Link Building Software Review

Author: Dan Petrovic, Dejan SEO

Foreword

Link building never stops and we always want and need more links - better links. It's never quite enough, especially when you work in ultra-competitive industries while juggling multiple projects.

Here are some facts:

• Time is money
• Link building is time-consuming
• Clients want results
• You want to stay profitable and meet deadlines

This article is about optimisation of search engine optimisation with focus on large-scale and team-based link building projects. Read on and learn about software Dejan SEO team tried out in attempt to create more time for link building and prevent link builders going in circles and wasting time at every step of the process.

Current Practices

There are varying degrees of order applied across different link building teams today. For example some link building teams rely on Excel and Access to organise on an individual level while others attempt to team up and share resources using collaborative tools such as Google Docs. Collaborative approach seems to do the trick on a basic level, but it does not resolve time efficiency when it comes to entry, status updates, search and retrieval.

Existing Software

There are notable attempts at organising the chaos and out of the ones we've trialed we can point out: DIY SEO, Ontolo, Raven, Linkdex, Wordtracker and BuzzStream as doing a very good job. Each one of these tools is helpful separately but none satisfied the demands of our link building team as a whole. This is why we took on a challenge of designing and building our own private link building management framework which would not only handle scan for new links but effectively manage complex workflow and targeting.

Software Features & Design

Breakdown of Common Software Functionality:

• Opportunity Search
• Qualitative / Quantitative Analysis
• Competitive Research
• Link Overlap Detection
• Storage, Updating & Retrieval of Link Records
• Link Integrity Checking & Alerts

When it comes to user interface design DIY SEO is in the lead. Although not entirely suitable for big projects it does exhibit sound usability practices starting from dashboard, metrics, step-by-step process and various checklists. For $49 per month with a 7-day trial period it's definitely worth a try - especially if you run simple SEO campaigns. Credit card is required to start your trial account.

One of the more powerful platforms is Ontolo. This suite is packed with great features and lots of helpful search queries for link builders. Our team did not react well to Ontolo's interface and the main feedback was that the learning curve was quite steep. If you decide to try it out definitely book a training session. Ontolo packages start at $97 per month with a 14-day trial (credit card required).

Linkdex seems to be solving the problem of learning and user experience through help videos which pop in as you use features for the first time and rely on user feedback to learn about which parts of the process needs to be ironed out. Linkdex contains a decent set of research tool as well as a basic link status tracking system which works as it should. One very handy feature is link categorisation and filtering on the left navigation bar. Starting price for Linkdex is $49 per month with a 30 day trial. You will need a credit card to sign up.

One platform similar to Linkdex is Link Builder by Wordtracker with a similar layout solution with help being available as the expandable div at the top of the page. Contacting and status part could have been solved a bit better as things get trickier once you start getting multiple instances and methods of getting links from the same root domain with different sub sites/sections and methods of link acquisition. To try Wordtracker's Link Builder you will need a credit card and $59 per month. They offer 7-day free trial and a 30-day guarantee.

BuzzStream have taken the no-frills approach which works well. It contains contact management, link management and a link exchange module with simple filtering and import-export functionality. Starting price for BuzzStream is $19 per month with a 14-day trial period.

Raven is a popular suite and a preferred platform for many SEO companies due to diversity of their features and ability to customise and white label your reports. The link management system is basic but it works well. Particularly well-designed is their link entry screen which contains handy tags and properties relevant to describing links appropriately. We've used Raven for years and they generally react well to feedback and suggestions.

Raven starts at $99 per month with a 30-day free trial. They will collect your billing information during the signup process.

Although the ultimate goal of each of these tools is to help us with our SEO and link building efforts, each one of them is unique and can be used for special purposes. Some are more suited for certain types of link building or link prospecting and each one has something unique to bring to the table.

Ontolo may have a hard to deal interface, but it provides so much value that even if you want to skip it you can't, it's just too good to be skipped, and the number of prospects you can find there is amazing. Linkdex and Raven have nicer interface and also amazing functionality, but ultimately, Raven will help you with many other things besides link building, the same goes for Linkdex. They all have their benefits and uses, the ultimate line should be whether they have the right functionality for your company and your type of approach. Some companies may be better off using Wordtracker, while others don't need that much information and DIYSEO is the perfect place to start with and work up. Some people don't mind the learning curve, and others prefer simplicity. So it really boils down to what you need, what you are looking for and what these tools have to offer that will ultimately benefit you.

Of course you do have a third option as well, follow our lead and create your own link building software that will suit the needs of your team perfectly. This advice comes with a warning. Be prepared for surprises along the way as design of such frameworks looks easy at first and grows more complex as you dive deeper into planning and specifications. Take a look at our link diagram and link anatomy visualisation PDF showing properties relevant to record management. If this seems overwhelming, then perhaps it's best to go with one of the packages we recommended in this article.

We have spent the last three years working on our software which is now in its third incarnation. During this time we have learnt much about what matters and what makes software useful and usable. Many of our exciting findings were shared with the rest of the SEO community at SMX Melbourne this year and will be shared in one of our upcoming articles - stay tuned.