Link Building Through Creative and Smart Outreach with Bibi Raven - Ep 239

Are you a link builder or digital PR pro, or you're just getting started? This episode of the Search Engine Journal Show is for you.    Get insights on smart linking, performing highly targeted link outreach, and link metrics, from none other than Bibi the Link Builder.   Bibi Raven talks with Search Engine Journal Founder Loren Baker about forms linking, writers vs automation, and also training teams and individuals to "scale" link building.   You'll also get to meet Hilda the Hen, too.   "With link building, you should leave your ego at the door." – Bibi Raven   "Taking the time to ask for something is so underrated in the world of outreach and link building." – Loren Baker    [0:00] - How Bibi started her link building business   [3:49] - Why few people truly understand link building [4:58] - Bibi's philosophy [5:48] - Does it work to focus on metrics? [6:05] - Type of link building Bibi does and what makes her different [8:05] - What she does before reaching out to prospects [8:38] - PR vs link building [10:20] - Tactics to cut through the noise with bloggers & journalists [11:58] - Who Bibi hires [12:33] - Target multiple publishers or build relationships with a few? [13:33] - Is scaling everything? [13:49] - Who do you target with outreach emails [17:16] - The approach Bibi likes doing now [17:49] - One of the most successful campaigns Loren has done [19:14] - What Bibi recommends when training teams  [20:20] - What you should and shouldn't be saying in your outreach [21:21] - Percentage of pitches she typically get a response from [22:20] - What Loren learned on his campaign on listicles [24:16] - The power of asking  [26:23] - Why people don't like link building [28:39] - What she likes about Ahrefs [30:24] - An idea Bibi has on cats and dogs [32:12] - Case study: What would Bibi do to get started? [35:15] - The importance of image link building [35:52] - Loren's experience with beauty schools from a link perspective [37:14] - The most overlooked & underrated search engine  [39:03] - Tip on what you should be focusing on for SEO this year [39:25] - One of the most detrimental forms of duplicating content [40:22] - Can Google identify if a backlink is paid or not? [41:44] - Red flag patterns [42:44] - What sites to avoid [43:44] - Does she ever match clients together? [46:46] - About being honest in your prospecting [48:14] - How picking up natural links is the best kind [49:36] - Is it harder to build links for B2B? [49:51] - Is there such a thing as a boring niche?  [50:48] - How do you approach a very niche client? [53:20] - How to grow your business if you don't have a lot of clients [55:06] - What's the difference between link building & digital PR [56:03] - Pitching to executives on LinkedIn vs emails [56:50] - The best link Bibi ever built [58:03] -  Automating quality link building and the tool she uses [1:00:00] - Metrics to consider when prequalifying prospects [1:03:07] - Prospecting angles in link building [1:04:30] - How you will learn a lot  [1:07:23] - Bibi's other hobbies   "The human aspect is still very strong. We think about the prospects, and what they are interested in." –Bibi Raven   "Just try something different. Don't be afraid, do it consistently and you'll discover a way that works for you. So many people are so scared to send something out, so you should just try." –Bibi Raven