Start a Part-Time Link Building Pro Business – This Guide Makes it Far Easier Than You Think

Here’s a terrific little business you can start almost immediately. All you need is the right knowledge, and we’ll get you started on that.

As you know, websites NEED links from other websites in order to rank well in Google. Junk links no longer help, in fact these COULD hurt a website’s rank.

Any link building done nowadays has to be 100% legitimate – nothing faked or phony about them. This provides a tremendous opportunity for anyone who knows how to get legitimate, powerful links without creating new content.

magnifying glass google by Simon at Pixabay

Becoming a link building pro is easier than you might think.

You only need a handful of businesses to work with; and with the millions of websites that are trying to rank in Google you could practically take your pick as to who you want to work with … or what you want to charge, for that matter.

You can also offer your link building service locally, add it to your offerings to local businesses, be a website consultant, get your own sites ranked high, build and sell websites, etc.

The possibilities are nearly endless when you have these skills. In fact, you can take everything you learn and apply it to your own websites to get them ranking high.

Then when they’ve got a steady stream of traffic, you can either tap that traffic for profits or flip the website for an instant cash payout.

Frankly, few skills can pay as well as the ability to get great backlinks. And all it takes is out-of-the-box thinking, combined with a refusal to do anything black hat.

Remember, don’t be tempted to take shortcuts – it won’t pay. Do it right the first time and those backlinks will become valuable assets that you can bank on.

So how do you get started?

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image02

You need two things: The knowledge of how to get great links without new content, and how to secure your first client.

We’ll talk about getting your first client in a little bit. First, let’s cover how to get links without new content.

You might be wondering why you want to get links without using or writing content, and the answer is simple.

When you can get links without content you will find that it’s generally an easier, faster and more reliable process . . . especially if it’s a new website without a great reputation.

Yes, you can spend an entire day crafting a killer article that may or may not get noticed and linked to by other blogs. Or you can use some out-of-the-box techniques to rack up backlinks faster than a rigged slot machine spewing out quarters.

If you decide to do this as a business, you will discover there are even more techniques you can use than the ones we’ll be showing you here.

However, these will be more than enough to get you started in the right direction, earning backlinks and payments from your clients. So let’s get started.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image03

The Testimonials Method: Contact vendors and businesses in your niche that you work with or whose products you use.

Offer to write them a testimonial to place on their website if they will give you a link back.

The Donations Method: Look for charities related to your niche that have donor pages. These are the ones with lists of donors that have made a donation to the charity, complete with URLs. Then simply make a donation and get a link.

Art organizations, student clubs at colleges, theaters, orchestras, etc. are also good places to look for these donor pages. Many of these sites have high domain authority, and some are even .edu links.

Make sure you do NOT ask for the link . . . EVER.

Simply make the donation with no strings attached. If they have a donor page, you’re very likely to appear on it.

Do NOT overdo this technique – use it in addition to other techniques and you will get some high authority links for very little time or effort. Besides this, most times you can usually write off the donation too.

By asenat29 [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Gift Method: Make a list of the authority people in your niche, and then send them an actual gift in the mail.

Not only is it a way to get a backlink and a mention . . . it’s also a great way to establish contact with the people you want to know.

Here’s how backlinks.com.au went about the process:
https://backlinks.com.au/using-direct-mail-outreach-to-gain-links-mentions-and-more/
The $100 Link Building Challenge:
https://www.quicksprout.com/2016/04/29/the-100000-challenge-march-update/

Start a part-time link building pro business
Yellow arrow icon. "edit undo" from Tango Desktop Project by The people from the Tango! project 2007

The Reverse Engineering Method: There are ways to not only find your competitor’s backlinks, but to also discover if the backlinks are white hat or not, and then reverse engineer the link getting process to make these links for your own website.

Yes, it can be a little complicated the first time you do it, but once you get the system down, you can become a link building master. Just follow this tutorial to see how it’s done:

http://blog.ahrefs.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-reverse-engineering-your-competitors-backlinks/

The Free Service Method: If you are good at fixing things on a website, or pointing out a way to do something better . . . or offering a bit of advice that can make a big difference, then by all means go for it. You could build a great rapport with the site owner . . . and get a great backlink as well.

