AI Link building agency deliverables list — What “good” looks like, per month.

For years, the link building industry has operated as a "black box." Clients pay a monthly retainer, and at the end of the month, they receive a spreadsheet containing five or ten URLs. The process, the strategy, and the quality control remain hidden.

In the era of AI, this opacity is no longer acceptable. Artificial Intelligence has drastically reduced the cost of labor for outreach and content drafting. Therefore, the value proposition of an agency has shifted from "doing the manual labor" to "providing strategic precision and data validation."

If you are paying an AI link building agency, you are not just paying for a hyperlink. You are paying for a secure, high-value asset that builds your brand's authority.

This article outlines the specific, tangible deliverables you should expect from a top-tier agency. If your monthly report is just a list of links, you are getting shortchanged.

Part 1: The "Month Zero" Deliverables (Strategy & Setup)

Before the first email is sent or the first link is placed, a "Good" agency delivers a strategic framework. This usually happens in the first 2-4 weeks (Month 0).

1. The Gap Analysis & Opportunity Report

AI tools can process massive datasets instantly. Your agency should deliver a competitive landscape analysis.

• The Deliverable: A PDF or Dashboard showing your backlink profile vs. your top 3 competitors.

• Key Data Points:

  • Velocity Gap: "Competitor A is building 15 links/month; we are building 5."

  • Topical Gap: "Competitors have high authority in 'Cloud Computing,' but we are weak there."

  • The "Low Hanging Fruit" List: A list of sites that link to your competitors but not to you (Intersection Graph).

2. The Anchor Text Roadmap

Random anchor text triggers penalties (Penguin). A strategic agency plans this out.

• The Deliverable: A spreadsheet mapping out the anchor text strategy for the next 3-6 months.

• The Mix: It should show a calculated ratio:

  • 50% Branded anchors (e.g., "Company Name").

  • 20% Naked URLs (e.g., "company.com").

  • 20% Miscellaneous (e.g., "click here," "source").

  • 10% Target Keywords (e.g., "best CRM software").

• Why this matters: You need to approve this before they start, ensuring they don't over-optimize and tank your rankings.

3. The "Allow & Block" Lists

• The Deliverable: A shared document (usually Google Sheets) defining parameters.

• The Blacklist: Sites you never want to appear on (competitors, gambling, low-quality directories).

• The Whitelist: Dream publications you are willing to pay a premium for.

Part 2: The Monthly Production Deliverables (The "Meat")

Once the campaign is live, the monthly cycle begins. A modern agency using AI for SEO (keresőoptimalizálás) should provide the following items every billing cycle.

1. The "Prospecting Batch" (Pre-Approval List)

Crucial: You should never see a link for the first time after it is live. You should see the target first.

• The Deliverable: A list of 10-20 vetted websites before outreach or publication occurs.

• What "Good" looks like:

  • URL of the prospect.

  • Domain Rating (DR) / Domain Authority (DA).

  • Organic Traffic (Last 30 days).

  • Traffic Trend (Up/Down).

  • Relevance Score: A brief note on why this site fits your brand (e.g., "Tech blog, audience is B2B managers").

• Action Item: You tick "Approve" or "Reject."

2. The Content Proofs (The Article)

If the agency is securing guest posts, they are writing content representing your brand.

• The Deliverable: A link to a Google Doc containing the draft article.

• What "Good" looks like:

  • Human-Edited Tag: A confirmation that although AI drafted it, a human editor reviewed it.

  • Contextual Placement: The paragraph containing your link is highlighted so you can see the context immediately.

  • Originality Report: An attached screenshot from a plagiarism checker (e.g., Copyscape) and an AI-detection score (proving it's not 100% raw AI).

• Note: Some clients opt out of this to save time, but the agency must offer it.

3. The "Live Link" Sheet (The Final Product)

This is what you pay the invoice for.

• The Deliverable: A centralized Master Sheet (updated in real-time).

• Required Columns:

  • Live URL.

  • Target URL (Where on your site it links to).

  • Anchor Text.

  • Date Indexed (The date Google actually saw it).

  • Metric Snapshot: The DR and Traffic at the time of placement. (This is important for historical reference if the site degrades later).

  • Type: Guest Post vs. Niche Edit (Link Insertion).

Part 3: The "Invisible" Assurance Deliverables (QA & Safety)

This is where AI Link Building Agencies differ from "Link Farms." The deliverables here are about proof of safety and longevity.

1. The Traffic Validation Snapshot

Agencies lie about traffic. Good agencies prove it.

• The Deliverable: A screenshot from Ahrefs or Semrush taken on the day the link was built.

