link-building

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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

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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