The Fiverr Method: You don’t have a service or skill you can offer? No problem. Go to Fiverr and hire a cartoonist or caricaturist to draw a picture of the blog owner you are targeting, and then forward it to them with your compliments. Odds are they will post it on their blog with a link and a big “thank you” back to your site.

Or . . . have a silly video done, or any of a thousand other possibilities on Fiverr. Just remember to do this without expectation of getting ANYTHING in return. You do NOT want to look like you are trying to buy their link.

WXYZ TV Detroit remote van by Dwight Burdette 20:01, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The Local Publicity Method: Unless you are doing something extraordinary, the NY Times or Wall Street Journal aren’t about to link to your website . . . but, your local newspaper and television stations might. Just find something in your community that needs doing . . . and then do it. It can be as simple as that!

Maybe it’s donating coats to the homeless, or cleaning up a park, or repairing a playground, or providing meals to seniors. Whatever it is, let your local news media outlets, bloggers and websites know about it.

The Infographic Method: Okay yes, an infographic is content, but it can be far easier to put together than a long authority blogpost.

Plus, it is much more likely to be shared and linked to than a blogpost. First of all, the key is to use interesting information that people want to see, and second . . . get a professional to create it for you.

Then share your infographic with the authority sites in your niche. If even just one links to it or uses it on their site, it can spread like wildfire and create dozens of great links in one swoop.

If you doubt this method works, consider this: KISSmetrics made 47 infographics and in return got 2.5 million visitors and 41 thousand backlinks.

Pretty amazing, huh!

To be sure your infographic gets shared and linked to, make it relevant to a trending topic.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image05

The Chart and Table Method: Similar in some ways to an infographic, a chart or data table is a visual representation of interesting information.

But it’s easier to make than an infographic, since it’s basically one chart or graph.

Choose a timely topic, such as the results of a compelling survey that just came out.

Pick a user-friendly tool to make your chart, such as OnlineChartTool.com, or hire someone on Fiverr.

Combine relevant data with an interesting, easy to interpret format and you should get content marketers linking back to you.

The Local Method: Look for reference pages on local authority websites. These might be local business groups, networking groups, council websites or sometimes even local bloggers. These are great links to have and they’re super easy to get.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image06

The Contest Method: Run a giveaway or contest and encourage people to tell others by giving them more entries for doing it.

Many will use social media, but a few will also post it on their sites.

The Selective Giveaway Method: Choose bloggers in your niche to give your product or service away to; Some of them will respond with a post and a link about your product.

The Repurpose Method: You don’t necessarily need new content to get backlinks if there is already plenty of quality content in place to work with. Instead, you simply need to find ways to repurpose that content into different formats and then promote it.

For example, a webinar could be repurposed into a video tutorial. A power point could become a Slideshare or an infographic. An interview could become a blogpost, and several interviews could be an ebook. Blogposts could become podcasts or newsletters, and so forth.

In fact, one great piece of content could be repurposed into all of these things and more.

By doing this you will reach a far wider audience as you appeal to those who like to read, those who are visual and those who like to listen.

Plus it gives you a great excuse to re-promote your content each time it is repurposed; increasing views and the potential for gaining new backlinks.

U.S. Department of Agriculture - Food Hub Blog Cover- Final

The Resource Guide Method: This is content, but it’s super easy to create.

Whatever the niche, compile a guide with the best resources and ‘how-to’ information.

Make it visually appealing and put it into downloadable PDF format. Let every resource in the guide know that you have included them, and send them a copy, too.

Many of the companies, bloggers and services highlighted in the guide will link back to you.

Plus, if you make your guide extensive and comprehensive, it can go viral and be featured on numerous blogs.

This won’t be as viral as a good infographic, but it’s still very worthwhile to do and as an added bonus it makes your site look like an authority site.

The Be-a-Haro Method: Sign up to the Help a Reporter Out website, http://www.helpareporter.com/ and then watch the requests to find ones that are relevant to your website. By helping out reporters, you can get some very valuable links back to your website.

