Link Building And Digital PR Services
Most businesses come to link building last. The site is sound, the content is written, the rankings still stall at a point – and the difference between you and the sites above you is that they get referenced more often, by better sources. Link building is the part of SEO you cannot execute on your own website. It depends on other people agreeing to something, which is why it moves slower and costs more than technical work or content, and why it is the hardest part of a campaign.
What a link building agency does
The job is to work out which links are worth having, then go and earn them. Everything else is method.
Across an engagement, the work usually covers:
- Auditing the links you already have, including the ones doing nothing and the ones actively worth disavowing.
- Mapping where your competitors are being referenced, which is the fastest way to find publications that already cover your category.
- Deciding what is worth pursuing, because a relevant link from a modest site often beats a high-authority link from an unrelated one.
- Producing content a publication would run, rather than content written to carry a link.
- Running the outreach, one publication at a time, on topics they would cover anyway.
- Recovering links you have already lost through broken pages, redirects and unlinked mentions.
- Reporting what landed and where it came from.
What makes a link worth having comes down to five things: the authority of the site, its relevance to what you do, where on the page the link sits, the anchor text, and which page of yours it points at.
Every agency in this category will tell you the same five. The part that usually goes unsaid is the trade-off between them. The strongest links – genuine editorial coverage in a publication people read – are the slowest to earn and the least predictable, because someone else decides. The fast, reliable ones tend to be the ones that carry a fee. Our position is that the goal is not volume, but consistency and credibility, and that only means something if you are honest about which links are which.Â
Our guide to the seven types of SEO backlinks tells readers to avoid sites that exist purely for link exchanges or paid guest posting. A publication with a real audience that charges for producing and hosting a piece is a different proposition from inventory that exists only to sell links.
How we actually earn links
We allocate each month’s effort to wherever it will produce the most, or to a single high-value opportunity when one appears. That means the mix changes between clients and between months. The methods themselves do not.
- Working with your internal team on the partnerships, sponsorships and PR activity you already have, which is the most under-used link source we come across.
- Finding brand mentions and owned imagery that appear without attribution, and asking for the link that should have been there.
- Recovering links pointing at dead pages by redirecting the old URL, so the authority stops leaking.
- Researching competitor link profiles and evaluating each source individually rather than by a threshold score.
- Placing your business in local listings and directories, which sits alongside our local SEO work.
- Running outreach for editorial placements, most often guest posting, pitched to publications that cover your category.
- Using our existing network of blog and publication contacts, built over years.
Two of those are worth pausing on, because they cost nothing and almost nobody asks for them. Unlinked mentions are common – a supplier writes about you, a customer publishes a case study, a photograph gets used – and a polite request converts a surprising number of them.Â
Broken link recovery is the same idea in reverse: somewhere out there, a site is linking to a page of yours that no longer exists, and a redirect turns a dead end back into a working link.Â
Neither is glamorous. Both are free authority you have already earned. If your profile carries damage from previous work, that is a different job, and it starts with penalty recovery.
How we measure link building
We report referring domains rather than raw backlink counts, because fifty links from one site is one relationship, not fifty.
Alongside that, we track the profile as a whole: how it is growing, how the anchor text is distributed, whether anything has been lost, and how it compares to the competitors you actually lose deals to. Authority scores and relevance are used as a floor – a source is either credible enough to approach or it is not – rather than as a number to drive upwards.
Here is the part that gets skipped. A link is one input among many, and nobody can honestly attribute a ranking movement to a single link. Rankings move for reasons that include your content, your technical health, your competitors’ activity and changes Google makes without telling anyone. We can show you the links we acquired, the movement in the terms that matter to your business, and our reasoning about how the two connect – and we will tell you when that reasoning is a judgement rather than a measurement.Â
"Good technical SEO and content get you into the race. A strong link acquisition plan is usually what wins it. In my experience, it’s the single clearest dividing line between the campaigns that perform and the ones that plateau."
