Whether it’s a compliment to a brick-and-mortar store, an online only business or even just a personal venture, you want people to easily find your website. Of course, the internet is a big place, and it can be easy for your site to get lost in the virtual wilderness. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to utilize Search Engine Optimization.
SEO is simply the use of various methods in order to increase traffic to your site. It’s fairly simple in theory, but actually setting it up effectively does require some expertise.
You can learn SEO tactics yourself, but that can be very difficult and time-consuming. You can hire experts to do the work for you, but that can be expensive. The most affordable, easiest way to get the job done is to use SEO management software. Of that type of software, Linkbird is extremely popular. But is it any good?
About LinkBird
LinkBird is concentrated around four areas: search engine optimization, link building, content management and online PR. The overall goal is to increase organic traffic to your site, and promote your overall brand online. Just as it’s important to know what LinkBird is, it’s also important to understand what it isn’t.
LinkBird will not just shoot you to the top of a Google ranking. Any software which claims to do so shouldn’t be trusted. No software can take the place of a living, breathing SEO expert who can work on your site full-time. But not all sites necessarily need that, and certainly not all sites can afford that.
In most cases, however, LinkBird will help boost your presence online. With three different service plans, businesses of any size can find an affordable option for their specific needs.
Top Features of LinkBird.com
1. Link Building
You want to create connections between your site and others across the web. The LinkBird Sitehunter feature combines Google Suggest, Google Search, XOVI and other metrics into one powerful tool. You can view social website metrics filtered in a variety of ways. It also offers integrated CRM. Overall, Sitehunter is an effective way to automatically deliver potential link sources.
2. Brand Monitoring
You need to know what people are saying about your brand, both good and bad. Linkbird alerts can be set up daily, weekly or monthly. Each alert will compile all of the mentions of your brand, your site – and even the brands of your competitors.
3. Backlink Management
A backlink is a link coming from another website to yours. You want as many reputable, relevant ones as possible, since this will increase your overall ranking. However, there is a common problem with backlinks: they are often dependent on other people.
There are many instances where a webmaster will give you a backlink, but deactivate it shortly after publication. The Linkbird backlink checker works to combat this. It automatically validates all captured links, lets you check the link status at a glance, and sends you a report whenever a backline goes down.
4. Contact Management
Your ability to run successful seeding and newsletter campaigns is dependent on maintaining a robust list of contacts. Linkbird’s contact management system allows you to:
- Archive your contacts
- Engage with them directly through the tool
- Track your communication history
- Make conversations transparent to everyone on your team
5. Reports
Detailed reports are prepared, so you can see where you are and where you want to go. Reports include automatically generated data sheets, graphic displays of various SEO insights, and automatic PDF reports which can be sent to whoever you like – yourself, supervisors or customers. They’re in full color, clearly labeled and very easy for anybody to understand.
Even if you’re an SEO expert, these reports are worth the cost of the software, especially if you’re in a work situation where you have to explain SEO concepts to non-technical people.
LinkBird Prices
Linkbird offers three plans, as well as a 14 day free trial period.
1. Professional – $109
- Two users
- Daily backlink check
- Link, project and contact management
- Mailing system
- Search engine position monitoring
2. Ultimate – $139 a month
- Two users
- Two daily brand and topic alerts
- Link building and content seeding website research
- Ability to find sources on your competitors
- White label, API and integration
- PDF reports
3. Enterprise – price must be requested from LinkBird
This is a full-service plan for “large and demanding teams.” This plan provides personalized service, and is entirely dependent on the needs of your organization. Obviously, if you run a relatively small site, this is probably beyond the scope of what you need. But for large organizations, this can be a great way to manage your SEO needs.
Criticism of LinkBird.com
The biggest criticism users in the U.S. have with LinkBird is that, because the site originates in Berlin, the prices are all in Euros. While it’s fairly easy to convert, it’s still an extra step you’ll have to take. The entire service, including support, is available in English. You can also pay with most major credit cards, so when you pay, everything is automatically converted for you.
There is a number you can call if you have problems, but it’s in Berlin. So, if you’re in the U.S., you might not be able to access voice support. Fortunately, there is a wealth of online information to read and view directly on their site.
Overall, online reviews have been generally very positive. The program is powerful, so some people are confused by certain features. But the vast majority of people, even those with a novice level of computer experience, seem to report success.
Customer Support
LinkBird has been around for about two years, and customers are generally satisfied with the service. Aside from a flood of positive testimonials, LinkBird is also the preferred linkbuilding software for 30% of Germany’s top 100 iBusiness SEO agencies.
With their Zendesk-based support, you can find tons assistance whenever you like, so LinkBird works just fine no matter where in the world you’re located. Don’t let the fact it’s headquarted in Berlin deter you – you’ll don’t have to speak German or be concerned about Germany’s time zones in order to find help when you need it.
Their website contains a ton of resources. There are FAQs, tutorials, white papers, demos and more. It’s all available 24/7. Again, it’s all in fluent English.
Final Thoughts
LinkBird is a comprehensive system to manage the SEO and promotional aspects of your online business. If you’re a small operation, especially if you’re a one-man shop, LinkBird will likely provide some noticeable benefits to how many people are exposed to your site. If you know about SEO, you can use LinkBird to augment your skills. If you know nothing about SEO, that’s okay, too.
Building links and implementing proper SEO techniques isn’t really an option anymore; it’s a necessity. If you have no interest in learning about that sort of thing, LinkBird can automatically help you out with minimal effort on your part. Plus, it’s a great way to help you learn about SEO. As your knowledge base grows, LinkBird can become a powerful tool.
