We were burned by a previous link building agency. How do we know your approach is safe?

We hear this constantly. Most link building agencies use shortcuts because earning real editorial links is hard, slow, and expensive to do properly. Here is how to evaluate: ask to see the actual links they plan to build before they build them. If the sites look like blogs that only exist to sell links, or if the same sites appear in multiple clients' profiles, those are manufactured links that Google will eventually detect. Every link we build is on a site that exists for its own editorial purpose - a real publication, a real resource page, a real industry blog. We provide full transparency: you see every target site, every placed link, and every piece of content before it goes live. We also run quarterly audits to ensure no toxic links have appeared in your profile.

How many links do you build per month, and what quality can we expect?

We target 8-15 links per month, with an average Domain Rating of 40+ and a minimum threshold of DR 25. Within those monthly links, we aim for 2-4 in the DR 60+ range from editorial placements in industry publications. We do not count directory submissions, social profiles, or forum links in our reporting - those are not real link building. If an agency promises 50+ links per month, they are almost certainly using automated or low-quality tactics. Quality link building at scale requires significant outreach effort per link. We would rather place 10 links that move rankings than 50 that Google ignores or penalizes.

How long before link building affects our rankings?

Individual high-authority links can produce ranking movement within 2-4 weeks as Google discovers and processes them. However, the real impact of link building is cumulative - it takes 3-6 months of consistent link acquisition to see significant, sustained ranking improvements. Domain Rating and Domain Authority metrics move slowly because they represent the aggregate strength of your entire profile. We set expectations clearly: month 1-2 is asset creation and initial outreach. Month 3-4 shows early ranking movement on less competitive terms. Month 6+ is when competitive keywords start moving meaningfully. Clients who commit to 12+ months see compounding returns because each new link amplifies the value of every link already in the profile.

Can link building hurt our site if done wrong?

Yes, and this is not hypothetical. Google's Penguin algorithm specifically targets manipulative link building. Sites that acquire large numbers of low-quality, irrelevant, or paid links can receive manual actions (a human at Google flags your site) or algorithmic penalties (Penguin suppresses your rankings automatically). Recovery from a manual action takes 6-12 months minimum. Algorithmic recovery can take longer because you cannot request a review - you must wait for the algorithm to re-evaluate. This is exactly why we maintain strict quality thresholds, natural anchor text distribution, and controlled link velocity. The marginal ranking benefit of a risky link is never worth the catastrophic downside of a penalty.

SEO

Link Building Services

Content quality is tied. Technical SEO is even. The site with more high-authority backlinks wins page one - and it is not close.

See what you're missing See real results

We audited two competing professional services firms in the same metro area targeting the same keywords. Their on-page SEO was nearly identical. Content quality was comparable. Technical health was similar. But Firm A ranked on page one for 23 keywords while Firm B ranked on page one for 3. The difference: Firm A had 847 referring domains. Firm B had 94. Backlinks are the most stubborn ranking factor in SEO because they are the hardest to manufacture and the hardest for competitors to replicate. Google treats links from other websites as votes of confidence - the more authoritative the linking site, the more weight that vote carries. A single link from a DA 70+ industry publication moves the needle more than 50 links from low-authority directories. This is also where most SEO agencies fail their clients. The link building industry is riddled with shortcuts: private blog networks (PBNs), link farms disguised as 'guest post opportunities,' paid links on sites that exist solely to sell them. These tactics work temporarily and then destroy your rankings permanently when Google catches them - and Google always catches them. Penguin, the algorithm update targeting manipulative links, runs in real-time now. There is no recovery period. You just drop. We build links through two channels that Google rewards: digital PR and expert-sourced content. Digital PR means creating data studies, industry analyses, and original research that journalists and industry publications want to cite. When a commercial real estate publication covers our client's market analysis and links to the original research on their site, that is an earned editorial link - exactly what Google wants to reward. Expert-sourced content means getting our clients quoted as experts in industry articles, roundups, and resource pages. These are relationship-driven placements that take months to build but produce sustainable, compounding authority. We track every link using Ahrefs, monitoring Domain Rating, relevancy score, anchor text diversity, and link velocity to ensure the profile looks natural and builds steadily. We also conduct quarterly toxic link audits to identify and disavow any harmful links that may have been built by previous agencies or acquired organically from spam sites.

