E-mail:
jsem@patrikpilous.cz
My vision
Link builder: Strategic link building
I can see that the work of a link builder has changed significantly over the past 4 years. The goal is the same, but the techniques are much more refined. So-called PR articles are past their peak, and the authority of websites and projects now has to be built a little differently. More honestly. I still believe in link building, and I do it properly on every project where I work as an SEO consultant. Link building is also now a way to get into LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity.
- Link building is about negotiation skills, persistence and creativity.
- The goal of link building is to increase authority and sales, not to deliver as many links as possible.
- A link builder should also work with categories and the brand.
What does a link builder's work involve?
Setting the strategy and goals
A link builder must know the business goals of the website or project. The aim is not to build links mindlessly but to associate the main product or service with your brand and website. A good link builder should ask about business goals and revenue share, and should also take an interest in the project's communication or marketing strategy.
Spreadsheets and records
A link builder must be organised and keep track of everything. The collaboration should include a spreadsheet recording the work and the links. The spreadsheet should also contain links to all the relevant materials the link builder can use.
Outreach and partnerships
The link builder's know-how then shows in the day-to-day work and in how successful they are. An important part of link building is making use of all the client's possible assets, such as their partnerships and other opportunities.
Who have I done link building or SEO for?
Link building references
Link building is a specific discipline of an SEO consultant or SEO specialist that focuses only on so-called off-page SEO. The work does not depend much on the website, and an SEO consultant can work almost without the client’s involvement, which is a big advantage. Today, link building is shifting more towards brand communication and online reputation management.
Link building is no longer so much about buying articles; it is better to have a much richer link building mix. I have been doing link building for more than 7 years and have earned thousands of quality links for my clients. My deepest expertise is in link building for B2B, SaaS, finance, investment and other highly competitive sectors.
What is link building and why do it?
Link building is one of the 3 main pillars of SEO. It is often called off-page SEO, because link building takes place outside the brand’s or client’s main website. The goal is to attract attention, expressed by websites or social media profiles linking to you.
Backlinks are an important signal to search engines about which pages are interesting and valuable. I try to explain link building to clients with an everyday example. Imagine asking 10 of your friends which detective film is the best. You find that the 10 friends mention three films, with 5, 3 and 2 mentions. Nobody remembers the other 10,000 or so films. It is the same with websites. Google simply looks at which films other websites mention, and in a way it hands part of its decision over to the market, because it is trying to choose what is genuinely the best.
Link building is about influencing the current state of things. I won’t try to defend that here, because it simply is what it is. But the whole field of marketing is essentially about influence: you try to get ahead of your competitors and offer consumers something better. Of course, you can also see it more positively: We do link building to close the gap between the attention we have and the attention our project truly deserves.
Google and other search engines have changed this game considerably in recent years. It is fairer. Link building works, but Google no longer falls for bought links, large-scale link exchanges or spam. I like to say that link building is turning into online reputation management and brand communication. The brand is partly becoming the new link.
Imagine a marketing funnel where a consumer realises they have a problem and looks for a solution. The link builder’s goal is to play as big a part as possible in solving that problem. If you are a company that makes anti-mould coatings, you should try to get your product into every article about mould or renovation. Don’t just add a link! Add a meaningful argument for why your solution is the right one, plus your brand and a link!
Another technique is associating a category with a particular brand. Put simply, you use link building to make the category and the brand equal in the eyes of both search engines and users. With users, the aim is to become top of mind.
One of the older definitions of link building says: “Link building exists to close the gap between the links you have and the links you deserve.” In this definition, I would highlight the word “deserve”. Link building can influence search engine results, but today it can no longer bend reality. Simply put, if you are not among the top 10 brands in your sector, you have little chance of reaching the top 3 positions. And from this perspective, it would not even be fair.
In projects with turnovers in the tens of millions, link building often makes up only a tiny part or is missing entirely. I am convinced that quality link building has its place in both small and large projects and can pay for itself very well. Unfortunately, you just cannot measure it as precisely as paid campaigns.
The three benefits of link building
- The most frequently mentioned benefit is greater website authority as a ranking factor for search engines.
- Bringing in converting traffic. Yes, that is the anti-mould product example described above. In the worse case, this point may mean merely bringing in traffic.
- Control over brand mentions, links, partners and competitors. You have an overview and can react or take advantage immediately.
What is needed to start working together?
This is a big advantage. Put very simply, all you need to do is give the link builder a budget and they will take it from there. I have experienced it this way too. Personally, I also take on external copywriting, where I try to create not just SEO texts but genuinely high-quality content on the client’s behalf. I am convinced that a great link builder should reach beyond SEO, be creative and understand brand building and PR. Link building connects exactly these three disciplines.
The link builder’s own assets and experience are priceless. I have been working with backlinks for more than 7 years, and over that time I have built a database of hundreds of contacts. I know where to go and what is not worth it.
Effective and successful link building is always helped by a strong project brand and by assets available for collaboration, such as other websites or a blog.