Meet our
link building team
Harris Panayi
Client Services Director
About
Harris has been part of the SIXGUN fabric nearly since its inception, running the Client Services department and specialising in client, staff, and escalation management, along with recruitment, retention, and business growth. A strong leader at SIXGUN whose all-rounder approach ensures maximum client and staff satisfaction, Harris also takes the lead on company events and culture.
Experience
After almost a decade in the digital marketing landscape, Harris has worked in almost every facet of the industry, including SEO, SEM, social media, site design and development, lead generation and affiliate marketing, account and partnership management, and general staff management positions.
Harris’ primary goal is to foster harmonious relationships between agency and client, ensuring business success from a technical performance perspective is at the forefront, while ensuring relationships with clients operate so effectively that clients are able to see us as a part of their business. Harris strives to create a family-style partnership environment within his department, where partnerships organically grow over time and clients stick with us for the long term.
Fun Fact
Harris is a true foodie, soccer and music enthusiast at heart. You’re most likely to find him in the kitchen, watching his beloved Arsenal, or strumming his Fender Stratocaster.
Matthew Cullen
Strategy Director
About
Matthew leads the strategy and sales direction of SIXGUN, helping to develop a true client-centric mentality that puts our clients’ needs at the heart of our digital marketing solutions.
Experience
With more than ten years of experience in the digital marketing industry, Matthew uses his wealth of experience to guide campaigns from the outset, helping set realistic expectations that don’t promise the world. When talking strategy, Matthew understands no question is too small—choosing a digital marketing partner can be a difficult task and half the battle is finding a team you genuinely want to work with over the long term.
Fun Fact
A foodie at heart, Matt enjoys cooking (hopefully) delicious food, wining and dining with friends and family, and the occasional round of golf.
Cameron Milner
SEO & Data Director
About
Leading the SEO, content and data teams at SIXGUN, Cameron brings a wide breadth of knowledge in technical implementation, holistic and integrated marketing approaches, and creating strong resources for the SIXGUN team and clients alike.
Experience
With more than a decade of experience in SEO across all verticals, including more sensitive and highly regulated industries, Cameron has done SEO for outfits of all sizes, ranging from one-person businesses all the way up to large multinational and publicly traded companies. He’s also collected experience in CRO, data analytics, web design and development.
Fun Fact
Cameron loves spending time with his family and has a passion for serving his community. He’s currently the Deputy Controller for Training at his local State Emergency Services (SES) unit and holds a number of specialist skillsets, some of which he’s also a trainer and assessor in.
Nando Iorio
Lead Account Manager
About
Nando is an integral part of the Account Management team at SIXGUN, helping to develop a true and transparent business-client relationship while aiding and managing the day-to-day needs of our clients’ digital marketing solutions.
Experience
With over a decade of industry experience in both traditional and digital marketing as well as experience in the creative field, Nando takes a warm and holistic approach to client services.
Fun Fact
When Nando isn’t focused on all things SIXGUN he enjoys playing guitar and trying to set a new high score in classic video games. Nando also enjoys photography and making short videos in his spare time.
Christopher Zerafa
Lead SEO Specialist
About
Christopher began his SEO journey by curating a variety of music websites and then soon learned about the magic of SEO. Since then he has acquired almost 10 years of experience in the SEO landscape.
Experience
Chris has worked in a variety of niches from fashion to pet supplies. His passion lies in all things visual and content related, as he also studied graphic art and design. He has strong management experience within the SEO field and the wider community sector.
Fun Fact
Christopher (Chris Z or Lord Zedd in some circles) runs a mobile DJ hire business on the weekends and is known to drop bangers for the general public on a regular basis.
Evan Pavlidis
Senior Digital Marketing Strategist
About
As SIXGUN’s Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, Evan focuses on creating bespoke solutions, tailored to each individual business’s unique needs and challenges.
Experience
Working in client-facing roles for more than five years, Evan has a wealth of experience across the various marketing solutions that SIXGUN offers their clients. Outside of this, his knowledge of website development, UX and AI integration help shape a holistic understanding of the digital landscape, bringing unparalleled insight into every strategy session.
