Why Outsourcing Link Building is a Better Option Than Doing it Internally?

Although Link Building is never impossible for websites to do in-house, you will mostly see websites outsourcing link building. Typically, websites would opt for link building agencies. Now, there are multiple reasons behind this, and in this article, we will discuss the benefits of doing it via an agency or internally. The article will also elaborate on when it is more suitable to go with a link-building agency rather than spending resources to do it internally. 

However, doing link-building in-house is not something that is frowned upon. Even though it could be more difficult based on the size of your brand, it does come with its own pros and cons, too. 

In-House Link Building Pros

You Get Full Ownership

When you decide to build links with an in-house team, you get control of the full process. This means that you get full knowledge about every little detail involved. With each and every aspect of your link building under your scrutiny, you can also make sure that any mistakes are minimized.

Adjust KPIs and Strategies to Suit Current Objectives

In-house link building allows you to set and adjust KPIs as you need. For example, at one time, you might require higher SERP rankings, but at another, you may be focused on getting more organic traffic. We know that different links behave differently, and if you’re doing link building in-house, you would know what the effect of acquired backlinks would be. This would mean that your link-building efforts would be focused on achieving your SEO objectives.

Create a Powerful Network in Your Niche

One of the best things that you get with in-house link building is that you start establishing your own network in your niche. This means that other than your target audience, you also have the opportunity to establish communication with blog websites as well as journalists in your niche. 

This network can be extremely useful if you’re consistent in your link-building efforts and are ready for the long haul. Over time your network will only grow in potential meaning your SERP position will keep on strengthening.

In-House Expertise

When your link building is done solely in-house, your SEO team gains expertise in link building at every turn. While this might mean that you start slow at first, with learned experience, the team can become adept at building valuable backlinks.

However, keep in mind that even though building links in-house comes with benefits, there are many risks and cons involved in the process.

Cons of In-House Link Building

Getting the Right Team is Difficult and Costly

Finding the experts in link building can be quite a tedious task. The first problem you’ll face is how to gauge if they are an expert. If you’re hiring SEOs who have already worked on your niche, you won’t know for sure until months later when they are already working in your team. 

Another problem with having an in-house team is that these experts will come at a high cost. If you want the best people, you will have to pay them so that they remain with you in the long run, too.

Access to the Right SEO Tools can be Hectic and Increase Costs

Even with a winning team, you would need to invest in possibly various SEO tools. You might have a subscription to most of them if you already have an SEO department, but different SEOs often prefer different tools. While one of them might want to work with Ahrefs, the other might want to opt for SEMrush or Moz. You will find that the best SEO tools are always priced quite high, as they enable insights that can’t be found otherwise. 

Your Team will Likely Gain Experience Gradually

Since you’re only starting your link-building efforts with a new team, it will take time to see how your link-building works in your niche. For some niches, getting links can be a breeze, and there is often high volatility. However, in others, you might struggle to get a single valuable link over a couple of months. Your fresh team would need time to assess how link-building works in your niche and what tips and tricks are actually usable versus tactics that might prove harmful in the long run. 

Scalability can be Difficult

Unless you start with a large team, it would be impossible to send tons of outreach emails in a single day. Moreover, the average response rate on a cold email is just 8.5% so without tonnes of emails, acquiring links at scale will become even more difficult. 

It Takes Time to Establish a Network

If you want to address the previous con, you need a solid network. In other words, your website should be recognized by the major players in your niche. However, creating and maintaining this network will require a lot of time. Unless you’re providing link-worthy content to those websites, they won’t be enthusiastic about providing you with a backlink. Of course, it goes without saying that you can’t pay for backlinks at all.

Only once you have a solid network in your niche can you hope to get links consistently.

Why Do Websites Outsource Link Building?

As you can see, while an in-house link-building team can be favorable over the long run, it comes with its own set of challenges. This is one reason why most websites outsource their link-building campaigns rather than have an in-house team. 

Here are a few instances where outsourcing link building becomes a better option than establishing an in-house team for building backlinks.

You want Quick Links

When you order links from a link-building agency you can get backlinks much more quickly as they have an already established network in multiple niches and can quickly arrange a backlink for your website.

You Lack the Budget for an Internal Team

One of the main reasons why websites prefer agencies to internal teams is because they simply don’t have the budget for their SEO department. However, they can order a specific number of backlinks from an agency that is ready to help them up the SERPs.

Websites Want a Streamlined Link Building Process

Websites may want to acquire consistently in order to climb up the SERPs and reach the first position. With a good link-building agency this becomes achievable as websites are able to order links based on DA. The agency then reaches out to blogs of the relevant niche with content and procures the backlink for its clients.

Acquiring Links is Difficult

It is usually quite difficult to start link-building from scratch, especially if your website is relatively unknown. With the help of a link-building agency, this problem is solved as the agency has an established rapport and assures trust from other websites to procure backlinks. 

Benefits of outsourcing Link Building

When it comes to outsourcing link building, there are plenty of perks. The only downside of outsourcing link-building efforts is that you are unable to gain direct knowledge about the link-building process itself.

Faster Results

As link-building agencies already have a large network and are in constant communication with content publishing websites, their emails are answered quickly. A link-building agency can acquire a link much faster than a normal outreach email being sent by a relatively unknown website. 

Considerably Cheaper than Establishing Internal Operations

With an order from a link building agency, you know exactly the type of backlink that you will get. Moreover, with a white label and white hat link building agency, you are also assured that the link you acquire will be valuable for your website’s SEO. 

Where an internal operation may cost thousands of bucks just to find the right websites to outreach to, with the added cost of time in starting communications, a link building agency can provide valuable links for a couple hundred dollars.

Consistent Backlinks without Stress

You won’t have to stress about the response rate of your outreach emails. With a link building agency, you just need to place an order and see your website gain new backlinks.

Agencies Know What Works Best

With a link-building agency, you get the services of experts without having to pay for them on a monthly basis. Instead, the whole process is optimized, from the initial email to the final trickle of link juice. 

Allows Websites to prioritize other tasks

You can allocate time for other projects and operations with link building outsourcing. In other words, outsourcing can increase efficiency. This time can also be used to come up with better strategies and ideas to ensure better conversions.

Acquire High-Quality Backlinks and Referral Traffic

Ordering from a link-building agency allows the website to get backlinks exactly how they want it. Your link building agency will guide you on how acquired links will help your SEO. Although the impact on your SERP position is highly dependent on your niche, rest assured that you will see changes in traffic as well as your position on the search results in just a few months.