The Interview Method: Do interviews and interview roundups with experts, influencers and authorities; Some of them will link back to you and the interview.

Doing interviews can be as simple as sending questions via email to your subject; once they have agreed to the interview that is.

By Savory Global (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

You can also do group interviews where you send the same question(s) to each subject in order to compare and contrast different opinions.

And you can do a group round-up, in which each contributor shares their favourite tactic or method to solve a problem.

The key to getting interviews with movers and shakers is to build relationships first.

Read their stuff, engage with them on social networks and establish a level of trust before asking for the interview. This takes a little “legwork”, but can result in a startling number of high quality backlinks . . . if it is done right.

Then, make sure you promote the interview(s) through social media to reach more readers.

The Lost and Found Method: If your branded images appear on other websites, use Tineye to find those sites. Reach out to those sites that don’t link to you, and ask them for mentions. After all, it’s only fair, and it’s also a super easy way to get backlinks.

The Improver Method: See what other people in your niche are doing, and then find a way to improve upon it.

For example, if they post a “How to” article, create a simple step-by-step graphic outlining the steps they recommend. If their post is missing a photo, provide a great one. If they’ve got 7 ways to do something, give them another 1 – 3 ways they hadn’t thought of.

Put yourself in the blogger’s shoes.

helping hand help handshake by Alexas_Fotos at Pixabay

You just posted your latest blogpost, and less than a day later here comes something that improves it and makes you, the author, look even better.

Wouldn’t you use it? And wouldn’t you give a big shout out “Thank you” link to the person who provided it?

Of course you would!

The Sponsor Method: Does your local little league or girl scouts have a website? How about Meetup groups – can you find one to sponsor?

Any local civic organization looking for a sponsor can be a good fit, and you will be featured on their website.

The Monitor and Ask Method: Monitor the web for mentions of your website using a service such as http://moz.com/tools/fresh-web-explorer or even Google Alerts.

When you see a mention, ask them to turn that mention into a link. You might even create a special landing page as an inducement, such as “Exclusively for the Readers of Joe’s Blog.” Joe will be so flattered, there’s no way he’s going to say no.

network person networking pair by geralt at Pixabay

The Old School Method: Network and connect with people in your niche. It’s not always easy to get a stranger to give you a link, but a friend will do it without you even asking for it.

The Community Method: Get more exposure and get links by joining communities such as:
https://growthhackers.com/posts
http://www.reddit.com/

BONUS: Many online communities will allow you to place your link in your profile.

The Government Directory Method: With a good amount of research and some patience you should be able to secure some of your very best, most powerful link juice. Look for resource directories hosted on government websites for your exact niche. All of the big industries have these directories – it’s just a matter of finding them.

Once you do, make sure to meet their specific requirements, provide the required information and wait. It might take a few weeks, but if your site is a good fit for that directory, you will get a .gov link.

JMortonPhoto.com & OtoGodfrey.com [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Time Machine Method: Analyze the website’s content inventory to discover which pieces of content brought in the most links in the past.

Update that content and send it out again through your various channels such as social media. If the website has a lot of content, this can be an absolute backlinking goldmine.

The Launch an App Method: Any news related to apps tends to spread like crazy. One good app could produce a multitude of backlinks. It might be a game, something to make things easier, whatever.

Apps are hot and apps make news . . . and create links!

Getting Your First Client

Now that you’ve got a tremendous start on getting clients without links, what comes next? Getting your first client, of course.

Naturally, if you have your own website then that’s the place to get started building backlinks. You can try out a technique on your site, see how it works, and then immediately do the same on a client’s website.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image02

It won’t take much experience for you to get the confidence to do the same for others . . . and this can be key to getting your clients in the beginning.

Start with website owners you know. Be upfront that you are just starting your business. There is no need to position yourself as a link-building guru just yet. Offer them a deal they cannot refuse, such as one of the following:

For every link you build, they’ll pay you $X amount of money. No links, no pay. They cannot lose with this agreement.

You’ll get the “x” number of backlinks for “y” amount of money; basically, a package deal.