Fun Fact
Outside of work, you’ll find Evan spending quality time with his Labrador Zorro (please ask to see a photo! it will make him really happy) or 30 metres in the air, climbing a boulder in the wilderness. Evan also enjoys a range of sports (supporting Greece of course!).
Nelson Pak
Senior Account Manager
About
With more than five years of industry experience, Nelson brings a professional yet approachable attitude to the client services team. From strategic planning through to implementation and all day-to-day tasks, Nelson takes a holistic approach to digital marketing, aware that transparency and understanding between clientele and agency is key.
Experience
With ten years of combined experience in industries like banking, finance, sales, and marketing, Nelson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team, having worked with many small, medium and enterprise-level businesses, leading campaigns and creating meaningful, long-lasting partnerships.
Fun Fact
Outside of work, Nelson can be found on walks to the dog park/beach with his best bud, partaking in rounds of MMA to keep fit, or sitting around a campfire in the outback.
Ian Chen
Senior SEO Specialist
About
Ian is a part of the SEO team at SIXGUN, with over a decade of experience in the digital marketing space. He started his career as a web developer, where he discovered a passion for SEO. Since then, Ian has honed his skills throughout his agency career, helping clients achieve ambitious goals.
Experience
With over a decade of SEO experience across a wide range of industries, Ian has a strong focus in technical SEO implementation and user experience optimisation. His approach is tailored to meet unique client needs, with a focus on delivering long-term success.
Fun Fact
Outside of work, Ian enjoys hunting for new brunch spots and playing video games. When you can find a badminton partner he also enjoys a hit!
Ben Engel
Senior SEO Specialist
About
Ben is an essential part of the SEO team at SIXGUN, helping develop sound SEO strategies for clients in order to enhance their organic presence online.
Experience
With half a decade of experience in SEO across a wide range of industries and businesses, Ben’s approach to campaigns focuses on technical implementation and content strategy, with the goal of achieving a positive return on investment for all of his clients.
Fun Fact
Ben loves spending time with his golden retrievers, playing video games and hitting the occasional shank at the driving range.
Buddhini Mendis
Senior SEO Specialist
About
As a senior SEO specialist, Buddhini brings broad digital marketing experience from an array of industries and has strong love for SEO.
Experience
Since starting her career in digital marketing more than seven years ago, Buddhini has grown her skills—from building strategies to strengthening client relationships—and brings a powerful focus to achieving client goals. She believes in working as a team and sharing knowledge about the ever-changing digital world, helping others grow personally and professionally.
Fun Fact
When not spending time with family and her toddler, Buddhini is either busy in the kitchen baking a delicious treat or playing board games with friends and family.
Sam Paterson
Senior Content Writer
About
Bringing deep writing and editing knowledge to the varied demands of digital marketing and SEO, Sam ensures that all client copy is engaging, focused, and ready to organically improve site rankings and drive conversions.
Experience
Sam's word-nerd experience includes web and app copywriting, book reviewing, blogging, academic editing and proofreading, and technical writing in the education space.
Fun Fact
Sam is an avid collector of the worst puns anyone has ever heard. If you find a typo on this website, email him to collect a reward.
We deliver high value SEO links for businesses across New Zealand
Our link building service is available to businesses right across New Zealand, wherever you are based.Â
We approach a wide mix of publications on your behalf, both New Zealand and international, from news sites and industry publications to professional bodies and niche websites in your sector, so the links we earn are varied and carry real weight with search engines.
Contact us today to talk about what a link acquisition plan could look like for your business.
Industry insights
and tips
Where digital PR fits
Digital PR is link building where a journalist or an editor decides, independently, that your story is worth publishing. That single difference is what makes the resulting links valuable, and it is also what makes them impossible to promise.
For us it is an approach within link acquisition rather than a separate department. We do not run a newsroom or keep a standing media program. What we do is recognise when a client has something a publication would genuinely want – a set of data nobody else holds, a piece of expertise a journalist needs on deadline, a genuine change in a market – and work with your existing PR people or partnerships where you already have them. When there is no story, we say so, and the budget goes to methods that will produce something. By way of comparison:
- Digital PR coverage. Links from news, trade and industry publications, decided independently by a journalist or editor. The slowest route and never certain, but there is no publisher fee.
