But this whole internal speculation about what I know and what I want to become has lead me to thinking about the difference between a link development expert and a link development specialist. What are the differences? How can you tell one from the other? They’re both out there and they both want your business and your attention.

A link development specialist:

1. Spends a majority of their time building links, checking links, finding good sites, etc.
2. Quite possibly enjoys link development, but doesn’t necessarily get that look in their eye when you hand them a sheet of links to analyze.
3. Is good at what they do and efficient at it too. They’ve been doing this for a bit, so they know the shortcuts and little tips that will make life that much easier.
4. They can hold their own in a link development conversation although they don’t necessarily get fired up about it all. In other words, they don’t scan the room for a white board to prove their point.
5. Knows the ins and outs of link development fairly well and likes to see those numbers climb every month.

On the other hand, a link development expert:

1. Spends all their time strategizing, planning, researching, organizing, analyzing and building links. They know that it’s more than just 500 directory submissions for one low price. It’s about quality.
2. Loves link development. They love nothing more than jumping on the computer to solve a “puzzle” when it comes to links from a competitor or something that may be hindering a client from ranking for a certain phrase.
3. Would rather spend hours cracking a tough case rather than take a shortcut with an answer that wouldn’t hold up in any court of law. They pride themselves on what they do and the level of analysis they take to get there.
4. They tend to run link development conversations. Not so much in that they only talk to hear their own voice or they dominate a conversation, but they ask thought-provoking questions that make the other participants stop and think. And I don’t know about other link developers, but I always like to have a white board handy.
5. Knows the ins and outs of link development fairly well. Cares more about quality of links and sustainability of a campaign rather than just the increase in link popularity. Takes time out to teach others and never minds helping a newcomer to the industry.

No doubt there are several other aspects that I have neglected here and I welcome comments about personality traits that I may have missed. As for me? I think I’m somewhere in between the two. But I am working every single day to climb the ranks.