At RocketLinks, our netlinking project managers support our clients, from selecting strategic and relevant media to launching their netlinking campaigns. But how does it work? What are the key steps of an excellent netlinking strategy? To answer this, who better than a netlinking project manager? Raphaël shares with us his expert point of view 🚀
Hi Raphael, can you tell us more about your background and role at RocketLinks?
I studied at a business school in Marseille and quickly specialized in digital marketing. I worked in web agencies and as a freelancer. I have worked with business schools, entrepreneurs and agencies on their SEO projects. For the past two years, I have been a project manager specializing in netlinking at RocketLinks. I support our customers on their projects of purchasing sponsored links, from the briefing to the recommendations, up to the assessments.
What are the steps of a netlinking campaign?
A netlinking campaign is composed of numerous steps. Once the client is qualified and indicates that he wants to be accompanied, I proceed to a briefing with the Sales team. The goal is to identify the client's needs and define a strategy. Then, we source the media to find the most relevant ones and the websites aligned with the strategy elaborated during the briefing. We then look at what has been done in the past regarding netlinking, adapt to the client's budget, define the targets of links of the client's site to push, and which media themes to target. In some cases, a competitive analysis can also be conducted.
Then, we present our recommendations to the client via a retroplanning on the most relevant media. The client is free to follow my recommendations. They can make offers on the media of their choice. At RocketLinks, we have a consulting role, but the client has the last word. I have to adapt to them and their needs: some don't have time and want us to do everything from A to Z, to look for the media and make purchase offers for them. Others only want sourcing, a list of relevant media, and take care of the rest of the strategy internally.
Thus, at RocketLinks, the level of support desired by the customer evolves - we can handle the entire project for the client, work in co-construction with them (this is most often the case) or leave them in total autonomy on the platform.
Usually, six months are needed to see the first results of a campaign. We then do the assessment. We monitor the evolution of metrics: has the client gained organic traffic? Has their SEO improved?
What is a typical day at your job like?
I have many appointments with my clients, sometimes more than 5 per day! It is the case at all mission stages - from the briefing to the return of media selections, up to the client debriefing points. I then send the offers.
I also regularly participate in team meetings and continuously follow up with the Sales team. I divide my remaining time between answering emails, replying to all the clients' questions and, above all, selecting the media. I go on the RocketLinks search engine and look for the most relevant ones ) this step is crucial.
What are the key elements of a successful campaign?
Clients want to gain visibility on their target keywords and increase their organic traffic. The growth of SEO metrics is also an indicator to monitor the success of a campaign.
What are your criteria for choosing a media?
I have many: the website's reputation, its frequency of publication, and the quality of the contents. I check the traffic curve of the website: if it is increasing, it is better. It means that Google trusts this site more and more, and so do I. I analyze all the SEO metrics, such as Trust Flow, domain authority (DA), and domain rating (DR), to make my decision and have a global vision.
What industries and markets do you address?
I mainly target France. I also increasingly work in foreign markets, such as the USA and the UK, Spain, Belgium and Germany. Our media catalogs are international. My clients work in various industries, mainly lifestyle, sport, health, home and decoration.
What are the challenges of your job?
The main challenge is continuously improving the support quality - providing the best possible advice and making excellent strategic recommendations. SEO is a fast-moving industry, so keeping up with the latest trends is essential to constantly improve your skills. I have to be up to date with the evolutions of the algorithms and the requirements of Google. I also need to know about the new tools.
Do you have any advice for clients who want to start netlinking?
SEO is more complex than it seems. Ask a professional for advice if you don't know anything about it. Your SEO budget will be much better spent if experts advise you. Finally, it is essential to remember that netlinking works in synergy with the on-site and on-page optimization of the client's site. Before starting the netlinking, you must ensure that the landing page meets the user's intention, both from a content and a format point of view.
To end on a less related note, what do you do in your free time? :)
I am a sports fan. I practice tennis and squash. Salsa is also one of my passions which I discovered in Colombia. I also like improv theater. It is a world full of benevolence and humor that helps me to let go.
