Link building services are the specific deliverables an SEO company offers to earn links from other websites back to yours. While related questions cover how those links are built, the overall approach, link quality, and cost, this answer focuses on the menu of services itself: what each one produces and what you actually receive as the client.
Digital PR and earned media
Digital PR is one of the most common services offered today. The agency develops a newsworthy angle, such as original data, a survey, an industry comment, or a timely reaction, and pitches it to journalists and editors at publications relevant to your audience. When a writer uses the material, your site can earn a link within editorial coverage. The deliverable is media placements and the links that come with them, not a fixed list of websites chosen in advance.
Guest contributions and expert commentary
Some agencies place articles or expert quotes on third-party sites in your field. This includes contributed articles under your byline and responses to journalist requests through sourcing platforms, where you provide a quote and receive attribution. The service covers identifying suitable outlets, drafting or coordinating the content, and managing the editorial relationship. A reputable provider should be transparent about whether placements are editorially earned or paid, since that distinction matters for compliance with search engine guidelines.
Link-worthy content and outreach
Rather than chasing links directly, many agencies create assets designed to attract them, such as guides, tools, research pages, or visual explainers. They then run outreach to site owners and writers who cover related topics, pointing them to the resource. The deliverable here is usually the content asset plus a documented outreach effort, with links earned over time as the asset gains visibility.
Link reclamation services
Two related services recover value you may already have. Unlinked mention reclamation finds places where your brand, product, or content is named on another site without a link, then asks the owner to add one. Broken link building, sometimes also handled as broken link reclamation, identifies dead links pointing at your site or relevant dead links elsewhere and works to restore or replace them with a working link to your pages. Because the relationship or mention already exists, these tend to be lower effort wins, and the deliverable is a list of recovered or repaired links.
Local citations
For businesses that serve a geographic area, agencies often manage local citations: listings of your business name, address, and phone number across directories, maps, and industry sites. While many citations are not traditional editorial links, they support local search visibility, so they are frequently bundled into a link building or local SEO package. The deliverable is consistent, accurate listings across the relevant platforms.
Backlink audit and disavow
Some companies also offer a backlink audit, in which they review your existing link profile to spot low-quality, spammy, or unnatural links. If harmful links are found, they may prepare and submit a disavow file asking Google to ignore them. This is a cleanup and risk-management service rather than a way to gain new links, and not every site needs it.
What you should expect to receive
Across these services, a clear deliverable should be defined before work begins. Common items include reports of links earned or placements secured, the content assets created, outreach activity records, and the status of citations or reclamation efforts. Ask whether links are editorially earned or sponsored, how results are reported, and which services are included in your package. A trustworthy SEO company will explain exactly what each service produces so you can match the offering to your goals and budget.