Link-building Contractor
The Motley Fool📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Link-building Contractor
🔹 Company: The Motley Fool
🔹 Location: United States (Remote)
🔹 Job Type: Contract (Part-time, 20 hours/week)
🔹 Category: Digital Marketing/SEO
📌 Essential Job Details
🚀 Job Overview
The Motley Fool is seeking a freelance digital marketing specialist with expertise in link building to enhance the authority and search performance of their educational financial content. This 6+ month remote engagement requires building high-quality backlinks to core evergreen investing and personal finance webpages, working collaboratively with the SEO and PR teams while maintaining significant autonomy in campaign execution.
ASSUMPTION: The category is listed as Digital Marketing/SEO based on the role responsibilities and focus on link building, as this wasn't explicitly stated in the original listing.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Collaborate with SEO and PR teams to develop link building campaigns for evergreen investing and personal finance content
✅ Source and identify quality prospects for outreach campaigns
✅ Organize campaign workflow, management, and timeline
✅ Execute email outreach pitches through an official Motley Fool email address
✅ Track and report campaign metrics on a monthly basis, including KPIs and opportunities
✅ Secure 5-10 high-authority, relevant backlinks per month to specified pages
✅ Report key metrics including domain authority, relevance, backlink location, and anchor text
✅ Implement proven digital marketing strategies to boost URL and brand authority
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Not specified
Experience: Previous experience in link building campaigns, particularly in financial services
Skills:
- Strong writing abilities and digital marketing expertise
- Public relations experience with successful outreach campaigns
- Understanding of The Motley Fool's mission, brand, and competitors
- Ability to write in "Foolish" tone (informative, not patronizing)
- Campaign management from brainstorm to execution
- Knowledge of SEO principles and link building best practices
- Autonomous work style with proven track record of meeting KPIs
ASSUMPTION: While specific years of experience aren't mentioned, the required expertise in managing successful link building campaigns suggests mid to senior-level experience in digital marketing is expected.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Hourly Rate: $40-$50 USD
Benefits: Not specified
Industry Comparison: This hourly rate ($40-50) translates to approximately $80,000-$100,000 annually for full-time equivalent work, which is competitive for specialized SEO/link building contractors in the U.S. market.
ASSUMPTION: The industry comparison is based on standard digital marketing contractor rates in the United States for specialized SEO work, particularly in the financial services sector.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry Position: The Motley Fool is an established financial information and services firm with nearly 30 years of experience, focused on demystifying finance and helping people achieve personal wealth.
Company Size: Large, established firm with multiple business verticals
Company Stage: Mature company with established market presence
ASSUMPTION: While specific company size isn't mentioned, The Motley Fool is a well-known brand in financial media with a significant market presence, suggesting a mid-to-large sized established company rather than a startup.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Mid to Senior level
Reporting Structure: Reports to SEO team and Director of Public Relations
Team Size/Composition: Will work with the Evergreen content team
Growth Opportunities: Potential for contract extension beyond initial 6-month period
ASSUMPTION: The career level is inferred from the required expertise and autonomous nature of the role. The reporting structure is based on the mentioned "support from the SEO team and the Director of Public Relations" in the listing.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: 100% Remote
Geographic Context: Must reside in the United States, but can work from anywhere within the country
Work Schedule: 20 hours per week with flexibility
Regional Considerations: No regional limitations within the U.S. aside from residency requirement
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process: Initial application screening, portfolio review of past link building campaigns, interview with SEO and PR teams
Key Assessment Areas: Previous link building success, writing samples, understanding of financial content, ability to secure high-quality backlinks
Application Tips: Be prepared to share samples of past successful outreach campaigns and demonstrate knowledge of The Motley Fool's brand voice
ATS Keywords: Link building, backlinks, SEO, digital marketing, outreach campaigns, financial services, content marketing, PR, domain authority
ASSUMPTION: The interview process details are based on standard industry practices for similar contractor roles in digital marketing and the specific emphasis on seeing samples of past work mentioned in the listing.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
Email outreach platforms, SEO analysis tools, domain authority tracking tools, backlink monitoring software, campaign management systems, content management systems, reporting dashboards
ASSUMPTION: While specific tools aren't mentioned in the listing, these represent standard technologies used in professional link building campaigns.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values: Making the world "smarter, happier, and richer," diversity, inclusion, equity, trust, and Foolishness (with a capital "F")
Work Style: Autonomous, innovative, versatile, data-driven, fast-paced, growth-oriented
Self-Assessment: Do you thrive working independently while meeting specific deliverables? Are you passionate about financial education? Can you maintain a conversational, engaging tone when discussing complex financial topics?
⚠️ Potential Challenges
Securing high-quality backlinks (5-10 monthly) in the competitive financial services space will require creativity and persistence. Working remotely with limited supervision demands strong self-management skills and proactive communication. The role requires balancing both investing and personal finance content areas, which may require versatility in approach.
ASSUMPTION: These challenges are inferred from the nature of link building work in the financial sector and the autonomous nature of the contractor position.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
This position is more specialized than a general SEO or digital marketing role, focusing exclusively on link building. Unlike in-house SEO specialists who may handle multiple aspects of search strategy, this role concentrates solely on backlink acquisition. Compared to PR roles, this position is more metrics-driven and specifically focused on SEO outcomes rather than general brand awareness.
ASSUMPTION: This comparison is based on standard industry distinctions between specialized link building roles and broader digital marketing positions.
📝 Sample Projects
1. Develop a resource-based outreach campaign to secure backlinks from financial education websites to The Motley Fool's guides on investment basics
2. Create a data-driven outreach strategy targeting financial news outlets to link to The Motley Fool's credit card comparison tools
3. Design and execute a broken link building campaign to reclaim lost backlinks to high-value brokerage review pages
4. Implement a guest posting campaign to build authority for personal finance content through expert contributor pieces
ASSUMPTION: These projects are examples based on the described responsibilities and typical link building strategies in the financial content space.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
1. What specific evergreen content areas are current priorities for backlink acquisition?
2. How does the team measure success beyond the raw number of backlinks secured?
3. What outreach strategies have worked well for The Motley Fool in the past?
4. How closely will the link building strategy align with other content marketing initiatives?
5. What are the most challenging types of pages to build links to, and how has the team addressed those challenges?
6. How does The Motley Fool's brand voice translate to outreach communications specifically?
ASSUMPTION: These questions are suggested based on typical considerations for link building roles and may need adaptation for specific interviews.
📌 Disclaimer
⚠️ This enhanced job description was AI-generated based on the original job listing. Information has been organized and supplemented with industry-standard insights where details were not provided. All assumptions are explicitly labeled. Applicants should verify all details directly with the employer before making decisions based on this content.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
1. Prepare a portfolio of your past successful link building campaigns, particularly those in the financial sector
2. Research The Motley Fool's content to understand their tone, style, and content priorities
3. Tailor your application to highlight specific metrics from past campaigns (backlinks secured, domain authority improvements, etc.)
4. Develop a brief sample outreach strategy that demonstrates your approach to link building for financial content
5. Update your resume with relevant keywords (link building, SEO, financial content marketing, outreach, etc.)
6. Prepare to discuss your process for identifying high-quality link prospects and your typical campaign workflow