---
name: hashgraph-online/link-prospecting-research
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/hashgraph-online-link-prospecting-research@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 28884d46c12c
---

# Link Prospecting Research

Use this skill to find potential link opportunities and produce a research map. Stop at research: do not qualify final targets, send outreach, submit forms, buy links, or promise acquisition.

This skill is derived from Garrett French and Eric Ward's *Ultimate Guide to Link Building* and uses transformed guidance with durable book-topic references. Do not copy book prose into user outputs.

## Quick Start

1. Use the Contents table below to choose the smallest useful reference set.
2. Use `workflows/research-link-prospects.md` for a full prospecting pass.
3. Start from available linkable assets and campaign goals.
4. Build keyword classes, opportunity types, query patterns, competitor backlink angles, list sources, and autocomplete expansions.
5. Return a deduped prospect research map with next qualification steps.

## Default Output

When asked to research prospects, return:

1. **Objective and scope** - site, target asset, audience, market, geography, and excluded tactics.
2. **Asset-to-opportunity fit** - assets mapped to likely opportunity types.
3. **Keyword universe** - market, customer, product, expert, competitor, geo, and adjacent vertical terms.
4. **Opportunity type map** - query patterns, signals, asset fit, and priority.
5. **Query library** - reusable research phrases, operators, footprints, and exclusions.
6. **Competitor backlink angles** - patterns worth investigating.
7. **List-scrape and autocomplete sources** - seed sets and filters.
8. **Risks and next actions** - noise, paid/sponsored risk, spam risk, and qualification gaps.

## Contents

| Need | Start Here |
|------|------------|
| Understand prospecting concepts | `references/core/knowledge.md` |
| Apply research rules | `references/core/rules.md` |
| Use query pattern examples | `references/core/examples.md` |
| Run a research pass | `workflows/research-link-prospects.md` |

## Core Posture

- Opportunity equals a linkable asset concept plus enough likely linkers.
- Query design should prequalify by asset fit and page type.
- More precise query segments beat digging deep into weak search results.
- Competitor backlinks are evidence, not an outreach-ready list.
- Final approval belongs to `link-prospect-qualification`.