In this episode, Oleksandra is joined by Bibi Raven A.K.A Bibi the Link Builder, a well known in the SEO industry as a link builder based in Amsterdam, to explore real-world techniques for backlink analysis and link-building. They went into competitor research, sharing insights from their own experiences in real-time backlink analysis.
Bibi explains how to effectively use tools like Ahrefs to identify high-quality backlinks and avoid spam, and tips for crafting personalized outreach emails. The conversation is full of practical advice for both beginners and seasoned professionals, offering clear strategies for building links and improving SEO performance.
Why Bibi Buzz?
Oleksandra Khilova [OK]: Hello, guys! Welcome to our podcast episode and my name is still Alexandra and today I have an awesome guest, Bibi. Hello, hello. Yeah. Before we start, I have a few questions. First of all Why Bibi? Why Bibi Buzz I mean.
Bibi Buzz [BB]: That’s a great question. Unfortunately, I have a very lame answer. I had my business before I even knew I wanted one. People asked me to do link building, and I didn’t know what it was or what I was doing. Someone suggested I create a company website with a services page to explain my offerings. I was looking for domain names but couldn’t find one that wasn’t taken. I used a domain generator, and BiBi Buzz came up. It wasn’t registered, and I was so tired that I just went with it. That’s the answer.
[OK]: People know you as a link building specialist, but they don’t know me. I’m Oleksandra, and I’ve built about 15,000 links in my career. I know a bit about backlinks, too. Today, we’ll show you how to analyze your backlinks, assess competitors, and organize link-building prospects. We’ll share our experience and insights on the most effective methods. I hope this video helps those starting out in link building or anyone interested in seeing two skilled women at work.
[BB]: I also love that you’ve chosen to do this more practical approach.
The Evolution of Link-Building Outreach
[OK]: When I started my career in link building and SEO, it was hard to find good examples. If you search Google for “Best Outreach Template Letters,” you’ll find generic ones like “Hello sir, I hope you’re doing well.”
For non-native speakers, understanding all the details and nuances of language can be challenging, especially depending on the niche. An outreach email for marketing, for example, may not work in electronics. It takes a lot of effort to analyze and understand how to do it correctly. Before writing the email, the most important step is to analyze your competitors thoroughly. It’s not just about filtering metrics in Ahrefs; you need to consider the topic, the style of the website, and the right approach to both the site and the person behind it. I particularly liked one of your articles in Search Engine Journal on creating punchlines for subject topics.
[OK]: It was amazing, a real breakthrough in outreach for me. I realized I could use humor, and it worked. I’d go to Reddit, find jokes about electricians or plumbers, study the humor, and improve my emails. We often work in niches where we’re not experts, but we need to appear knowledgeable to get links. It’s a paradox: you have to be transparent in communication, but you’re not an expert.
Competitor Analysis for Effective Link Building
Let’s dive into an example: roofing. The keyword difficulty was 86 and is now 30, so Ahrefs must’ve updated something. Roofing is a highly competitive service niche in the U.S., and we see leaders like Yelp, which has strong authority as a local directory. The most interesting competitor for me is a website with a domain rating of 10 and only 500 backlinks. It’s worth researching how they achieved that. When analyzing competitors, you don’t need thousands of backlinks — just the best ones. Often, many backlinks are old, irrelevant, or low quality. Bibi, what do you look for when analyzing SERP?
