3-Month Soft Link-Building Plan
Month 1 – Foundation & Initial Outreach
Week 1 – Research & Setup
● Audit competitor backlinks (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz).
● Shortlist 40–50 relevant websites for outreach.
● Fix broken internal/external links on your site.
● Reclaim unlinked mentions (reach out where your brand is cited but not linked).
● Publish at least one linkable asset (guide, infographic, tool, or report).
Week 2 – Directory & Local Citations
● Submit to authoritative directories (Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing,
niche-specific).
● Submit to industry-specific listings (chambers, associations, review sites).
● Pitch 10–15 guest posts to relevant blogs.
● Start participating in forums & Q&A sites (Quora, Reddit, niche communities).
Week 3 – First Round Outreach
● Send personalized outreach emails to bloggers (content promotion).
● Share linkable assets with journalists (HARO / Qwoted).
● Target 3–5 collaborations (interviews, roundups, podcasts).
Week 4 – Early Link Acquisition
● Publish at least 1 guest post.
● Gain 2–3 backlinks through partnerships.
● Share your content across LinkedIn, Twitter, niche groups.
● Track backlinks (set up a simple sheet or Ahrefs report).
Month 2 – Expansion & Authority Building
Week 5 – Guest Posting Ramp-Up
● Follow up on unanswered guest post pitches.
● Publish 2 guest posts this week.
● Start broken link building:
○ Identify dead links on blogs/resources.
○ Offer your content as a replacement.
Week 6 – Influencer & Blogger Outreach
● Promote linkable asset to bloggers/influencers.
● Offer data, quotes, or insights they can cite.
● Target editorial backlinks from authority sites.
Week 7 – HARO & Digital PR Push
● Reply daily to journalist queries (HARO, SourceBottle).
● Aim for 1–2 press mentions.
● Publish another high-quality resource (case study, research, or stats roundup).
Week 8 – Collaborations
● Co-author content with partners in your niche.
● Sponsor or collaborate on small community events/podcasts.
● Aim for 3–5 backlinks via these partnerships.
Month 3 – Scaling & Sustainability
Week 9 – Guest Posting Phase 2
● Pitch 10 new guest post opportunities.
● Publish 2 guest posts this week.
● Diversify anchors (brand name, long-tail keywords, naked URLs).
Week 10 – Broken Link & Skyscraper
● Expand broken link building campaigns.
● Launch Skyscraper Technique:
○ Find popular content in your niche.
○ Create a better, updated, more comprehensive version.
○ Reach out to sites linking to the older resource.
Week 11 – Link Partnerships
● Build resource page links (submit your guide/tool to curated lists).
● Exchange non-reciprocal links via partnerships (guest posting on partner sites).
● Engage in expert roundups (offer your input, get cited).
Week 12 – Consolidation & Reporting
● Publish final guest posts & collaborations for the quarter.
● Amplify all backlinks on social channels.
● Audit backlinks: check for:
○ Quality & relevance
○ Anchor text diversity
○ Domain authority improvements
● Plan next quarter’s content & outreach strategy.
Targets by End of Month 3
● 40–60 quality backlinks (mix of guest posts, HARO, partnerships, directories,
broken link wins).
● At least 5 high-authority backlinks (DR 70+).
● Improved organic traffic from referral sources.
● Balanced backlink profile (no spammy over-optimization).
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