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:
- Current backlink profile: Domain authority, referring domains
- Target keywords: What to rank for
- 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