So you want to find the best HARO link-building agency to boost your website’s search rankings, but you’re not sure where to start. Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. As a business owner, you know that earning high-quality backlinks to your site is crucial for search engine optimization and gaining more organic traffic. However, link building is time-consuming and challenging to do effectively on your own. That’s why hiring an agency that specializes in HARO link building and outreach can be a smart move. In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about HARO link-building agencies so you can find a reputable company to help skyrocket your site to the top of Google.
What Is HARO and How Can It Help Your SEO?
HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, is a free service that connects journalists and bloggers with sources who can provide expert commentary on trending news topics. Signing up as an ‘expert source’ allows you to promote your business by providing quotes for media publications.
For SEO, HARO is a link-building goldmine. Here’s how it works:
- Register on HARO and select the topics you can provide commentary on as an industry expert. This could be anything from technology to business, health, or lifestyle.
- Check the daily HARO newsletters for questions from reporters that match your expertise. These newsletters contain reporter queries for sources and expert commentary.
- Respond quickly to any relevant queries with a thoughtful pitch about yourself, your business, and how you can provide insight on that news story. Mention any data, stats, or anecdotes that support your pitch.
- If the reporter finds your pitch compelling, they may publish a story featuring your commentary and business details. This news coverage will include a link to your website, which signals to Google that your site is an authority on that topic.
- HARO sources that provide frequent, high-quality commentary and land media placements regularly can become ‘HARO super sources’. This additional exposure and credibility lead to even more link-building opportunities.
Using HARO for link building does require consistent effort to monitor queries and provide useful commentary, but over time it can become an invaluable source of high-quality backlinks and exposure for your business. Give it a try and start building valuable media relationships and link equity today!
Tips for Finding the Right HARO Link Building Agency
Finding an agency that specializes in HARO link building is key to scoring high-quality backlinks for your site. Here are some tips to help you choose the right one:
Do your research. Check online reviews from their clients to get a feel for their reputation and results. See what kind of links and anchor text they’ve been able to score for other companies in your industry.
Make sure they have experience. An ideal agency will have been in business for several years and worked with many clients. They should be very familiar with the HARO process and have strong relationships with journalists and media outlets.
Check their samples. Any reputable agency will provide examples of links they’ve secured through HARO. Review the quality and relevance of these links to ensure they meet your needs.
Discuss their outreach process. The agency should have a proven process for identifying relevant HARO queries, crafting effective pitches, and building relationships with journalists and bloggers. Ask them to walk you through how they will pitch your company and content.
Talk pricing. HARO link-building agencies typically charge either a flat monthly fee or a price per link secured. Get quotes from multiple agencies so you can compare rates and find one that fits your budget.
Meet the team. If possible, meet with the account manager and link builders who will be working on your campaign via video call. Discuss your goals to make sure you have a shared vision and strategy for success.
With the right agency on your side, HARO link building can be an extremely effective way to gain high-quality backlinks and boost your search rankings. Do your due diligence to find an experienced team you trust, and you’ll be well on your way to link-building success.
Questions to Ask When Interviewing HARO Agencies
When interviewing HARO agencies, there are a few key questions you’ll want to ask to determine if they’re the right fit for your needs.
What type of links do they build?
Do they focus primarily on guest blogging, broken link building, resource page links, or a mix? The methods they use will impact the types of links you receive and how natural they appear. Guest blogging, for example, should result in do-follow links from reputable sites. Broken link building finds old links that are no longer working and replaces them with your live link. Resource page links are found on lists of helpful resources. A good agency employs a variety of trusted techniques.
How do they evaluate link opportunities?
The agency should have a process for assessing link prospects to ensure they meet your standards for authority, trust, and relevance. Ask about their evaluation criteria – things like domain authority, spam score, keyword relevance, and content quality. Higher quality links mean greater value for your money and SEO.
How much content creation is included?
If the agency focuses on guest blogging, find out if they actually write the blog posts for you or just secure the posting opportunities. Content creation requires an additional investment of time and resources, so the scope of their content services will affect their fees. If you prefer to handle your own content, look for an agency that specializes in link-building alone.
What is their link-building process?
