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Off-page authority is what turns “ranking on page 1” into “top few, and cited.” This is the standard way to build it — internal links first, then outreach, then timed bumps. Theory: Part 1 §1.9.

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Principles

  • Sequence it after the pages exist. Backlinks are step 6 of the monthly loop, so links point at pages already matched to intent and the authority lands where it converts.
  • Turn outreach on early. Enable Link Building Outreach under Settings, Features on day one, and treat it as an always-on setting rather than a one-off campaign.
  • Internal links first. The cheapest authority is your own: a navigable site with a hub and footer links (§1.8) often does more than a handful of external links.

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The plays

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1. Internal linking (do this first)

  • Hub page lists the pillar, is SEO-ed, linked from header/footer.
  • Footer internal links to the hub and to key landing pages.
  • Pillar pages reachable by clicking from the homepage; links present in the DOM even if visually collapsed.

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2. Outreach (find, contact, email)

  • Kick off a campaign from a search term plus the target page. See how-to: 2.5.4.
  • Let the loop run (it finds relevant sites, identifies contacts, and emails them); review the proposals.
  • Handle inbound link-exchange offers by assessing authority and relevance first. See how-to: 2.5.5.

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3. Timed bumps (accelerate the climb)

  • Press release for a quick bump. See 3.10 or how-to: 2.5.6.
  • Announcement or listicle posts on external platforms (e.g. Wisp, Medium).
  • Guest posts with a natural backlink. See how-to: 2.4.4.

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When a new site isn’t ranking (recovery)

If the Month-1 checkpoints show too few pages ranking (3.6 Quality Gate), link-building plays are part of the recovery menu (with Raymond): footer internal links to the hub and specific landing pages, an announcement or listicle post, a press release, a Medium post, and other backlink opportunities.

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Ask Pi

The link-building skill assesses a domain’s authority, finds linkable pages, and drafts insertion proposals: 
assess link-building opportunities for [target page] targeting [search term];
find relevant sites and draft insertion proposals. also check our internal linking —
is the hub linked from the footer and are the pillar pages reachable from the homepage?
❓ [needs Raymond] A dedicated “How to build strong internal links” SOP and the outreach cadence (how many touches, follow-up timing) exist in ops but weren’t fully captured here — confirm the standard. See the gap register.
Related: 3.10 Press release · Part 1 §1.8 · §1.9