Link Building

by kostja948dd89c57395eNo license1K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 2 days ago

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.

Instructions onlyMarketing & Sales
AI-generated overview

Guides off-page SEO link building: strategies, outreach practices, quality criteria and metrics for acquiring backlinks.

What it does
This skill provides guidance for off-page SEO link building, covering strategies such as content marketing, guest posting, broken link building, unlinked brand mentions, journalist requests, directory submission, digital PR and partnerships. It walks through an initial assessment of the backlink profile, target keywords and linkable assets, then outlines quality-versus-quantity criteria and outreach best practices. Its output is a set of linkable asset ideas, an outreach strategy with templates, target site types and metrics to track.
When to use it
Use it when the user wants to build backlinks, acquire links or improve off-page SEO, including mentions of link building, backlinks, link acquisition, outreach, guest posting or broken link building. It is also intended for developing a link building strategy. For auditing an existing backlink profile, the skill points to a separate backlink-analysis skill.
Requirements
No scripts or special tooling are required; it is instructions only. It optionally reads a root contextus.md project file when present, and otherwise relies on available project material or user-provided facts.

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

Project context: Read root contextus.md when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.

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

StrategyDescription
Content marketingCreate link-worthy content (guides, research, tools)
Guest postingWrite for relevant sites with author bio link
Broken link buildingFind broken links, suggest your content as replacement
Unlinked brand mentionsTurn mentions into links via outreach
Journalist requestsRespond to #JournoRequest; provide quotes/assets
Directory and curated list submissionGet 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 PRPress releases, news, expert quotes; earn authoritative links at scale
PartnershipsPartner links, co-marketing

Quality Over Quantity

FactorGoodAvoid
RelevanceLinks from related sitesIrrelevant niches
AuthorityHigh-quality, trusted sitesSpammy, low-quality
Anchor textNatural, variedOver-optimized, exact match
ContextEditorial, contextual linksFooter, 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

Source and attribution

Source:kostja94/marketing-skillsinskills/seo/off-page/link-buildingat commit8dd89c5

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

Report or request removal