Process Owner: Julia Torgerson/Karly O'Sullivan
Last Updated: October 2023
Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12iGHNDSUwt5vTmJgFY61rE5Fr28o7eE-Xqz5ht6BJy4/edit
Access Requirement:
Documents:
Vendors/Important Contacts
Authority Builders:
Devin Kostrzewski - Main POC (also on slack)
Sterling Guelich - Head Editor (also on slack)
Alicia - (also on slack)
CI:
Wendy - Main POC
Globe Outreach:
Kashief - Main POC
Outline Process of Kicking Off New Client Account:
Confirm there is outsource cost for Link Building in your client’s Blueprint
Add Client to Link Building Accounts Sheet
Slate client’s link goal in Master Sheet
Add a slide in the Link Building Reporting Slides for your client by making a copy of a preexisting slide, and labeling with your client’s name, and number of links
Kicking Off Accounts With 15-15 Start Dates:
If a client has a 15 start date (e.g. March 15) we must pay close attention to the Blueprint & Schedule A
Outsource should NEVER be built into Month 1
If we have a March 15 start date, outsource should begin in April, Month 2.
Always check outsource for 15-15 contracts THE DAY they deploy; odds are we will have a short turnaround time for selecting link targets
The strategist should flag the deployment to the traditional link building lead (Karly O'Sullivan) so they can ensure that all of the links are placed on time and in the correct month
Monthly Link Order Tasks:
Open Link Building Accounts Sheet
Identify YOUR clients who have traditional link building. The owner's name will be under ‘Outlet Targets’.
Once you identify which clients have traditional links, make sure to check their Blueprint to confirm the number of links and that there is the correct outsource cost ($375 per link). To check that Blueprint is correct:
Go to Blueprint and in the search bar type in ‘Client Name’
Select the most up-to-date Blueprint for your client labeled as ‘WON’
Select the tab labeled ‘Outsource Cost’
This tab will display the number of links and outsource cost that was built into the contract
If outsource and # of links is not in the blueprint you can calculate this yourself. ($budget/$375 = # of links)
Make sure that the Blueprint matches the Accounts Sheet
Open 2024 - Authority Builders Order Sheet. Open the tab for the current month.
Make sure that all your clients that have traditional links are in this tab and have the correct number of rows, corresponding to their number of links.
If your client is not in this tab or is not correct, please update this in both the current month tab, as well as the ‘Master Sheet’. Notify the SEO Outreach Strategist of the update for visibility.
Go into our New Potential Outlets to begin selecting outlets for your clients
*be mindful of the industry, DA, and traffic. Prioritize outlets that are relevant and meet clients needs/want*
Once Outlets are selected, choose your Targets. This includes a target URL and anchor text
You can include content topics as well to give our writers direction
Include Outlets & Targets in Client-Specific INTERNAL SEO & CONTENT TRACKING DOC so you have a record to look back on.
Monthly Outlet Vetting Process:
Before the end of the month, make contact with our vendors to check when new outlets for the month will be ready.
They should be getting outlets to us by the 5th of every month, so make sure we are communicating with them.
Once we receive new outlets from our vendors, we can begin the vetting process.
Tools you can use when vetting:
When vetting new outlets we are ensuring all outlets meet our requirements:
Domain authority of 30+
Trust/citation flow above 10
Top 10 referring domains are healthy (not spammy, high trust and citation flow)
Spam score below 5%
Meets the naked eye test (website doesn’t look spammy, dated, or have a ton of ads)
Traffic is steady and consistent
If an outlet meets all of the requirements above, highlight it in green. If they do not meet requirements highlight them in red.
Open the New Potential Outlets and create a new tab corresponding to the month you are currently in (e.g. March 2022).
Move all new approved outlets into the new tab you have created
You will have sections for each vendor. For a visual of previous months click here.
Last, you will copy all new approved outlets into the Master Approved Outlets
Make sure all information is included:
Vendor (Authority Builders, CI, Globe Outreach)
Outlet
DA
Price
Industry
Last Time Vetted
New Month Processes:
Scheduling Link Dates
On the 1st of the month (or first workday of the month), you will schedule dates for
the following:
Review New Potential Outlets (around the 2nd week of the month)
We will receive new outlets to review around the 5th of each month. This calendar invite is only for the SEO Outreach Strategists to approve and reject new outlets
Outlet Selection Deadline (2nd to 3rd week of the month)
This is for all SEO team members. They must have ALL the outlets for their links selected and finalized by this date
Second Round of Link Vetting (end of the 3rd week of the month)
You will go back to each order sheet and any outlets that the team selected that are not highlighted in green need to be vetted and approved. This calendar invite is only for the SEO Outreach Strategists to finalize their vetting process.