How this capability is applied

Digital PR That Earns DA 60+ Editorial Links

We create original data studies, market analyses, and industry reports that publications want to cite. When your local business journal or an industry trade publication links to your original research, Google treats that as a high-authority endorsement. A single DA 70+ editorial link can move a target keyword 5-15 positions. We typically secure 2-4 of these per month through sustained journalist relationships and timely content pegged to industry news cycles.

Competitor Backlink Reverse-Engineering

We pull the complete backlink profile of every competitor outranking you and identify exactly which links are powering their rankings. This reveals specific publications, resource pages, and directories linking to them that should also be linking to you. We then execute targeted outreach to close the gap - and in many cases, produce a superior linkable asset that earns the link away from the competitor.

Anchor Text and Link Velocity That Avoids Penalties

The fastest way to trigger a Google penalty is unnatural anchor text distribution - too many exact-match keyword links too quickly. We maintain a natural anchor text profile: 60-70% branded or URL anchors, 20-25% generic or partial match, and only 5-10% exact match keywords. Link velocity is controlled to match organic growth patterns. Our clients have maintained zero manual actions across all accounts because we treat link profile health as a constraint, not an afterthought.

Industry-Specific Link Sources Your Competitors Cannot Replicate

Generic link building produces generic results. We build links from sources that are specifically authoritative in your industry - for real estate firms, that means links from CoStar, Commercial Observer, Bisnow, and local business journals. For legal, it means American Lawyer, Law360, and state bar publications. These industry-specific links carry more topical authority than a DA 90 link from an irrelevant technology blog.

Client results

View all case studies

60%+

The Value Of Architecture

Luxury Real Estate

146K+

PEP Real Estate

Commercial Real Estate

+574%

Property Perfected

Property Management

How we work

Backlink Forensics and Gap Analysis

We pull your complete backlink profile and the profiles of your top 5 competitors from Ahrefs. We identify: which domains link to them but not you, which of your existing links are toxic or low-quality, and where the authority gap is widest. This analysis produces a specific target list of publications and sites to pursue, ranked by authority and relevance.

Linkable Asset Development

We create the content that earns links - original data studies using your market expertise, industry surveys, interactive tools, and comprehensive resource guides. These assets are designed to be the definitive resource on a topic, making them naturally linkable. A well-executed market analysis or data study can earn 20-40 links over its lifetime as journalists and bloggers discover and cite it.

Targeted Outreach and Digital PR

We pitch linkable assets to a curated list of journalists, editors, and bloggers who cover your industry. Pitches are personalized, timely, and angle the content to their audience's interests. We also monitor HARO (Help a Reporter Out), Qwoted, and industry-specific journalist request platforms to place expert commentary with links back to your site.

Authority Monitoring and Profile Maintenance

Monthly reporting on new links acquired, authority metrics (Domain Rating, referring domain count, link velocity), and competitive gap closure. Quarterly toxic link audits with disavow file updates. We track the direct ranking impact of new links so you see the correlation between authority growth and keyword position improvement.

See it in action

Real work that delivers real results

Links from sites that matter

Relationship-driven link building

Deliverables

Our SEO engagements produce tangible assets that compound in value over time. You receive comprehensive documentation of your optimized site architecture, content libraries built for search intent, technical specifications for maintaining performance, detailed reporting dashboards, and ongoing strategic guidance that ensure rankings, traffic, and conversions continue to improve. We also provide comprehensive training, detailed documentation, and ongoing support to ensure you maximize the value of your investment and achieve sustained success.

Link building strategy

Linkable asset creation

Outreach campaigns

Monthly link reports

Authority tracking

Competitor link analysis

Common questions

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