Guide to Start Link Building Career While Studying

More students are exploring different ways to build careers while still schooling. For most of them, the idea is to get a job that offers practical skills and flexibility while paying them decent wages. Many decide to go with online jobs like link building. These allow them to work from anywhere and offer freelance opportunities, which have a lot of perks. As a link builder, your aim is to devise a strategy for acquiring high-quality backlinks to boost a site's web visibility and search rankings.  

Still, to become a professional link-building manager, you should learn how to deliver the best results without getting into spammy, black-hat techniques. They might seem attractive and harmless, but in the end, this approach can be hard and expensive to fix or even get a site penalized. So to be good at this job, you must develop good link-building practices, which can take months or years. But even experts must start from somewhere. This article will highlight how students can begin now to build a career helping websites earn quality links. 

FAQ: Link Building for Beginners

Whether you’re still studying or looking for a job after graduation, you might have many doubts about your future career. That’s why we’ve collected the most common questions from beginners about link building to help you understand if it suits you.

What Is Link Building, And Is It a Good Career?

Link building, simply put, is convincing other websites to link back to you. The goal is to help other sites earn high-quality links from trusted domains. When this happens enough times, their web page search rankings go up. This is a promising career for anyone who loves to work remotely on a flexible schedule, earn competitive rates, and have some independence. 

How Long Does It Take To Learn Link Building?

Everyone is different. For some people, it takes just weeks; for others, it might require anything from a couple of months to a year. It all depends on how much you already know about SEO, your efforts, and your consistency. Still, learning a new thing from scratch will take some time. This is why some companies prefer to use a backlink service rather than do it themselves. So to understand how they work, you can sign up for a free trial of one of those services. You might also use them as an addition to your link-building strategy in the future.

How Much Can You Earn as a Link Builder?

The salary of a link builder depends on several factors, like their location, experience, and so on. According to Glassdoor, some earn up to $69,194 yearly. Since there are different niches, this can also affect salaries. 

What Certifications Do You Need To Become a Link Builder?

This depends on the agency or company you are applying to. Some require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree in communication, marketing, or any related field. Yet many are willing to focus on your proven track record of quality link building rather than your degree. 

4 Steps to Become a Link Builder While Studying

A part-time job can benefit students in many ways, and being a link builder is one good way to tap into that. They gain practical skills and earn extra cash while expanding their knowledge in relevant areas of interest. Here’s what you need to do to start.

#1 Take Courses on SEO and Link Building 

Start with free YouTube tutorials by reputable SEO companies like the SEO beginner course from Ahrefs or Simplilearn. These will give you a solid foundation on the basics of search engine optimization. Follow it up by learning about link building. These are great places to start for anyone, and you may decide to register for paid courses after. The goal is to gain basic knowledge and understand whether a link-building career interests you. 

If you have a personal blog, you can start practicing by building links for it. Another option to begin is by working with an agency that offers backlink services and accepts interns. Since you need experience and a portfolio, this allows you to get it too. Besides, link building is one of the most complex parts of SEO and one of the most rewarding careers. This way, you can be sure of spotting the difference between a good link and a bad link. This sets you on the right track to becoming a specialist link builder. 

#2 Sharpen Your Communication Skills 

Thanks to technology, it is now possible to use AI in email marketing and automate many SEO processes, including some aspects of link building. Still, you will need to learn how to interact with people across a brand range of niches, and AI can only do so much here. As a link builder, you need to do a lot of outreach. It’s important to tailor each email to the receiver. Learn to be firm, persuasive, and genuine. You want to be upfront about the value you bring and how you intend to do it.

Good communication skills are also handy outside of outreaches. It will enable you to form good bonds with the people you collaborate with and the rest of the content marketing team you will work with. This principle applies whether you are doing freelance link-building or working with an agency.

#3 Build a Strong Online Presence

This requires you to be active on your social media channels. A big part of being a link-building manager is leveraging SM to find and create opportunities for collaboration and links. This is especially useful for reaching potential clients who might need your services. You can also use it to create social proof of what you have done in the past to build trust with them. Besides, it is convenient when promoting your content to a new audience.

#4 Follow SEO-Savvy Media Profiles

Whether you are an experienced or a newbie link builder, this one is relevant. The world of digital marketing and SEO is always changing. One way to keep up with news and trends in link building and search engine optimization, in general, is by following reputable blogs and social media profiles of experts. For example, Semrush, Ahrefs, and more ensure that you are always in the know of the best link-building practice. 

Plus, it equips you with the skills you need to get hired easier and faster. For example, The Human Capital Hub recommends that recruiters use SEO to find the best candidates for job placements. So, the following specialists can empower you with the knowledge you need to gain a competitive edge during your job search. 

Conclusion

Link building can seem daunting for students, especially with the many recommendations about how to do it. The best place to start is learning as much as possible about SEO and freelance link building for beginners. Then try to incorporate what you have learned; with time and dedication, you will become an expert.