- Editorial placement and guest posting. Links from relevant blogs and industry titles, approved by the publication’s editor on the strength of our content. Usually measured in weeks, and the publisher often charges a fee which SIXGUN covers.
- Unlinked mention reclamation. Links from sites already talking about you, granted by whoever wrote the piece. Fast when it works, with no fee involved.
- Broken link recovery. Links from sites still pointing at your dead pages. Nobody needs to approve it, since it is just a redirect, which makes it the fastest of the lot and free.
- Local listings and directories. Links from local and niche directories, subject to the directory’s own criteria. Predictable in pace, and sometimes there is a listing fee.
Working with you as well as working for you
Every link we build points back to your website, so we are selective about where it comes from. We focus on relevant, reputable sites that support your SEO goals and strengthen your position in search.
We work with clients across New Zealand, and clear communication is central to how we work. You will always have a good understanding of what we are doing, how the campaign is progressing and what comes next. You can meet the people who would be working on your account on our team page.
You might be wondering...
01. What is a link building agency?
A link building agency acquires links to your website from other sites, through outreach, existing relationships and content those sites are willing to publish. A good one also audits the links you have and decides what is worth pursuing.
The part that separates one agency from another is judgement - which links are worth the effort, and which ones are not worth the risk of having.
02. What is link building and how does it work?
Link building is the practice of getting other websites to link to yours. Search engines read those links as one signal among many that other people find your site useful, so a link from a site that is both respected and relevant to your industry carries more weight than one from a site that is neither.
In practice, the work is research, then a pitch, then something worth publishing. The link is the outcome of that sequence, not the offer that starts it.
03. Does link building still work?
Yes, though not the way it did fifteen years ago. Volume stopped working a long time ago. When Google announced its December 2022 link spam update, it described the outcome as unnatural links being neutralised and the credit they would have passed being lost. Manual actions are the sharper end of the same policy, but the ordinary result of buying at scale is quieter than that: the money goes, nothing ranks, and nothing in Search Console tells you why.
What still works is being referenced by sources with genuine standing in your category. A decent test: if you would be pleased to see your business mentioned on that site even without a link, it is probably a link worth having.
04. Are backlinks still relevant?
They are, though Google has been more equivocal about them than the SEO industry usually reports. Google representatives have said publicly that very few links are needed to rank a page, and that links have been made less important over the years. What Google has not done is stop counting them. Its published spam policies still devote a whole section to link spam, which would be an odd thing to keep policing if links had stopped mattering.
What has changed is the margin for error. A smaller number of credible links now does more than a large pile of weak ones.
05. What does a digital PR agency do?
A digital PR agency earns coverage in publications - news sites, trade press, industry titles - along with the links and brand mentions that come with it. The pitch is a story rather than a placement, and a journalist or editor makes an independent call on whether to run it.
We work this way when a client has something genuinely newsworthy.
06. Is digital PR worth it?
It depends on whether you have something to say. Digital PR is the slowest and least predictable way to earn a link, and it is also the only method where the decision to publish is made by someone with nothing to gain from making it.
That is exactly what makes the links durable and hard for a competitor to replicate. Where there is no real story, the same budget usually does more somewhere else, and we would rather tell you that.
07. How much do link building services cost?
We generally price link building inside an SEO retainer rather than stand alone. Four things move the figure:
- Your starting profile: a site with very few referring domains needs groundwork before outreach becomes productive.
- Your category: some industries have dozens of credible publications to approach, and some have a handful.
- Publisher fees: where a placement carries a fee, it is covered inside the packaged price.
- Content load: a link that needs an original piece written for it costs more than one that needs a good email.
08. Do you guarantee a number of links?
No. We do not guarantee a link count, a domain rating threshold or a placement on a named site, because none of those are ours to promise. An editor can say no for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the pitch.
09. Do you ever pay for links?
Some placements carry a fee to the publisher. Where one does, it is covered inside the packaged price rather than invoiced separately.
