lemuriaOS
seoseogrowth

Link Building Pipeline

Build a link acquisition pipeline targeting topically relevant, high-authority domains to strengthen E-E-A-T signals and referral authority.

Context

Use this skill when domain authority or page authority is a bottleneck for ranking improvement, or when competitor analysis reveals a link gap. This skill produces a systematic pipeline for acquiring editorial links through legitimate outreach, not paid placements or link schemes.

Procedure

  1. Identify target pages: which pages need link equity to improve rankings (typically pages ranking position 5-20 for competitive keywords).
  2. Analyze competitor backlinks: find domains linking to competitor content in the same topic but not linking to the brand.
  3. Build prospect list: filter by topical relevance, domain quality, and editorial standards.
  4. Categorize prospects: resource pages, guest post opportunities, broken link targets, expert roundups, and partnership opportunities.
  5. Write outreach sequences: initial pitch, follow-up, and value-add message for each prospect category.
  6. Set link velocity targets: realistic monthly acquisition goals based on resources and prospect pool size.
  7. Create tracking spreadsheet with pipeline stages: prospected, contacted, responded, negotiating, acquired, live.

Output Format

# Link Building Pipeline: [Domain]

## Target Pages
| URL | Primary Keyword | Current Position | Current Referring Domains | Link Gap vs. Competitor |
|-----|----------------|-----------------|-------------------------|------------------------|
| | | | | [competitor has X more] |

## Prospect List
| # | Prospect Domain | Type | Relevance | Authority | Contact | Status |
|---|---------------|------|-----------|-----------|---------|--------|
| 1 | | Resource page/Guest post/Broken link | H/M | H/M | | Prospected |

## Outreach Templates

### Resource Page Outreach
Subject: [Personalized]

Hi [Name],

[Reference their resource page and specific section]

[Pitch: why the target content adds value to their page]

[Simple CTA]

### Follow-Up (Day 5)
[Shorter, add new value angle]

## Pipeline Targets
| Month | Prospects Contacted | Expected Responses | Links Acquired Target |
|-------|--------------------|--------------------|---------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |

## Tracking
| Prospect | Date Contacted | Response | Status | Link Live? | URL |
|----------|---------------|----------|--------|-----------|-----|
| | | | | | |

QA Rubric (scored)

  • Prospect relevance (0-5): all prospects are topically related to target content.
  • Outreach quality (0-5): templates are personalized and offer genuine value.
  • Pipeline realism (0-5): velocity targets are achievable with available resources.
  • Tracking completeness (0-5): every stage of the pipeline is tracked with dates and status.

Examples (good/bad)

  • Good: "Prospect: searchengineland.com resource page on 'AI in SEO'. Our GEO guide fills a gap in their resource list (they link to 5 tools but no GEO audit frameworks). Personalized outreach referencing their recent article on AI search."
  • Bad: "Email 1000 sites and ask for links." (no relevance filter, no personalization, spam approach)

Variants

  • Competitor gap variant: focus exclusively on acquiring links from domains that link to competitors but not to the brand.
  • Content-led variant: create a linkable asset first (data study, tool, guide), then build outreach around that asset.