The Bottom Line
Not all backlinks bear the same opportunity costs. Evaluating program effectiveness based on links generated alone overlooks the game-changing authority gains secured by the right firms. Look past volume quotas to discover specialists invested in steadily improving on-page and off-page signals through diverse, enduring links that search engines value most.
The mechanics behind successful link building take time and refined expertise. Leverage backlink companies as an accelerator to amplify content and technical optimization driving targeted keyword ascension month to month. When grounded in solid foundational SEO, agencies provide rocket fuel to sustainably reaching higher competitive SERP positions.
