/link-building

name: link-building
description: When the user wants to build backlinks, acquire links, or improve off-page SEO. Also use when the user mentions "link building," "backlinks," "off-page SEO," "link acquisition," "outreach," "guest posting," "broken link building," "link outreach," "acquire backlinks," "how to build backlinks," or "link building strategy." For profile audit, use backlink-analysis.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1

SEO Off-Page: Link Building

Guides link building strategy: acquiring quality backlinks to improve domain authority and rankings.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope (Off-Page SEO)

• **Link building**: Acquire backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites
• **Broken link building**: Find broken links on others' sites; suggest your content as replacement
• **Unlinked brand mentions**: Turn mentions into links via outreach
• **Guest posting**: Contribute to relevant publications; earn links
• **Journalist requests**: Respond to #JournoRequest; provide quotes/assets
• **Digital PR**: PR campaigns for backlinks and E-E-A-T — see **eeat-signals**

Initial Assessment

**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product, audience, and proof points.

Identify: 1. **Current backlink profile**: Domain authority, referring domains 2. **Target keywords**: What to rank for 3. **Linkable assets**: Research, tools, guides, data, testimonials

Link Building Strategies

| Strategy | Description | |----------|-------------| | **Content marketing** | Create link-worthy content (guides, research, tools) | | **Guest posting** | Write for relevant sites with author bio link | | **Broken link building** | Find broken links, suggest your content as replacement | | **Unlinked brand mentions** | Turn mentions into links via outreach | | **Journalist requests** | Respond to #JournoRequest; provide quotes/assets | | **Directory and curated list submission** | Get listed on directories (Taaft, Product Hunt, G2) and curated "best-of" lists; cold-start channel—see **directory-submission** for submission workflow, **cold-start-strategy** for launch plan | | **Digital PR** | Press releases, news, expert quotes; earn authoritative links at scale | | **Partnerships** | Partner links, co-marketing |

Quality Over Quantity

| Factor | Good | Avoid | |--------|------|-------| | **Relevance** | Links from related sites | Irrelevant niches | | **Authority** | High-quality, trusted sites | Spammy, low-quality | | **Anchor text** | Natural, varied | Over-optimized, exact match | | **Context** | Editorial, contextual links | Footer, sidebar link farms |

Outreach Best Practices

• Personalize each outreach message
• Offer value (content, data, quote) before asking for link
• Follow up politely; don't spam
• Track outreach in spreadsheet or tool

Output Format

• **Linkable asset** ideas
• **Outreach** strategy and templates
• **Target sites** (types, not specific URLs)
• **Metrics** to track (referring domains, DA, traffic)

Related Skills

• **seo-strategy**: SEO workflow; link building is Off-Page phase
• **backlink-analysis**: Analyze current backlink profile
• **content-strategy**: Content strategy supports link building
• **keyword-research**: Target keywords inform link targets
• **cold-start-strategy**: Cold start and first-user acquisition; directory submission as part of launch
• **parasite-seo**: Parasite SEO; high-authority platforms for backlinks
• **github**: GitHub repos, gists, awesome lists for backlinks
• **directory-submission**: Directory and curated list submission--preparation, platform-specific copy, Taaft/Product Hunt/G2; use when user wants to submit product to directories or get listed on best-of roundups
• **eeat-signals**: E-E-A-T implementation; Digital PR supports authority