The Missing Piece of Your SEO Strategy: Link Building with Josh Elkin of Linkflow
Key Takeaways
- An entry-level strategy offering like a paid roadmap dramatically improves sales conversion and positions you as a strategic partner
- Remove yourself from daily operations faster than you think is possible - sales roles can be trained quickly with proper processes
- Weekly employee feedback surveys catch problems before they escalate into turnover
Gray MacKenzie interviews Josh Elkin, Founder of Linkflow, about building a niche agency focused exclusively on link building, the evolution from solo operator to a 12-person team, and the tactical decisions that accelerated growth.
Finding the Niche in Link Building
Linkflow identified link building as a service that most agencies either avoid or do poorly. Rather than offering full-service SEO, Josh focused on the single element that agencies consistently struggle with - acquiring high-quality backlinks. This positioning created a natural referral pipeline from SEO agencies who needed help with the link building component of their client strategies.
The company targets B2B SaaS and online education companies, which tend to have strong content but weak link profiles - making them ideal clients for a link-focused service.
The Power of Entry-Level Offerings
One of the most impactful changes Linkflow made was shifting from flat-fee link pricing to offering a paid discovery-based strategy project as a foot-in-the-door service. This strategic roadmap gave prospects a tangible deliverable before committing to ongoing retainers, dramatically improving conversion rates and positioning the team as strategic partners rather than link vendors.
Bringing On a Co-Founder
Josh discusses the decision to bring on co-founder Ben and how it transformed the business trajectory. Having a complementary partner improved motivation, expanded capacity, and brought fresh perspective to strategic decisions. Josh emphasizes that finding someone whose strengths cover your weaknesses can be more valuable than hiring multiple employees.
Getting Out of Daily Operations
A key theme is the importance of removing yourself from daily operations faster than feels comfortable. Josh found that sales roles could be trained relatively quickly when proper processes and documentation were in place. Holding onto tasks too long limits the founder’s ability to focus on growth.
Employee Feedback as an Early Warning System
Linkflow implemented weekly feedback surveys to maintain a pulse on team satisfaction and catch issues before they escalated. Whether through a simple form or a tool like 15Five, regular check-ins create a channel for employees to raise concerns before frustration turns into resignation.
The team also adopted ClickUp for project management and began implementing the EOS framework to create operational consistency across the organization.