# Link Building Plan > Designs link building strategies with outreach templates, target site lists, and content-based link earning tactics. Use when you need to improve domain authority. - Skill: `reaperinvest/link-building-plan` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/link-building-plan` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/link-building-plan/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/link-building-plan --- # Link Building Plan ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Build a link building strategy to improve domain authority and rankings - Create outreach email templates for link acquisition - Identify link building tactics appropriate for your niche and resources - Plan content assets designed specifically to attract backlinks **DO NOT** use this skill for internal linking strategy (use site-architecture-plan), social media link sharing, or paid link schemes. This is for earning legitimate, editorial backlinks. --- ## Core Principle LINK BUILDING IS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING — THE BEST LINKS COME FROM CREATING CONTENT WORTH LINKING TO AND REACHING OUT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE WITH GENUINE VALUE. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Website** | "What is your domain?" | No default — must be provided | | **Niche/industry** | "What industry are you in?" | No default — must be provided | | **Current backlink profile** | "Do you know your current number of referring domains or DA?" | Low / unknown | | **Content assets** | "What notable content do you have? (guides, tools, research, data)" | Limited content | | **Budget** | "Do you have budget for content creation or tools?" | Minimal — bootstrapping | | **Time commitment** | "How many hours per week can you dedicate to link building?" | 2-3 hours/week | **GATE: Confirm before building the strategy.** --- ## Phase 2: Strategy Design ### Link Building Tactics (Prioritized) **Tier 1: Highest ROI for Solopreneurs** 1. **Guest Posting** — write articles for relevant blogs with a link back 2. **Resource Page Link Building** — find pages that list resources and get yours added 3. **Broken Link Building** — find broken links on relevant sites, offer your content as replacement 4. **HARO/Connectively** — respond to journalist queries with expert quotes **Tier 2: Content-Based Link Earning** 5. **Original Research/Data** — surveys, analysis, or unique data that others cite 6. **Comprehensive Guides** — definitive resources that become the go-to reference 7. **Free Tools/Calculators** — interactive resources that earn links naturally 8. **Infographics** — visual content that others embed with attribution **Tier 3: Relationship-Based** 9. **Podcast Guesting** — appear on podcasts for show notes links 10. **Expert Roundups** — participate in or create expert roundup posts 11. **Strategic Partnerships** — co-create content with complementary businesses ### Target Site Identification ``` ## Link Target Criteria - Domain Authority/Rating: 20+ (realistic targets) - Relevance: Same niche or closely related - Traffic: Active site with real readership - Link patterns: Already links to similar content - Contact: Editor or author email findable ## Target Categories | Category | Example Sites | Tactic | |----------|--------------|--------| | Industry blogs | [sites] | Guest post | | Resource pages | [sites] | Resource outreach | | News/media | [sites] | HARO, data stories | | Complementary businesses | [sites] | Co-marketing | ``` **GATE: Approve the strategy and target criteria before writing outreach.** --- ## Phase 3: Write Outreach Templates ### Guest Post Pitch ``` Subject: Content idea for [Site Name] Hi [Name], I've been reading [Site Name] for a while — really enjoyed your recent piece on [specific article]. I'd love to contribute a guest post on [proposed topic]. It would cover: - [Key point 1] - [Key point 2] - [Key point 3] I recently wrote [link to published work] on a related topic, so you can see my writing style. Would this be a good fit for your readers? [Your name] ``` ### Broken Link Outreach ``` Subject: Quick heads-up — broken link on [page title] Hi [Name], I was reading your [page title] and noticed the link to [broken resource] appears to be down. I actually have a similar resource that covers [topic]: [your URL] Might be a good replacement if you're updating that page. Either way, great resource — thanks for putting it together. [Your name] ``` ### Resource Page Outreach ``` Subject: Resource suggestion for your [topic] page Hi [Name], I found your [resource page title] while researching [topic] — great collection. I recently published [your content title] which covers [specific angle not on their list]. Thought it might be a good addition: [your URL] Let me know if you think it fits. [Your name] ``` --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Monthly Link Building Schedule ``` Week 1: Prospect research — find 20 target sites Week 2: Send outreach — 10-15 personalized emails Week 3: Follow up on non-responses, pitch guest posts Week 4: Create/publish link-worthy content, track results ``` ### 2. Tracking System - Outreach sent, responses received, links acquired - New referring domains per month (track in Google Search Console or Ahrefs) - Domain authority/rating trend over time - Traffic from referral links ### 3. Link-Worthy Content Ideas Generate 3-5 content concepts specifically designed to attract links in the user's niche. --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Buying links** — paid links violate Google's guidelines and risk penalties. The short-term gain is not worth the long-term risk. - **Mass generic outreach** — "Dear Webmaster" emails sent to 500 sites have near-zero success rates. Personalize every email. - **Irrelevant guest posts** — writing about finance on a cooking blog for a link makes no sense and provides no value. - **Ignoring anchor text diversity** — all links with the same exact-match anchor text looks manipulative. Use natural, varied anchor text. - **Expecting instant results** — link building compounds over months and years. Expect to see ranking improvements in 3-6 months. --- ## Recovery - **No content to promote:** Build one comprehensive guide or resource first, then use it as the foundation for all outreach. - **No responses to outreach:** Review email personalization, subject lines, and whether targets are relevant. Follow up once, then move on. - **Very competitive niche:** Focus on long-tail content that targets less competitive terms. Build authority gradually. - **Limited time:** Focus exclusively on HARO/Connectively and podcast guesting. Both require minimal content creation.