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Blog: choosing and managing a SaaS link building agency

Nine pieces on the part of link building nobody writes about honestly: how to choose an agency, how to check whether it is doing the work, and how to leave if it is not. Written for the person who has to justify the invoice internally.

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How to hire a link building agency: the eleven-point brief

Most link building engagements fail at the brief, not the execution. Here is the document to send before you take a single call — what to specify, what to leave open, and the three questions that filter out most of the market in one round.

Buying  ·  11 min read

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What separates a good SaaS link building agency from an expensive one

Price is a poor signal in this market — the $12,000 retainer and the $3,000 one often buy inventory from the same three brokers. Six things that actually differ, and how to check each of them before signing.

Buying  ·  12 min read

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Nine red flags in a link building proposal

Guaranteed DR. A link count with no gap analysis behind it. A sample list nobody will let you verify. The specific proposal language that tells you where the inventory is really coming from.

Buying  ·  10 min read

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Agency, freelancer or in-house: how to actually decide

The honest arithmetic. Which fixed costs an agency spreads across a roster, where a freelancer genuinely wins, and the volume threshold above which hiring becomes the cheaper option.

Buying  ·  11 min read

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Twenty questions to ask on a link building sales call

Grouped by what they reveal: inventory source, process, accountability and exit. With the answers that should reassure you and the ones that should end the call politely.

Buying  ·  13 min read

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How to audit an agency's past work before you sign

Ask for twenty live URLs from the last quarter, then run them through this seven-step check. It takes about ninety minutes and it is the single highest-return thing you can do before committing budget.

Diligence  ·  12 min read

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The rejection log: the document your agency would rather not show you

What an agency refuses to buy says more about it than what it delivers. Why almost nobody publishes a rejection log, what a real one contains, and how to ask for yours without sounding hostile.

Diligence  ·  9 min read

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How to read a link building report properly

Domain rating is the number you should look at last. What to check first, which metrics are decorative, and the four columns that should appear in any report you are asked to approve.

Managing  ·  11 min read

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What a fair link building contract looks like

Minimum term, notice period, replacement warranty, billability, category exclusivity and IP. The seven clauses worth negotiating, and the two that are non-negotiable from the agency's side for good reason.

Managing  ·  12 min read

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