Applying for a Link Building Job: How to Stand Out in a Demanding Market 

As the saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” That said, the success of your career will highly depend on the relevant skills you bring to the table. So, we shortlisted basic skills that ideally each backlink building specialist should have:

• Technical SEO Knowledge: While you shouldn’t be an expert in SEO, having a basic understanding of crucial factors like website structure, crawling, and indexing won’t hurt.
• Analytical Skills: If you want to elevate website performance, you first need to understand its performance. Additionally, it’s critical to assess the quality of backlinks; otherwise, how are you going to create a strong link profile?
• Research Skills: Seeking effective link building, it’s critical to identify relevant platforms and create a list of possible partnerships. And here, strong research skills will serve you best.
• Communication and Outreach: Once you identify your possible partners, you need to make connections. Here, your communication skills will save the day. 
• Content Creation: After fruitful communication, you need to turn words into action. In other words, partner with authoritative websites, experts, and influencers. Without high-quality and relevant content, it would be achievable. 

So, you are filling in the job application form for a link builder. You have already completed the sections about your previous experiences, soft and hard skills, certifications, education, etc. And now you are in the salary section.

Now you wonder, “What should I request as my desired salary?” You’re asking the right question. You probably have a range in mind that you would like to charge for your job. Yet, you are not sure if it’s enough or, on the contrary, too high. Simply put, you shouldn’t ask for too much or too little. There’s nothing to guess about; here is the salary range for a link builder specialist in the USA, according to Salary.com.

Junior Specialist

If you’re applying for a junior link building specialist role and it’s your first position, you can expect about $27,475/year (≈ $13/hr).

Mid-Level Specialist

When taking a responsible role as a mid-level link builder, you can ask for compensation of $30,887–$36,831/year (≈ $15–$17/hr). It all depends on the responsibilities you are taking and, of course, the company you are applying for. If it’s a big company with a stable financial situation, sure thing, you may charge more than $20. But if it’s a startup, you probably can’t initially request that much.

Senior Specialist

And lastly, what salary can you expect as a senior link builder? Well, senior specialists are well-versed in industry salaries. So, as a senior link builder, you can expect a salary of $38,831/year (≈ $19–$22/hr).

When it comes to applying for a link building job, there are plenty of job announcement platforms to consider. Moreover, you can shortlist both local and global platforms. It’s all up to you. If you are seeking in-house work, focus on local platforms. If you aim to collaborate with outsourced companies, then global job announcement portals will probably serve you best.

Given that link building is often considered an outsourced or freelance duty, let’s zoom in on the core platforms that connect you with a variety of companies abroad.

1. LinkedIn 

We separate LinkedIn from all the platforms, as here getting relevant job opportunities is more possible wherever you search. Let’s face it, you are not surprised to find LinkedIn at the top of our list. Nowadays, regardless of their expertise and experience, many specialists utilize LinkedIn to find a job. Whether searching in-house or off-site, full-time or part-time, on LinkedIn, you can find any type of job announcement. Plus,. Here, it’s pretty simple to filter announcements and find the ones that are the most interesting to you. 

You may have a shortlist of companies you’d like to collaborate with, so you can simply go to their LinkedIn profiles and check available vaccines. 

What I personally love about LinkedIn is that it shows when your application has been downloaded, reviewed, etc., allowing you to track the progress and follow up accordingly.

2. Company Websites

Besides merely checking open vacancies on a company’s LinkedIn profile, it’s a wise move to check them also on their website. Many businesses today publish vacant positions on their website (typically under the “Career” section, and you can directly apply for your desired role right there.

Of course, compared with LinkedIn, you usually won’t have the opportunity to follow up on the progress of your application, but make sure you fill in all your contact details, like email and phone number, correctly. Otherwise, if recruiters run into trouble connecting with you, they are most likely to prefer reaching another candidate rather than finding alternative ways to get in touch.

3. Freelance Platforms and Job Boards

Freelance platforms are the cherry on the cake when you want to elevate your link builder’s career. Primarily, because here, as a rule, you create a portfolio, which is the best proof of your skill set for potential employers. Plus, there is a high probability that your employer will leave a review about your work with them, thus elevating your trustworthiness for other employers.

So, which platforms should you leverage for this purpose:

• The first point is not with any website name. We recommend just search in your local job boards where you can find in-house link building jobs.
• Upwork: This platform has a long-standing reputation and is still popular. So, we couldn’t exclude it from our list. But note that Upwork can be a great fit for those with some experience.
  
• Fiverr: Compared to the previous one, this portal can serve both beginners and experienced users effectively.
  
• Freelancer: You can also consider Freelancer. It’s similar to Upwork and is considered one of the world’s largest freelance marketplaces. This means there won’t be a lack of jobs to apply for, but at the same time, the competition will be fierce.
• PeoplePerHour: A company based on UK specializing in freelance job opportunities.
• Guru: Freelance site with SEO categories and work boards.
• FlexJobs: Remote and freelance job board. Sometimes you can notice listings of SEO roles.
• Indeed: Freelance and contract SEO listings. Very popular platform not only in the SEO industry but for all niches.
• Toptal: High-quality network for experienced SEO and digital marketing specialists.
• FlexJobs: Remote job board often listing SEO roles.

4. Specialized or niche relevant Groups

I guess many of you noticed that people communicate with each other on social media. People interact with each other, chatting in comments, personal chats, etc…

Search relevant queries or subgroups in Reddit and Quora where people are searching for a link builder. Find Facebook groups searching keywords like “Link building job”, “SEO freelancer”, “digital marketing jobs”, and so on, so you will face that groups.

On platforms like Discord or Slack, you can find communities where you can post your CV, of course, if the admin approves it.

Once the recruiter reaches out to you, you are happy and motivated. But, as you may deem, everything is ahead, it’s not time to cheer up yet. Instead, you need to prepare for an interview.

Generally speaking, some common questions are familiar in almost all interviews, like telling about yourself, your goals, career path, strengths, and weaknesses. Hence, be prepared to answer these questions, but also, it’s worthwhile to take the following steps.

• Research the Company: Learn about the company you are applying to for a job. Ideally, research it thoroughly, both to know what to expect from a potential employer and because it’s common for recruiters to assess your basic knowledge about the company’s essence.
  
• Practice the Interview: It’s wise to be aware of the most common questions during the hiring interview and get prepared. By the way, you can find them on LinkedIn and identify answer examples.
  
• Prepare your Questions: Ask the recruiter your questions about the company or the overall job responsibilities to make sure you are fully aware of the duties you will take on, and assess the company’s performance to ensure this is the right place for you.

Being an expert in providing link building services, here at GoPeak, we know how demanding this role can be. And at the same time, finding a job in such a competitive position can be pretty challenging. So, we’ve shared some insights based on our experience and expertise to help you successfully start your career as a link building specialist.