What NOT to do

Do NOT guarantee you will get them to the top of the search results for Google.

You might make this guarantee in six months when you are a pro (or you might not) . . . but right now, you are simply making good money on the side without putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on yourself.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image09

Do NOT buy links . . . Ever!

Anyone trying to sell you a link is selling you a scam, and it could hurt rather than help the website’s ranking.

Do NOT think that all you need is backlinks – you need great content, too.

If the website doesn’t already have great content, then the methods above are a waste of time.

Even if you got the site to rank high, people would bounce almost immediately. When people don’t stay on a website, the website loses ranking.

So only work with websites that already have great content – no exceptions.

To figure out what to charge, look up the services of individuals who build REAL backlinks like you are going to be doing.

Charge low to begin with as you attract your first clients, and then raise your prices as you gain confidence and expertise.

Don’t want to work with clients? Then don’t!

Work on building backlinks to your own websites, then turn around and sell some of those websites. Sell a website a month that is ranking well and you could have nearly a full time income.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image10

Once you get good at creating backlinks without adding more content, create your own ebook and give it away to people interested in SEO.

Build your list first, and then offer them a course of instruction in which you coach them with a few webinars or prerecorded videos.

Show your own results to prove that you know what you are doing . . . and then you might earn thousands of dollars for your course.

Did you catch that last bit?

Don’t just become good at building backlinks – teach others how to do it as well. Create a low end product . . . and a high end product.

Charge a lot for the high end product, say, $97 to $500 or more. Then offer one-on-one coaching for $1,000 or more.

Once you have the skill to build backlinks (and you have already seen how easy it can be) you can use that skill to create courses and teach others, creating an entirely new income stream, many of them on autopilot.

start-a-part-time-link-building-pro-business-image11

Don’t forget to apply your knowledge to your own websites.

Choose one of your sites to be your authority site, and build backlinks to that site for the next few years.

When you get ready to retire, sell that site for 6 or 7 figures, invest that money wisely and you will never have to work again.

Any way you slice it, knowing how to get quality backlinks without creating a lot of new content is a very, very valuable skill to have.

Spread the love
Trish

As a full certified Internet Specialist for Parr's Publishing. I help business owners and organizations increase their profits by providing them with media marketing, as well as a fully managed, custom designed website and basic Search Engine Optimization.

10 thoughts on “Start a Part-Time Link Building Pro Business – This Guide Makes it Far Easier Than You Think”

  1. Hi Trish, I am looking for new business ideas these days and a link building business sounds like a great idea. I am not an expert on link building but with that guide, I am sure that I am going to become one. How much can a beginner make on this business?

    Reply
    • Well Ilias, as to how much a beginner would make would depend entirely on the beginner. This business would require quality content and lots of attention as detailed above. It is not a “set it and forget it” business. The more quality attention given any business will benefit the future of the business.

      Reply
  2. Hey man I gotta say, this is an awesome site. I had absolutely no idea how effective and lucrative link building could be. Especially considering the fact that you don’t have to write content for it, amazing!

    So to my understanding, this is similar to a company paying you to have their ads on your site right?

    Reply
    • You may not need to actually write the content yourself Gabe, but you would need to provide top-notch content in order to have a successful link building business. After all, who would want to PAY to have links from a low quality website. Content is still king!

      Have never heard of a link building business being compared to advertisement on a site before … so, I’d have to say this is definitely different than having their ads on your site.

      Reply
  3. Hi Trish,

    Thank you for sharing your ideas on Link Building. It was a real eye opener as to the different creative ways there are to build links. The idea of infographics intrigued me as I had never thought of that and it makes sense as there are many people who learn visually. I’ve added your website to my favorites list so I can go back and review the information you shared.

    Thank you,
    Ken

    Reply
    • Thank YOU Ken, I’m glad you found this post helpful, and I hope this information helps you profit in your new link building business. I do hope you will come back and share your results in say, 6 months’ time.

      Reply
    • You are very welcome Kavinah, and thank YOU for letting me know that you found this helpful. It’s always nice to know when information shared is of use to others … or not. Helps to know what to offer in the future too.

      Reply

Leave a comment