Link Building in 2025: First 10 Links, Linkable Assets & HCU Wins (w/ Cyrus Shepard)

Sep 19, 2025

Cyrus Shepard, an SEO consultant and founder of Zippy, dives into the evolving world of link building. He outlines a playbook for securing your first 10 backlinks using friends and directories. Discover how to create linkable assets with original data studies and the rise of lightweight web apps. Cyrus emphasizes earning links organically over outreach and shares insights on the Helpful Content Update, urging a shift towards experience-rich content. He also discusses technical SEO pitfalls, the impact of AI, and the power of personal storytelling.

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ADVICE

Get The First 10 Backlinks Fast

Get your first 10 backlinks from easy, trusted sources like friends, partners, Chamber of Commerce, directories, and basic press releases.
These foundational links help get your site indexed and put you on the board quickly.

ADVICE

Use Original Data As A Linkable Asset

Create original research or data studies to build a linkable asset that attracts earned links over time.
Mining customer data or running unique tests turns content into a recurring link generator.

ADVICE

Build Assets That Earn Links

Prioritize creating assets that earn links organically instead of manual outreach asking for link insertion.
Design content so links naturally cite it repeatedly, raising long-term ROI.

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E807: The link game has changed. Cyrus Shepard breaks down how to get your first 10 backlinks fast, build linkable assets that earn links on autopilot, and recover (for real) after Google’s Helpful Content Update - plus why personal experience now beats keyword stuffing.

What you’ll learn - The “first 10 links” playbook: friends, partners, Chamber of Commerce, directories, press releases (just enough to get indexed) - Linkable assets that actually attract links in 2025: original data studies, lightweight tools/web apps, and smart launch tactics - Outreach vs. earning: why inserting links is low-ROI and how to make assets that get cited repeatedly - HCU recovery: business models Google favors, the power of experience-first content, and realistic recovery benchmarks - AI Overviews & SEO: falling CTRs, why video/podcasts are rising, and how transcripts feed LLM citations - On-page moves that move the needle: title tag tweaks (the “free” story), hub/category page upgrades, mobile-first UX - Internal linking (de-optimize!): fewer global nav links, less exact match anchors, more focus on what’s genuinely useful - Content refresh strategy: when to update dates, what to change, and how refresh cadence helps - Tech pitfalls & quick crawls: robots.txt gotchas, homepage linking to “nudge” Google, and GSC Crawl Stats - Tools talk: Moz vs Ahrefs, keyword history, on-page change history, SERP analysis, and brand/authority signals

⭐️ Cyrus Shepard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrusshepard/

⭐️ Cyrus Shepard on 𝕏 - https://x.com/CyrusShepard

⭐️ Cyrus Shepard on Threads - https://www.threads.com/@cyrusshepard

⭐️ Cyrus Shepard’s agency - https://zyppy.com/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Foundational Links for New Websites 03:16 Unique Research and Data as Linkable Assets 05:02 SEO Tools and Their Impact 10:06 Competitor Analysis and Keyword Strategy 16:38 Personal Experience in SEO Content 28:15 Mobile-First Approach and Quality Raters’ Insights 34:20 Google Search Console's Crawl Stats 34:49 Strategies for Getting Google to Crawl Your Links 35:11 Effective Use of Sitemaps and URL Structures 36:00 Tips for Newbie SEOs 36:25 The Importance of Homepage Links 37:23 Utilizing Hub Pages and Category Pages 38:57 Content is King: Myth or Reality? 39:54 The Cyrus Shepard Method of SEO 40:52 Content Refresh Strategies 43:09 Recovering from Google's Helpful Content Update 46:32 Overcomplicating SEO: Common Pitfalls 51:33 The Power of Social Sharing for SEO 54:31 Linkable Assets: A Game-Changer for SEO 01:02:11 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#linkbuilding #backlinks #seotips #searchengineoptimization