Hiring a link building agency brings both excitement and questions. Those first three months set the pace for everything that comes next. Don’t expect dramatic ranking changes immediately.
This time is for building a solid base that supports gradual, lasting improvements. Understanding the typical workflow helps you see if things are moving in the right direction.
The First Month: Learning the Ropes
The opening weeks focus heavily on research.
A good agency digs into what makes your business tick. They want to know who your customers are and what makes you stand out. They’ll have detailed conversations about your objectives and what you hope to achieve.
They’ll also perform a complete website checkup.
This uncovers technical problems that could weaken your link efforts, like pages that load too slowly. At the same time, they analyze your competitors’ links. The purpose is to learn from their successes and find the chances they missed.
Days 31-60: Initial Outreach and First Placements
This is when the strategy starts moving into action.
The agency begins the meticulous work of prospecting and vetting potential websites based on the criteria established in the first month. You should start seeing reports detailing the types of sites they’re approaching and, ideally, the first few successful placements.
The links acquired in this period are a critical indicator of the agency’s quality and their standards.
Prioritize links from websites that truly relate to your field and have a dedicated audience. Be wary of links from sites that seem disconnected from your work, even if they have impressive domain scores.
Your agency should also help prepare your website’s pages. They might suggest making information clearer or improving navigation. This ensures visitors who click the links have a good experience. Stay informed about which links are active and which pages they point to on your site.
Months 2-3: Gaining Traction
By the third month, a rhythm develops. The agency learns which outreach methods get responses. They can then focus on the strategies that work best. The number of new links should become more steady.
You may observe small but positive signs. Perhaps you see a slow uptick in visitors from search engines or better positions for specific phrases. Your reports will display a growing collection of links from various trustworthy sources.
Some agencies try to impress with speed over substance. They might send many links quickly from low-value sources. Another mistake is only building links to your homepage, ignoring more specific pages. Be skeptical of agencies that can’t clearly explain their choices. A reliable partner operates with openness from the beginning.
A forward-thinking provider will also be planning the next steps, suggesting new content ideas or pages that could become future link targets.
What Many Agencies Get Wrong in the First 90 Days
Some agencies try to impress with quantity over quality early on. They might deliver a large number of links quickly, but these often come from low-quality directories or irrelevant sites. Another common mistake is focusing solely on your homepage rather than building links to your most valuable content pages.
Watch for agencies that are vague about their methods or cannot explain why they’re targeting specific sites. The right partner will prioritize transparency and strategic thinking from day one.
Your Part in the Partnership
Your involvement remains crucial throughout these first months. You’re the domain expert on your business, and your insights help the agency avoid missteps. When they ask about your target customer or unique selling points, detailed answers help them craft more effective outreach.
You may also need to connect them with subject matter experts within your company for content collaborations. Quick responses to their questions about your brand or products keep the momentum going.
Reading Between the Lines of Early Reports
The first reports might not show dramatic ranking changes, and that’s normal. Instead, look for important indicators of healthy progress. A good report clearly shows each acquired link, the quality metrics of the referring site, and the context of the placement.
It should also outline outreach activity (how many sites they’ve contacted and what the response rate looks like). These metrics demonstrate an active, strategic campaign rather than just a list of purchased links.
Signs of Trouble
Pay attention to certain warnings early on.
Be careful if an agency promises specific ranking jumps or a huge number of links. Poor communication or unclear strategies are concerning. If the links they get seem irrelevant or spammy, they are likely cutting corners. A quality agency answers your questions directly.
If all their acquired links come from obvious guest post farms or irrelevant sites, they’re likely cutting corners. A reliable link building agency welcomes your questions and gives straightforward explanations about their methods.
That’s where a methodical provider like Linkbuilding.services — a trusted link building company — stands out. They focus on building a natural link profile steadily over time.
Final Thoughts
The initial 90 days with professional link building services should feel organized and open. The priority is establishing a trustworthy base. If your agency talks plainly, shows they know your industry, and gets good links from the start, you’re building a partnership made to last.