Should you outsource your guest post and link insertions?
The answer to this question depends on what level of SEO you're at and what team you have behind you.
If you have the resources to build an in-house team that can handle the process for you, outsourcing makes little to no sense. If you're growing your freelance portfolio or agency and don't have the time or resources to build links for all your clients, outsourcing can help bridge that gap.
I've outsourced link building in the past and also built thousands of links for myself and clients manually, and here are my thoughts on the dilemma.
Ways To Outsource Guest Posts & Link Insertions
Before we get into the pros and cons of outsourcing your link building, it's important to understand what methods there are.
The most common of these are:
- Hiring a freelancer
- Hiring an agency
- Using an agency with a custom dashboard approach
Most people will either hire a freelancer or agency, or use an agency that has a dashboard approach like us.
It's extremely common for people to outsource this type of link building.
The Argument For Building Your Own Links
It would be completely biased of me to say that there aren't any benefits to building your own guest post and link insertions, because there are plenty.
It's how any link builder gets started, and I'm sure most SEOs have at least dabbled in it.
Cost (on a small scale)
The most obvious benefit is cost, on a small scale.
If you build your own guest posts and link insertions, you only have to pay the webmaster fee. This ranges from 20 to 30 dollars all the way up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars, depending on the website in question.
This doesn't take scale into account, though. If you want to build multiple links, you'll need some kind of software(s) to automate the outreach process, which costs money.
There is also the time involved, but on a link-per-link basis, it does make sense to build them entirely manually if you have the time and resources to spare.
Precision & Personalization
If you run your own outreach campaign, it's much easier to spend a lot of time personalizing emails and making connections that are difficult to build at scale.
Whether this means spending more money on one-off link placements due to a good product fit or negotiating a link exchange, there are a lot of options you have if you take 100% control of the outreach and communications.
These are super valuable link opportunities that you can't get from most outsourced solutions.
Learn What Makes A Good Link
An underrated benefit of building your own links is that you'll quickly figure out what works and what doesn't when it comes to backlinks.
If you just outsource straight away, you have no idea if you're getting a good link or paying the right price.
I personally believe you shouldn't outsource link building without knowing what links you need to build. Always get expert advice if you're unsure, or work with a very reputable agency.
The Downside Of Building Your Own Links
Building your own guest posts and link insertions is great if you have the time and resources to manage the process efficiently.
But that's a big if.
Time & Resource Management
Building links takes up a lot of time and effort, especially if you're new to the game.
You can spend weeks learning and only scratch the surface, and in that time you may only end up contacting a bunch of link farms.
Building your own links is super fulfilling, but not the ideal option if you don't have a lot of time on your hands.
The Benefits Of Outsourcing
Time to sound slightly biased.
Outsourcing guest posts and link insertions can make a lot of sense for the right person or agency - it's even a convenient option if you need a link or two and don't have the time to find one.
Time
The major benefit of outsourcing guest post and link insertion acquisition is time.
With GrubSEO, for example, all you have to do is complete a simple form, and we'll fill out your custom dashboard with opportunities that work for you and your clients.
It really is that simple.
Cost (on a large scale)
Sure, building links on your own works great if it's a personal project or if you only need 1 or 2 links for a client, but what about when you need to scale up the volume?
Unless you're a link building agency like us, there will be other tasks you will need to do besides building links if you have a large client base who need links.
We typically see this with experienced freelancers or agency owners, who need to focus on other SEO tasks like producing and optimizing content, or one of the other thousand tasks that SEOs need to complete.
At this point, you're left with a dilemma: continue building links in-house and purchase software to do so, as well as train an employee to run the system and handle everything - or purchase the links from a vendor.
In most cases, it makes more financial sense to purchase your links elsewhere unless you're prepared to build a team that can run the process for you.
The Main Downside Of Outsourcing
Outsourcing does have its problems as well... and it wouldn't be fair to not look at these.
Lack Of Control
A big issue with outsourcing is control. You simply have to pay for the links you get offered rather than being able to go after specific websites or competitors.
Sure, you can hire a freelancer to do the work and give them some guidance, but at that point it becomes even more work rather than truly outsourced work.
Lack Of Quality
Another HUGE issue with outsourcing link building is quality control.
This is especially common for link building agencies who sell monthly packages, or bulk link packages where metrics like DR are guaranteed, but when you actually get the links you see they are not niche-relevant, have little to no traffic, the list really does go on...
Not all link building agencies work like this, but I've been burned by this before and so have a lot of clients I have worked with. You have to be careful when outsourcing links, especially when you don't have a chance to approve them beforehand.
Obviously, we avoid this issue entirely by allowing pre-approval of all links.
How To Know Which Is Right For You
Knowing which approach is right for you comes with time.
If you're working on a personal project, it might make sense to build your own links. It will take some time to learn the software used and the process behind it, but you can have some good results just by doing it manually.
If you're working with lots of clients and don't know where to start, outsourcing is a great plan to keep things moving forward and keep your clients happy.
Why We're A Good Option
GrubSEO isn't a fit for everyone, but it's a good option for building links with transparency and efficiency.
I built this product so I could give people the chance to quickly find the links they wanted and build them efficiently at a competitive price.
This came from years of freelancing and building my own sites - I wanted a solution where you could outline your ideal DR, traffic, etc, and then find the options for links instantly.
We might not work for everyone, but we're a super useful tool for anyone doing SEO for themselves or clients - why not give it a try?
