Stage one: brief.
Work starts with a short written brief, one per end client. We ask for the client's site, the pages that matter, the topics the client can credibly speak about, and anything that is off limits: competitors, sectors, phrases. If anything is unclear we come back with questions within one business day.
From the brief we draft an anchor plan. It leans on branded and natural phrases, keeps exact-match anchors rare, and is checked against the client's existing link profile so nothing looks manufactured. Nothing enters prospecting until you have signed the brief off. A rushed brief is where an outsourced fulfilment process usually goes wrong, so we refuse to skip this stage.
Stage two: prospect.
We build a list of candidate publications for the client: real news sites and topical publications in the DA and DR 40 to 95 range. Each candidate passes three screens before it stays on the list: the site genuinely covers the client's subject area, it holds measurable organic traffic, and its outbound linking looks like journalism rather than a sales operation.
Blog networks built to sell placements, bulk link marketplaces and directory-style sites never make the list, whatever their metrics claim. Every candidate is logged with a metric snapshot taken on the day it was prospected, so the numbers in your report can be traced back to a date.
Stage three: outreach.
Outreach is PR-style pitching to journalists and editors. We offer a story angle, a data point or expert comment that features your client's brand where the piece needs it. Pitches are written one at a time for the person receiving them and sent in a steady rhythm, never as a blast.
Your agency is never mentioned in any pitch, reply or negotiation. As far as any publication is concerned, the conversation is about the client's story. Replies are handled the same working day where possible, and we keep a record of every exchange in the campaign file.
Stage four: placement.
When a publication says yes, we write the piece to that publication's standards and place the link according to the anchor plan. Before we log a placement as live we verify the URL resolves, the anchor matches the plan, the link points at the agreed target page and the surrounding copy reads naturally.
Most placements carry followed links. Where a publication applies its own link policy we record that in the report rather than hide it. If a placement is removed within 90 days of going live, we replace it at no charge.
Stage five: QA and report.
Every live link then goes through the quality checklist: relevance confirmed, authority range confirmed, anchor as planned, and indexation tracked over the following weeks with a resubmission if a page is slow to be picked up. The full standard is written up under quality control.
Only links that pass become lines in your monthly report. The report is unbranded by default, or carries your agency's logo if you prefer, and is formatted so you can forward it to your client without editing a word.
Cadence through the month.
Links do not arrive in one batch at month end. The fulfilment process front-loads the month: prospecting and outreach begin in week one, first placements typically land inside weeks two and three, and the remainder complete across the rest of the month. Where a placement slips past month end we tell you before you notice, and the link counts toward the month it was ordered in, not a later one.
To keep that cadence we need two things from you: a signed brief at the start, and answers to any client queries within a couple of business days. Everything else is our job.