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
- E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Initial Assessment
Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-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--see channels-directories for full guidance |
| 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-off-page-backlink-analysis: Analyze current backlink profile
- seo-content-content-strategy: Content strategy supports link building
- seo-content-keyword-research: Target keywords inform link targets
- channels-directories: 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
1---2name: seo-off-page-link-building3description: When the user wants to build backlinks, acquire links, or improve off-page SEO. Also use when the user mentions "link building," "backlinks," "off-page SEO," "link acquisition," or "outreach."4---5
6# SEO Off-Page: Link Building
7
8Guides link building strategy: acquiring quality backlinks to improve domain authority and rankings.
9
10**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.
11
12## Scope (Off-Page SEO)
13
14- **Link building**: Acquire backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites
15- **Broken link building**: Find broken links on others' sites; suggest your content as replacement
16- **Unlinked brand mentions**: Turn mentions into links via outreach
17- **Guest posting**: Contribute to relevant publications; earn links
18- **Journalist requests**: Respond to #JournoRequest; provide quotes/assets
19- **Digital PR**: PR campaigns for backlinks and E-E-A-T
20- **E-E-A-T**: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
21
22## Initial Assessment
23
24**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` or `.cursor/product-marketing-context.md` exists, read it for product, audience, and proof points.
25
26Identify:
271. **Current backlink profile**: Domain authority, referring domains
282. **Target keywords**: What to rank for
293. **Linkable assets**: Research, tools, guides, data, testimonials
30
31## Link Building Strategies
32
33| Strategy | Description |
34|----------|-------------|
35| **Content marketing** | Create link-worthy content (guides, research, tools) |
36| **Guest posting** | Write for relevant sites with author bio link |
37| **Broken link building** | Find broken links, suggest your content as replacement |
38| **Unlinked brand mentions** | Turn mentions into links via outreach |
39| **Journalist requests** | Respond to #JournoRequest; provide quotes/assets |
40| **Directory and curated list submission** | Get listed on directories (Taaft, Product Hunt, G2) and curated "best-of" lists--see **channels-directories** for full guidance |
41| **Digital PR** | Press releases, news, expert quotes; earn authoritative links at scale |
42| **Partnerships** | Partner links, co-marketing |
43
44## Quality Over Quantity
45
46| Factor | Good | Avoid |
47|--------|------|-------|
48| **Relevance** | Links from related sites | Irrelevant niches |
49| **Authority** | High-quality, trusted sites | Spammy, low-quality |
50| **Anchor text** | Natural, varied | Over-optimized, exact match |
51| **Context** | Editorial, contextual links | Footer, sidebar link farms |
52
53## Outreach Best Practices
54
55- Personalize each outreach message
56- Offer value (content, data, quote) before asking for link
57- Follow up politely; don't spam
58- Track outreach in spreadsheet or tool
59
60## Output Format
61
62- **Linkable asset** ideas
63- **Outreach** strategy and templates
64- **Target sites** (types, not specific URLs)
65- **Metrics** to track (referring domains, DA, traffic)
66
67## Related Skills
68
69- **seo-off-page-backlink-analysis**: Analyze current backlink profile
70- **seo-content-content-strategy**: Content strategy supports link building
71- **seo-content-keyword-research**: Target keywords inform link targets
72- **channels-directories**: 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
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