How to build local links for a client

Links from other local websites help a business rank. Open the client, go to SEO → Links → Backlinks, then Link building. Zeus finds the opportunities and drafts each email. You send the emails yourself and track each one until it's won.

How to find link opportunities

1. Open Link building and click Find link opportunities. The cost shows on the button before anything runs.
2. Zeus checks four things:
   • Sites that link to 2 or more of the client's competitors but not to the client. Only local or relevant sites are kept: the town or state in the site's name, a government, school or community site, or a site from the same trade. Directories, review sites and social networks aren't included, because those are citations.
   • Pages that mention the business without linking to it. The page must show the business's whole name and its town, state or phone number.
   • Local "best of" lists, from a Google search for "best [trade] in [town]". Zeus opens each list once and keeps it only if it names 2 or more of the client's competitors, or is clearly a list for the trade in the client's town.
   • Broken links to the website. These are links from other sites to pages that no longer exist on the client's Mount Olympus site.
3. New opportunities go into the Outreach tracker. Running it again never adds the same site twice, and never changes a status you set.

To find sites that link to competitors, the client needs at least 2 competitors with websites (Local → Competitors).

How to use the link sources for the trade

Link sources for this business lists the best local links for the client's trade:

• Manufacturer and supplier "find a pro" pages, such as GAF and Owens Corning for roofers, or Trane, Carrier and Lennox for HVAC.
• Trade associations, the local chamber of commerce and local sponsorships.

Only add a program the business really belongs to. Click Add to tracker and Zeus drafts the email.

How to answer expert quote requests

Local reporters, bloggers and newsletters often ask for an expert, on their site, on social media or by email. When you see one, click Add a site by hand and choose Expert quote request. Zeus drafts a short reply with a space for the quote. Reply quickly, keep the quote specific, and ask for the business name as the credit link. No paid services are needed.

How to fix broken links with one click

Broken links to the site lists old addresses that other websites still link to. Zeus suggests the closest live page. Change it if you like, then click Add redirect. The redirect goes live straight away, and those visitors reach a real page again. Click Not needed to dismiss one.

How to work through the tracker

1. Open an opportunity. Add the contact's name and email if you have them.
2. Read Zeus's draft and edit it. Then click Copy email, or Open in my email to start it in your own email app. ContentForge never sends link outreach for you.
3. Set the status to Contacted once you've sent it. Use the follow-up line at the bottom of the draft once, about a week later.
4. Move it to Replied, then Won or Lost. When it's won, add the page with the link, its wording, whether it was paid for, and the link type.

A won link adds "Earned a link from [site]" to the client's work done. A redirect you add adds "Fixed a broken link to [page]".

Won links also show in the client portal's Backlinks section as Links earned, when the portal shows Backlinks. The client sees only the site, the page with the link and the date. They never see the drafts, contacts or notes. A site you hid from the portal on the Backlinks tab stays hidden.

Google's link rules

Every link in the tracker follows Google's link spam rules:

• Never pay for a normal (followed) link. If money, a discount or a free product changes hands, the link must be marked rel="sponsored" or nofollow. The tracker won't save a paid normal link as Won.
• In guest articles and press releases, the link text is the business name or the web address, never keyword wording like "best roofer in Austin". The tracker won't save keyword wording on those as Won.
• Everywhere else, let the other site choose the wording. The drafts never ask for particular wording.
• No link swaps, paid link networks or tools that place links automatically.
• Only disavow links after a manual action from Google (Search Console → Manual actions), or for a large set of links that were bought. See Bad links in Backlinks.

Press releases follow the same rule: links use the business name and are nofollow.

How Zeus uses it

When a client's linking sites stop growing, or some sites stop linking, Zeus's Edict links straight to Link building. When assistants like ChatGPT recommend competitors and cite a "best of" list the client isn't on, Zeus suggests asking that list to include the client.

Credits

• Find link opportunities costs 3 credits per run. If nothing could be checked, the credits are given back.
• The link sources, Zeus's drafted emails, the tracker and Add redirect are free.

Who can use it

Agency team members with the Clients tool can use the sources, the tracker and the redirects. Find link opportunities also needs the Backlink Analysis tool. See SEO tools overview.

Troubleshooting

• "This client has no domain yet — add one to find link opportunities.": set the domain at the top of Backlinks.
• "Not checked: competitor links (add at least 2 competitors with websites)": add competitors on Local → Competitors, then run it again.
• "Not checked: broken links (needs a published Mount Olympus site on this domain)": broken links can only be redirected on a published Mount Olympus site.
• "Nothing could be checked right now … No credits were used.": the data service didn't answer. Try again later.
• "A paid placement must be marked rel="sponsored" (or nofollow)…": ask the site to mark the link as sponsored, then set Link type to sponsored.
• "… is keyword wording. In a guest article, link with the business name or the web address.": ask the site to change the link text to the business name.
• "That would send visitors in a loop…": pick another page in Send visitors to.
• "Run the migration first (20261028600100_link_building.sql)": the database update hasn't been run yet.