Link building used to be a sidekick type of verbiage known only to the SEO’s. However, nowadays, it has gotten a lot of rep both good and bad due to the famous Panda and Penguin updates from Google.

Link Building Service companies got kicked in the butt. Literally! And a lot of us link builders were instantly viewed as weak-point slums in the world of internet marketing.

Not to point a finger here but whose search engine is it really? The public’s or Google’s? Well, only Google can answer that, but what we do know is that they are geniuses at imparting fear into webmasters and business owners about artificial links. In the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) world, we link builders are pretty popular. But, we don’t always take on a good reputation, especially since the great Panda & Penguin Algorithm movement.

There is a lot of talk these days about negative SEO, links from bad neighborhoods, and so on. And guess what? They are absolutely true. You should NOT just head over to Fiverr and pick up a $5 dollar gig. It’s a horrible custom for a short minded business owner to do this in hopes of a great attack against Google. It’s a short term thought at most, and, it won’t work. Period. So, let’s move on.

Manual SEO – Slow, Steady, Strong and Safe!

Now remember, you are the researcher here. No one is going to tell you that you have to buy this campaign, or sign a 6 month contract with a poorly built SEO company. So, before you go out and hit your checkbook with all of these little forum-short-term backlink boosters (cause that’s all they are), take a moment and see what you are really looking for in a link building campaign. And, before you decide on us, vertical measures, or whatever, just remember that you are the investor and investors need to be wise in the choices they make.

If there is one thing that I can mention that you MUST HAVE in any link service campaign, is that you NEED SOCIAL MEDIA! It’s something you must have. This shouldn’t be an add-on service unless it’s a huge amount of signals per month that they are offering. This should be included in any link management service at a minimum of 30% of your links.

• Were you able to talk to the Owner of the company in person?
• Was there honest advice given about your targeted goals and the budget that you have set aside for link building?
• Have you done your researched on the companies Social Profile through FB / Twitter / Pinterest / Linkedin?
• Any negative reviews out there about the company that will be building links for you?
• Any reviews at all?
• Do they offer a reporting area for you to login and check your progress?
• Does the company have overall niche expertise and value in Link Building? If so, how?
• What kind of Back-links will the company build for you?
• Do they contact the owners of the websites so that they can legally write posts, comments, and reviews about your brand?
• Do they know Social Media, it’s value in linking, and author rank?
• Do they offer a 100% money back guarantee?
• Are they veterans in link building? Or just newbee wannabees?
• Are they using automation for link building? If so, what kind?
• Are they using spun content while building your precious backlinks?
• Are they keyword stuffing inside of irrelevant content?
• Are your backlinks placed on a network of some kind? If so, which ones? And what ‘other’ sites are you going to see on there?
• Is there a connection with the outbound links and inbound links on the sites that your backlinks are being built on?
• Does their Social Media Linking come from trusted social profile accounts and real people.
• What’s the IP diversity of your campaign going to be at the end of 3 months?
• What’s the average Page Rank that your links will be placed on each month?
• What’s the new velocity of linking that you will get each and every month that you are with them?
• Are your links permanent and stay on the page in which they were placed?
• Are the websites indexed in the search engines? I hope so.
• Is there any 2nd tier, or 3rd tier shady linking going on to manipulate the algorithms so that your backlinks will hopefully be indexed?
• Do they have a US based link building team?
• How is their client support system? Is it organized, efficient, and responsive in a timely manner?
• Does your link building company know how to brand your website while building you natural links?
• Does your link building campaign know how to protect your brand name if any negative SEO were to happen?
• Are there any real discussion based backlinks built for you in relevant forums, social media, or press platforms? If so, is it unique content that’s being posted?
• Are you able to get free consulting once you become a client? Or this an extra charge?
• Does the Campaign have a 6 month contract and come with ‘iffy’ clauses? Or is it month to month and risk free?
• Does the link provider offer advice on how to decrease your time with your Social Media branding, blog posting, and content syndication?