Design sustainable link-building campaigns that connect business goals, linkable assets, publisher ecosystems, metrics, resources, and campaign templates.
SkillScore83Maintained
Automatic
◆Marketing & Content pack
Last verified 8/16/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 24 test cases with the skill, and 6 of 24 without it.
Without skill25%
With skill83%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
The brief documents rejected alternative campaign types.
The campaign brief lists rejected campaign alternatives.
The plan lists concrete next actions alongside campaign risks.
and 22 more in the full report
15 fixed5 passed either way3 still failing1 broke
Pass-rate lift
+58 pp
Tokens
+26%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
+9%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/16/2026v120 of 24 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 15 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 15
Prompt
We are planning an off-page SEO campaign for our B2B SaaS platform's upcoming industry benchmark report. Please generate a comprehensive campaign brief detailing our strategic thesis, scope evaluation, publisher audience alignment, required linkable assets, prospecting approach, and performance tracking metrics before we start outreach.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
The response includes a recommended campaign type section that explicitly identifies rejected alternative campaign strategies.
Passed
Passed
The response includes a risks and next actions section containing concrete next actions alongside identified risk factors.
Missed
Passed
case-01 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/16/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md43 linessingle file
Link Building Strategy
Use this skill to plan link-building campaigns before prospecting, content production, or outreach begins. It keeps the campaign anchored in business outcomes, existing strengths, linkable assets, publisher motivations, resources, and measurement.
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
Use the Contents table below to choose the smallest useful reference set.
Use workflows/design-link-building-campaign.md for a full campaign plan.
Start with the business outcome and target pages, not a generic "get links" goal.
Identify linker-valued audiences and publisher types before choosing a tactic.
Return a campaign brief with scope, asset concept, prospecting plan, metrics, risks, and next actions.
Default Output
When the user asks for a link-building strategy, return:
Campaign thesis - the business goal, SEO goal, target asset/page, and link hypothesis.
Scope assessment - existing strengths, assets, opportunities, approvals, and resources.
Audience map - linker-valued audiences and the publishers that serve them.
Recommended campaign type - selected template and rejected alternatives.
Asset plan - what must exist before prospecting or outreach.
Prospecting and outreach plan - opportunity types, qualification criteria, and outreach angle.
Measurement - SEO, outreach, relationship, referral, brand, and business metrics.
Risks and next actions - quality, spam, compliance, resource, and approval risks.
Contents
Need
Start Here
Understand strategic concepts
references/core/knowledge.md
Apply strategy rules
references/core/rules.md
See campaign examples
references/core/examples.md
Build a full campaign brief
workflows/design-link-building-campaign.md
Core Posture
Treat links as one output of market usefulness, not as a standalone commodity.
Build from what the organization can sustain after a vendor or campaign ends.
Research link-building opportunities by mapping assets to opportunity types, building query libraries, analyzing competitor backlinks, finding scrapeable lists, and expanding prospecting seeds. Use when finding link prospects, creating link prospecting queries, mapping guest post/resource/directory opportunities, or producing a prospect research map before qualification or outreach.