It is great if the client shares more information and data with the link builder, which the link builder gets familiar with in the first months of working together:
- Business and marketing goals
- Competitors and their categorisation (SERP and business competitors)
- Marketing materials
- Brand communication
- Data (Google Analytics, Google Search Console)
- Key categories, products, margins
- Link assets, websites, domains
- Customer journey
And that is almost everything. Yes, some cooperation is also needed, for example when reaching out to partners or clients. Sometimes it is better to communicate on behalf of the brand. That depends on how things are set up. In my experience, link building collaborations do not even need regular status meetings. At most, perhaps once every six months. The spreadsheet with the work log speaks for itself.
How does the collaboration actually work?
- Client assessment: with about 25% of clients, I talk them out of working together and recommend spending the money elsewhere. It simply doesn’t make sense.
- Client analysis: I read all the client’s main documents and make notes.
- Market analysis: I briefly analyse the main competitors and how competitive the sector is. I check whether the client has competitive landing pages.
- Data analysis: Google Search Console is a truly indispensable partner for me, as I look at real data, impact and how Google treats the project. If the client needs material for reporting, I prepare a simple audit or a more comprehensive analysis for the link building.
- Spreadsheet and records: I share a spreadsheet with the client containing project notes, goals, priority categories and pages. It also keeps a clear record of the links earned.
- The work: the most important part, where I try to spend most of my time. Strategies and analyses on their own bring nothing. I see this as a common weak spot of SEO consultants who do link building only on the side.
- Evaluation and records: handing over the results and assessing the possible impact.
So what is the result in the end? Search engines are no longer as simple and readable as they used to be, but it is still true that pages with more relevant links are favoured. It is like driving fast, though. If you drive fast but within the rules, you can come first. But if you overdo it, Google may penalise you and you will be worse off than without any link building at all.
Beware of old-school tactics and scams!
Link building is a field with many dubious providers. They offer services that were relevant 5 years ago. Since then the field has changed significantly, and in Google’s eyes these techniques do harm. You can hire a link builder with good intentions, but in the worst case the result can be almost disappearing from the first pages of search results. If you have doubts, you can use an audit of acquired links and your link portfolio. How can you spot poor-quality link building?
- The link builder asks no questions and gives no input into SEO.
- The cooperation is not transparent and you do not understand what you are paying for.
- You use a foreign link builder and pay a monthly retainer.
- They spend more time on audits and analyses than on actually acquiring links.
- There are clear patterns. Every month the same techniques, the same target pages and the same anchor texts.
- Link building = directory submissions and PR articles.
- Reports and link building work rely too heavily on various rank metrics.
If you have doubts about the state of your link building, I will be happy to provide SEO consulting on this topic, or we can start building greater authority for your project together straight away. I look forward to hearing from you.
What my link building services include
When you hire me for link building, you work with one person from the first analysis to the last link. I do not pass the work on to subcontractors, so you always know who is speaking on behalf of your brand.
- Link plan for the categories, products and pages that matter most to your revenue, not just your homepage.
- Outreach to relevant websites, media and communities in your sector, always with a clear reason for them to mention you.
- Content for publication, written so that it is useful to the reader first and carries your arguments, brand and link second.
- Turning existing mentions into links, for example unlinked brand mentions, partner websites, suppliers and associations you are already part of.
- Link profile review to spot risky links and to see where your competitors have authority that you lack.
Who my link building services are for
My link building services suit companies that already have a solid product, a working website and landing pages that can compete. Links strengthen what is already there. If your key pages are thin or missing, I will tell you openly and suggest fixing them first.
I most often work with B2B and SaaS companies, finance and investment projects, and international companies in the Czech Republic that need authority in Czech search results and in AI answers.
Common mistakes I see before clients come to me:
- Pointing all links at the homepage while the category pages that actually sell get nothing.
- Repeating the same exact-match anchor text over and over.
- Judging success by the number of links rather than by rankings, traffic and enquiries on priority pages.
- Treating link building as a one-off campaign and expecting the effect to last on its own.
Frequently asked questions about link building services
What are link building services?
Link building services mean earning links and brand mentions from other relevant websites to strengthen the authority of your website. In my case, this covers the strategy, outreach, content for publication and records of every link. The aim is to support your business goals, not to deliver as many links as possible.
Is link building still worth it?
Yes, as long as it is done honestly and with relevant websites. Links remain an important signal for search engines and also help your brand appear in AI tools such as ChatGPT or Perplexity. What no longer works are bought links in bulk, link exchanges and spam.
How quickly will I see results from link building?
It depends on your sector, your competitors and the current state of your website, so I do not promise a specific timeframe. Link building builds authority gradually and works best as a long-term activity. I track the impact on your priority pages in Google Search Console.
Can link building harm my website?
Poor-quality link building can, especially when it relies on obvious patterns, spammy websites or paid link networks. In the worst case, your website can drop significantly in search results. That is why I choose every source carefully and can also review your existing link profile.
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