Backlink Researcher

interface BacklinkResearcherInput {
  tenantId:        string;
  clientDomain:    string;           // e.g. "acme.com"
  clientNiche:     string;           // e.g. "B2B SaaS project management"
  contentAssets:   ContentAsset[];   // existing high-value pages worth linking to
  maxProspects:    number;           // default 20; max 50
  campaignId?:     string;
  focusTypes?:     ProspectType[];   // optional — filter to specific outreach types
}
 
interface ContentAsset {
  url:         string;
  title:       string;
  description: string;              // one sentence on what makes it link-worthy
  assetType:   'guide' | 'tool' | 'data-study' | 'case-study' | 'comparison' | 'template';
}
 
type ProspectType =
  | 'resource-page'
  | 'guest-post'
  | 'broken-link'
  | 'competitor-backlink'
  | 'mention';

interface BacklinkResearcherOutput {
  tenantId:          string;
  clientDomain:      string;
  generatedAt:       string;          // ISO timestamp
  totalProspects:    number;
  prospects:         BacklinkProspect[];
  researchSummary:   string;          // 2–3 sentence summary of findings
}
 
interface BacklinkProspect {
  id:                    string;
  domain:                string;
  domainRating:          number;       // 0–100 Ahrefs/SEMrush DR
  relevanceScore:        number;       // 1–10 agent-assessed relevance to client niche
  relevanceReason:       string;       // why this domain is relevant
  contactPageUrl:        string;       // verified contact or "write for us" page URL
  existingRelationship:  RelationshipLevel;
  prospectType:          ProspectType;
  pitchAsset:            string;       // which contentAsset URL to pitch to this prospect
  pitchRationale:        string;       // why this asset fits this prospect
  priority:              'high' | 'medium' | 'low';
  priorityRationale:     string;
}
 
type RelationshipLevel =
  | 'warm'           // existing partnership, association, or known contact
  | 'brand-mention'  // has mentioned the client by name without linking
  | 'cold';          // no prior relationship

## Backlink Prospect Report — acme.com
**Generated:** 2026-03-02 | **Prospects found:** 18 of 20 requested
 
---
 
### Research Summary
17 competitor backlink domains were identified — 6 link to all 3 major competitors but not to
acme.com, representing the highest-priority outreach targets. 3 resource pages in the project
management niche were found that list tools in acme.com's category. 2 brand mentions (no link)
were identified on SaaS review blogs with DR > 50, making them the warmest prospects in the list.
 
---
 
### Prospect 1 (High Priority)
**Domain:** projectmanagement.com | **DR:** 72 | **Relevance:** 9/10
**Type:** Competitor backlink (links to Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp — not acme.com)
**Existing relationship:** Cold
**Contact page:** projectmanagement.com/contact
**Pitch asset:** acme.com/guides/construction-pm-software-comparison
**Pitch rationale:** Their "Best PM Tools for Construction" resource page links to 3 competitors.
The acme.com comparison guide covers the construction niche more deeply than any linked resource.
 
---
 
### Prospect 2 (High Priority)
**Domain:** techblogreviews.io | **DR:** 58 | **Relevance:** 8/10
**Type:** Brand mention (mentioned "Acme" in their SaaS roundup, no link)
**Existing relationship:** Brand mention
**Contact page:** techblogreviews.io/write-for-us
**Pitch asset:** acme.com/features/integrations
**Pitch rationale:** The existing mention in their article is unlinked. A simple outreach
asking them to add the link to the existing mention has the highest conversion probability
of any prospect in this list.
 
---
 
### Prospect 3 (Medium Priority)
**Domain:** saasfoundry.com | **DR:** 61 | **Relevance:** 7/10
**Type:** Guest post opportunity
**Existing relationship:** Cold
**Contact page:** saasfoundry.com/guest-post-guidelines
**Pitch asset:** acme.com/blog/product-led-onboarding-guide
**Pitch rationale:** Published 3 guest posts this month on SaaS topics (DR 55–70 authors).
Active editorial calendar with 2–3 SaaS ops posts per month — a strong fit for a thought
leadership post referencing the onboarding guide.

You are an SEO link-building strategist at a digital marketing agency. Your job is to
identify and score backlink prospects for a client based on competitor link profiles,
resource page opportunities, and brand mentions.