A reputable agency will have a tried-and-true process for link building that produces natural-looking, high-quality links. Ask them to outline the exact steps in their process. It should include things like initial prospecting, outreach, securing links, optimizing anchor text, and reporting/tracking. Transparency about their methods is a good sign.
What reporting and metrics do they provide?
Link-building reports let you see the value you’re getting for the investment. Ask about the types of reports and metrics they offer, such as links obtained, domains linked from, anchor text used, potential traffic, rankings changes, and more. Solid reporting gives you insights into how their efforts are impacting your SEO.
With the right questions, you can determine which HARO link-building agency is the best match for your needs and budget. Do your due diligence – the agency you choose will have a significant impact on your search engine optimization and online success.
Warning Signs of a Bad HARO Link Building Agency
When evaluating HARO link-building agencies, be on the lookout for warning signs that indicate poor quality services. The last thing you want is an agency that harms your search rankings or website credibility.
Slow Communication
A good link-building agency will respond to your emails and questions in a timely manner. If an agency takes days or even weeks to reply or provide updates on the links they’ve built, that’s a bad sign. Link building requires active monitoring and management, so lack of communication suggests they aren’t properly maintaining your campaign.
Vague Reporting
You should receive detailed reports on the links built each month, including metrics like domain authority, anchor text, and link location. If an agency only provides superficial reports lacking meaningful data, they likely aren’t tracking key details necessary to build high-quality links. Ask for sample reports from different clients to determine an agency’s reporting standards.
Links from Irrelevant Sites
The sites an agency obtains links from should match your target audience and industry. If most of the links built are from unrelated sites, blog networks, or sites with low domain authority, the agency probably prioritizes quantity over quality. Well-ranked, authoritative sites should make up the majority of links built to effectively improve your search rankings.
Broken Promises
Did the agency under-deliver on the number of links promised each month? Do they frequently request more time or money to achieve initial targets? Failure to meet key performance indicators and frequent excuses are signs the agency overpromises to win your business but can’t actually deliver.
Finding a high-quality HARO link-building agency is crucial to an effective off-page SEO strategy. Watch out for these warning signs to avoid choosing an agency that could do more harm than good. With diligent vetting, you can find an agency to help boost your search traffic and rankings through powerful, targeted link-building.
Case Studies: Successful Campaigns From Top HARO Agencies
Successful case studies from top HARO agencies show how effective campaigns can be. These agencies have proven track records of securing high-quality backlinks and media coverage for their clients through HARO.
Skyrocket Digita
Skyrocket Digital ran a 3-month HARO campaign for a client in the finance industry. They responded to over 500 HARO queries, securing 17 backlinks from high-authority sites like Forbes, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance. The campaign resulted in over 2 million referral visits and a 200% increase in organic traffic.
Higher Visibility
Higher Visibility implemented a 6-month HARO campaign for an enterprise software company. They focused on building relationships with key journalists and provided data-driven insights in their HARO responses. This long-term, targeted approach led to backlinks from over 50 authoritative sites, including CIO, Entrepreneur, and TechRadar. The campaign drove a 175% boost in organic traffic and over 5 million referral visits.
Ignite PR
Ignite PR executed a successful 4-month HARO campaign for a client in the wellness industry. They pitched trending health and nutrition stories to top-tier publications through HARO, securing backlinks from Healthline, MindBodyGreen, Well+Good, and more. The campaign resulted in a 235% increase in organic traffic and over 3 million referral visits from high-authority health sites.
These case studies prove that with the right strategy and consistent effort, HARO can generate real results. Building media relationships, crafting data-driven pitches, and optimizing responses for search are key to running a successful HARO campaign. While results will vary for each client and industry, top agencies have achieved triple-digit increases in traffic and millions of referral visits through HARO link building.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a few tips to help you find a top-notch HARO link-building agency. Do your research, check their experience and expertise, and look at their case studies and client testimonials. See if they have a proven track record of success and a process that aligns with your needs. And of course, make sure you connect with the team, that they understand your business and goals, and are passionate about delivering great results. Finding the right partner can take some work, but will be well worth it. With the right HARO agency in your corner, you’ll be pitching to journalists and earning high-quality backlinks in no time. So good luck with your search and happy pitching!