Link Builder
A link builder acquires external links to the website so that search engines trust it more and rank its pages higher. In betting, this work is shaped by strict advertising restrictions and regulator requirements.
What a Link Builder does
A link builder is responsible for growing the site's link profile: earning links from other resources that search engines consider when ranking pages. For betting sites, this is one of the main ways to get organic traffic to commercial pages, because betting queries are highly competitive and paid advertising is restricted in a number of countries.
Within the company, the link builder usually works inside the SEO or content and search traffic department. They report to the head of SEO or SEO manager and often collaborate with content managers, copywriters and analysts. Sometimes they report to the traffic director if SEO is one of the main acquisition channels.
In betting, the role has additional requirements: many partner sites and media outlets do not place links to bookmakers, and betting advertising is limited by regulators. A link builder therefore combines technical link work with checking that placements comply with advertising rules and with knowing which sites are safe for the brand.
Responsibilities
- Build a link acquisition plan for priority commercial and informational pages of the site
- Find donors: relevant media, blogs, forums, directories and partner sites with a matching audience
- Negotiate article placements, mentions and links, and agree on terms and anchor texts
- Prepare or coordinate guest posts and inserts together with copywriters
- Vet donors for quality: traffic, history, spam signals, topical fit and compliance with advertising rules
- Maintain a placement register: donor URL, anchor, target page, link type, placement date and cost
- Monitor indexing and link retention, replace or remove links that have dropped out or become risky
- Analyze competitors' link profiles and identify gaps that can be closed
- Coordinate placements with lawyers or compliance when a site works with betting and requires review
Skills
- Understanding of ranking principles and the role of links in SEO
- Manual and tool-based donor search, and the ability to separate quality sites from spam
- Communication and negotiation with media owners and webmasters
- Written communication for agreeing on texts and anchors
- Basic data analysis: comparing link profiles and assessing dynamics
- Knowledge of betting advertising restrictions and the ability to account for them when choosing sites
- Organization: keeping registers, publication deadlines, and tracking agreed terms
- Understanding of search engine penalty risks for an unnatural link profile
- Basic knowledge of HTML and link attributes: rel=nofollow, sponsored, ugc
Tools
- Ahrefs
- Serpstat
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Sheets or Excel for the placement register
- CRM or task tracker, such as Jira, Trello or Notion
- Email services and messengers for negotiations with sites
How performance is measured
- Number of new quality links acquired to the site per month
- Share of links that remain indexed after a set period
- Growth in organic traffic to target pages
- Rankings for priority commercial queries
- Share of placements that pass advertising compliance review
- Cost of acquired links relative to the budget plan
By vertical
Betting
In betting, link building is limited by gambling advertising rules that vary by jurisdiction, so many sites are off limits for links. The link builder therefore works from a curated list of donors, checks texts against regulator requirements and works closely with lawyers or compliance.
Levels
Junior / Entry
A junior link builder maintains the placement register, prepares donor lists, writes first outreach emails to sites and checks links against a checklist. Decisions on cost, anchors and donor selection are made by a senior specialist or the head of SEO.
How to get there
Most people move into link building from adjacent roles: SEO analyst, content manager, copywriter, partner site manager or outreach specialist. What matters most is understanding how search works and being able to conduct professional business correspondence.
It is worth learning SEO basics: how search engines treat links, and what anchors, donors, nofollow and sponsored links are. It helps to learn how to use Ahrefs or Serpstat, assess a donor by traffic and history, and spot spam signs. It is also important to understand betting advertising restrictions in your target countries.
Growth usually goes from junior to middle by independently managing a donor list and building a link profile that shows traffic growth. Later come tasks involving strategy, budget management and competitor analysis. Practice on your own project or a friend's site helps build a portfolio for your resume.
Next steps: Middle SEO specialist (Link Builder), Senior Link Builder, Link Building Lead, SEO Manager, Head of SEO
FAQ
How is a link builder different from an SEO specialist?
An SEO specialist is responsible for the full range of optimization: technical site health, content, structure and semantics. A link builder focuses on external links and works with donors and sites. In small teams, these responsibilities are often combined.
Can someone learn link building without SEO experience?
Basic SEO knowledge is needed in almost any company, otherwise it is hard to explain why a particular link matters. Many people start from adjacent roles and then gradually take on outreach and donor work. It is important to show an understanding of ranking and attention to detail.
Why is link building in betting harder than in other niches?
Many sites do not publish content about bookmakers, and gambling advertising is restricted by law in various countries. Each placement therefore has to be checked for compliance and negotiations must be handled carefully. This increases the time needed to find suitable donors.
What determines a link builder's income?
Income usually depends on seniority, outreach experience, how much independent donor work the person handles, and how closely results are tied to traffic growth. Knowledge of the betting vertical and experience with regulatory restrictions also matter. Specific amounts depend on the region and the company.
Looking for a job in the industry?
Post an anonymous resume in our bot — recruiters from iGaming, payments and crypto search it every day.