CLIENT CONTEXT:
{{CLIENT_CONTEXT}}

TENANT SETTINGS:
{{TENANT_SETTINGS}}

KNOWLEDGE BASE CONTEXT:
{{RAG_CONTEXT}}

You have been provided with:
- Competitor backlink data from SEMrush (referring domains, DR scores, anchor text)
- Resource page and broken link opportunities from SEMrush Link Building tool
- Ahrefs site explorer data (if available)
- Contact page verification results for candidate domains
- Client document data: existing partnerships, industry associations, and known contacts

Your output must be a scored, prioritised prospect list of up to {{MAX_PROSPECTS}} domains.
For each prospect, provide:
1. Domain and domain rating (DR from tool data — never fabricate scores)
2. Relevance score (1–10) with specific rationale — why is this domain's audience
   likely to value a link to the client?
3. Prospect type: resource-page, guest-post, broken-link, competitor-backlink, or mention
4. Existing relationship level: warm (known contact/partner), brand-mention, or cold
5. Contact page URL (verified — must be a URL returned by web_fetch, not guessed)
6. Which content asset to pitch, and why that asset fits this prospect specifically
7. Priority: high / medium / low — justified by DR + relevance + relationship warmth

Prioritisation rules:
- Warm prospects (existing relationships, unlinked brand mentions) are ALWAYS high priority
  regardless of DR — the conversion probability is 3–5x higher than cold outreach
- Competitor backlinks (domains linking to 2+ competitors) are the most evidence-backed
  targets — they've demonstrated willingness to link in this niche
- Guest post opportunities have the lowest conversion rate per outreach; only include
  high-DR (> 50) sites with active, recent editorial activity
- Do not include domains with DR < 25 unless they have an exceptional relevance reason
- Do not include PR newswire sites, article directories, or low-quality link farms

The goal is 20 high-quality, genuinely reachable prospects — not a large list of weak ones.
Output valid JSON matching the BacklinkResearcherOutput schema.

# Link Building SOP
 
## Prospect Quality Standards
A prospect is worth pursuing if it meets ALL of the following:
- Domain Rating ≥ 25 (or ≥ 15 if warm/brand-mention relationship)
- Content on the domain is topically relevant to the client's niche
- The domain has published new content in the last 90 days (not abandoned)
- The domain is not primarily a link directory, article farm, or paid placement site
- The contact page or "write for us" page is accessible (HTTP 200)
 
## Prospect Types and Conversion Benchmarks
| Type | Avg. Conversion Rate | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Brand mention (unlinked) | 25–40% | Domain already references the client — link addition is a low-friction ask |
| Broken link replacement | 15–25% | Find a broken link on a relevant resource page; offer the client's content as replacement |
| Competitor backlink | 10–20% | Domain links to 2+ competitors; the client fits the same context |
| Resource page inclusion | 8–15% | Domain curates tools/guides in the niche; the client's content belongs on the list |
| Guest post | 5–12% | Domain publishes guest content; pitch a thought leadership piece with a natural link |
 
## Domain Rating Guidelines
- DR 70+: A single link here can move the needle for a mid-authority domain. Worth 2–3
  hours of personalised outreach.
- DR 50–70: High-value targets. Prioritise if relevance score ≥ 7.
- DR 30–50: Good volume targets. Ideal for guest posts and resource pages.
- DR 25–30: Include only for broken-link and brand-mention types where conversion is higher.
- DR < 25: Exclude unless the prospect is warm (existing relationship).
 
## Relationship Warmth Classification
- **Warm:** Client has met the site owner, is an association member, a customer, a supplier,
  or has a prior content collaboration. Source from Client Documents.
- **Brand mention:** The domain has named the client in content without a hyperlink.
  Source from SEMrush unlinked mention reports or web search: `"[brand]" site:[domain]`.
- **Cold:** No prior connection. The highest-volume but lowest-conversion category.
 
## Content Asset Matching
Match the content asset to the prospect's audience and content type:
- Resource pages → Guides, tools, and comparison pages (they curate resources)
- Guest post sites → Thought leadership posts, data studies, opinion pieces
- Broken link prospects → The specific replacement content must be an exact topical match
- Competitor backlinks → The client's strongest, most comprehensive piece on that topic
 
## Disqualifying Signals (Reject Immediately)
- Domain has "write for us" pages offering paid placements without editorial standards
- Domain has a spam score > 30% (SEMrush)
- Domain has > 50% of its referring domains from the same IP block
- Domain publishes content in multiple unrelated niches (signs of a private blog network)
- Domain's most recent content is > 6 months old