- Oct 24, 2011
- 3,219
- 3,625
While I agree 100% that you can and should "manually search for established websites in the desired niche and contact them about buying a link", I disagree with your assessment about buying links from BHW. The reason I do disagree with your assessment, is that the GOOD sellers of links on BHW will "manually search for established websites in the desired niche and contact them about buying a link". Bad seller's may not, but good sellers will.
@MisterF, @WebMinati, @hardcorebiker, @Finn, @Topiano, @The SEO, @t0mmy, and surely many, many others would agree that this IS their practice.
So the question becomes, what is more of a value to your time?
Over a decade ago, I spent a few years in an electrical apprenticeship in which I learned about Ohm's Law, Wattage, Amperage, how to wire an electrical panel, replace receptacles, etc. I still remember how to do most of what I learned back then, and can still do it. I recently installed a ceiling fan in my kitchen and had fun doing it! It brought me back to a fun part of my life and when I turned on the lights of the fan and watched the blades rotate around, I'll admit, there was a sense of pride and accomplishment on my face after having done that. That being said, I've got absolutely no problem with hiring a professional to do the same thing. In fact, though I like to say that my ceiling fan job is perfect, there's a chance that it may not be. Or maybe it is. Who knows? My point is, that's what you get when you hire a professional to do the job. Someone who's actively doing the very same thing you suggested doing yourself, but they do it on a daily basis and for multiple niches. The professional's experience level, be it with hanging ceiling fans or blogger outreach, likely trumps that of my own. Sure, I can contact the bloggers, but I may not be as good a negotiator, or perhaps may not think to ask a question that should be asked, or a whole host of other things.
So yes, I absolutely agree with you. We should all be doing this, as website owners. BUT... If you can hire a quality professional to do the service, then that's what they're there for. We just need to ensure our due-diligence is done, so we know who those professionals are, as in this industry, there are a ton of impostors.
I'm no SEO professional, but I ask questions. Lots of them. I make it a point to learn something about SEO, every single day. Even if I ever do get to the point to where I feel I know it all (haha doubtful), I'll still hire professionals (or train some to become my own personal professionals), because I don't want to spend my time doing outreach. I'd rather be focused on my IPAs (income-producing activities).