• Why: It proves the site had 2,000 visitors when you bought the link. If the site dies 6 months later, you have proof that the agency did their job correctly at the time, protecting both parties.

2. The "Bad Neighborhood" Scan

AI can scan a site's outbound links to ensure it doesn't link to casinos or scams.

• The Deliverable: A "Safety Audit" pass/fail mark next to every link.

• What it means: "We scanned the last 50 articles on this domain and found 0 links to gambling/adult/pharma sectors."

3. The Indexation Confirmation

A link that isn't indexed is just text.

• The Deliverable: A status update 14-21 days after publication.

• The Check: "Indexed: YES/NO."

• The Promise: If "NO," the agency should list the remediation step (e.g., "Submitted to Google Search Console" or "Replacement in progress").

Part 4: The Performance Reporting (The "So What?")

The final monthly deliverable is the Report. It should not just list what they did, but what it did for you.

1. The Rankings Movement Report

• The Deliverable: A comparison table.

• Data:

  • Keyword X: Rank 14 -> Rank 9.

  • Keyword Y: Rank 22 -> Rank 18.

  • Correlation: "We built links to the /features page, and the keywords associated with that page moved up 4 positions."

2. The "Traffic Value" ROI Model

This is the holy grail of deliverables.

• The Deliverable: An estimated financial impact calculation.

• The Math: "The links we built helped drive rankings that increased organic traffic by 500 visitors. The PPC cost (CPC) for these keywords is $5.00. Therefore, we created $2,500 in organic traffic value this month."

3. The "Learnings & Pivot" Log

AI agencies should be learning algorithms.

• The Deliverable: A short executive summary (1-2 paragraphs).

• Content: "We noticed that 'Listicle' type articles are getting indexed faster than 'How-to' guides for this niche. Next month, we will shift 80% of our guest post strategy to Listicles."

Part 5: Specifics for "Niche Edits" vs. "Guest Posts"

The deliverables look slightly different depending on the link type.

If buying Guest Posts (New Content):

• Deliverable: 1000+ words of unique content.

• Deliverable: 1-2 Licensed or AI-Generated (Safe) Images.

• Deliverable: Author Bio (if applicable).

If buying Niche Edits (Link Insertions into old content):

• Deliverable: A "Before/After" snippet.

• What it looks like:

  • Original Sentence: "Software is important for business."

  • New Sentence: "Software, specifically [Your Brand], is important for business automation."

• Why: You need to see how they edited the existing article to make sure the flow is natural and not forced spam.

Part 6: Red Flags – The "Anti-Deliverables"

To understand what "Good" looks like, you must recognize "Bad." If your agency delivers these, you are in danger.

1. The "Pending" List

If 50% of your spreadsheet says "Pending Publication" for more than 45 days, the agency is taking your money to finance their cash flow and hasn't actually secured the spots.

2. The "DA-Only" Report

If the report lists Domain Authority but hides Organic Traffic, they are selling you penalized sites (Zombie Sites).

3. The "Network" Footprint

If you get 10 links, and 5 of them have the exact same website design or use the exact same "About Us" text, you have been placed in a Private Blog Network (PBN). This is not a deliverable; it's a ticking time bomb.

4. No Access to Accounts

If they set up an email for you (e.g., media@yourdomain.com) but refuse to give you the login credentials, they are holding your data hostage.

Part 7: Sample Monthly Checklist for Clients

Here is a checklist you can use to audit your agency’s delivery next month.

Deliverable ItemFormatFrequencyWhy it's neededProspecting SheetGoogle SheetWeek 1Approve targets before they work.Content DraftsGoogle DocWeek 2Verify quality/brand voice.Live Link ReportDashboard/SheetWeek 4Proof of completion.Traffic ScreenshotsImage/PDFWeek 4Proof site is alive/real.Indexation CheckStatus TagMonthlyProof Google counts the link.Ranking CorrelationPDF ReportMonthlyProof of ROI.Invoice ReconciliationPDFMonthlyMatches agreed SLAs.

Conclusion: You are Buying Assets, Not Favors

The most successful partnerships with AI link building agencies happen when the client treats the agency as a production house.

You are not paying for "outreach efforts." You are not paying for "emails sent." You are paying for Published, Indexed, Traffic-Driving Assets.

A "Good" agency understands this. They don't hide behind jargon. They overwhelm you with data, proof, and transparency. They use AI to speed up the boring parts (finding sites, drafting emails) so they can spend more time on the valuable parts (strategy, relationship building, and reporting).

If your current deliverables list looks like a napkin with 5 URLs scribbled on it, it is time to upgrade your contract.

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