Target Selection Deadline (beginning of the 4th week or before the 24th)
This is for all SEO team members. They must have ALL their outlets and targets for their links selected and finalized by this date.
Notes:
Keep in mind the timeline and dates will vary depending on the month.
If possible try to schedule deadlines on focus hour days.
Slacking Team Members
It is important to keep in mind that the SEO team has a variety of other tasks they
focus on besides link-building. Slacking the team with updates and reminders of
deadlines is an important step to remind the team and to ensure everything gets
completed on time. So when is it important to slack the team, what do you include, and
where do you send it?
Where:
SEO-Link-Targets Channel
When:
When you send out new month calendar dates
Outlet Selection Deadline is approaching
Target Deadline is approaching
There is content to review
Any general Link Building updates
What:
Include all resources the team would need to complete the tasks
Updating Docs for a New Month
For a new month’s order, we will create a new tab in our Order Sheets so that the team
can repeat our processes.
Create a new tab in all Order Sheets (AB, CI, and Globe Outreach) and name the new tab after the upcoming month (e.g. March 2022)
Go into the 2024 - Authority Builders Order Sheet and copy the ‘Master Sheet’. Paste this list into the Authority Builders Order Sheet’s newest tab
We will only copy the Master Sheet into Authority Builders. If the team selects outlets from other vendors they will move rows for their clients accordingly. For a visual run-through click here.
Best Practices for Updating Docs for New Months:
Make sure that Master Sheet is updated before making a copy. If there is a new client, add them in. If a client no longer has outsource cost, or they are at end of contract highlight them in Magenta for Strategist to update or remove.
Only copy the Master Sheet into Authority Builders. Strategists will move placements to other order sheets if they select outlets from vendors other than Authority Builders
Outlet Selection Resources:
Outlet Selection Process
Identify your clients that have traditional links, and how many links they have
Of the approved outlets, select ones that fit with your client. Keeping in mind things such as industry, DA, Traffic, etc. Prioritize based on goals or requests of your client.
Once you have identified your outlets, pay attention to which vendor the outlet is from
If the outlet is AB, move the URL, DA, & Price over to our 2024 - Authority Builders Order Sheet
If the Outlet is CI, move the URL, DA, & Price over to our 2024 - CI Order Sheet (You will have to add this in. Copy a row from AB to move over to CI. Remove row(s) from AB accordingly)
If the Outlet is from Globe Outreach, move the URL, DA, & Price over to our 2024 - Globex Outreach Order Sheet(You will have to add this in. Copy a row from AB to move over to Globe Outreach. Remove row(s) from AB accordingly)
Make sure that all columns are filled out correctly and completed before the deadline (these will be assigned by the SEO Outreach Specialist and on your Google Calendar
each month)
Once outlets are filled out in the order sheets, open your INTERNAL SEO & CONTENT TRACKING DOC and select the tab ‘LINK TRACKING’
Include your outlet selections here.
This allows you to track month over month which outlets you have selected, which placements have gone live, any switches that have been made, and it helps to ensure you aren’t repeating outlets.
Submitting a Link Order
Open each order sheet, starting with 2024 - Authority Builders Order Sheet, then 2024 - CI Order Sheet, then 2024 - Globex Outreach Order Sheet.
Make sure that each order sheet is 100% complete. There should be no blanks.
If there are incomplete rows, individually ping team members to complete.
Once sheets are 100% complete, find the sum of COLUMN F in each sheet. Add totals together taking into account any discounts if applicable.
Confirm budget with Matt Whalen.
If we are at or below budget move forward to Step 8.
If we are over budget, message team in SEO-Link-Targets Channel. Tell them any outlets that were chosen above $300 need to be swapped for cheaper outlets
Once the order is complete, and the budget is confirmed send the order to our vendors:
Authority Builders - Send to Devin Kostrzewski cc: Katie White, Julia Torgerson, Kendall Brennan
CI - Send to Rebecca Lethbridge, Wendy cc: Katie White, Julia Torgerson, Kendall Brennan
Globex Outreach - Send to Hassan cc: Katie White, Julia Torgerson, Kendall Brennan
Once submitted the vendors will send an invoice. Immediately sent to Devan McClane, Bryton Benda, Accounts Payable cc: Katie White, Julia Torgerson, Kendall Brennan
Weekly & Monthly Reporting:
Have Questions? Here is a List of “Go-To” Team Members within the Department:
Julia Torgerson - Director of SEO
Karly O’Sullivan - SEO Outreach Specialist