What do you do?

I’ve been there. Without a doubt, I’ve been there. And there is definitely something to do about it. Whenever I hear someone on my team say, “I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find any more relevant leads” I know we have a problem for two reasons.

1. Link building never ends. Link building ends where the internet stops. I haven’t found that place yet so there’s still work to do.
2. Nothing stays stagnant and that includes strategies. If you’re still using the same link building strategy that you set up 18 months ago, it’s time for a new strategy.

Given those two statements, let’s look at some options.

Reassess Your Initial Strategy

Like I said before, strategies that are months (or worse, years) old are in need of some revisions. Why? Because the online space changes everyday. Don’t believe me? Take a quick peek at this little tool we call Twitter and tell me that the internet is the same as it was a year ago. Ask Google how different things were after a year or two of operation.

That’s one beautiful thing about the internet; things can change. Fast. So go back to your strategy and evaluate your goals. Are they still relevant? Which ones have been met and which ones need to be changed? Better yet, establish some goals if you haven’t already. I’m not just talking about #1 rankings for keywords. What milestones do you have in place? Number of links to a certain page or to a site as a whole? Traffic goals? What about goals in regards to brand searches? Set these up and then figure out a plan to get there. If you do a thorough evaluation of your strategy and it still stands, move on. But don’t assume that it’s fine and not bother to check it. Do the footwork even if it says that you’re still on the right path.

Identify Keywords

This really falls into two categories:

1. Are the keywords that you’re targeting in your campaign still the “right” ones to focus on? Have searching trends shifted so that your initial keywords are no longer valid? Are there new ones that you haven’t touched yet?
2. Identify the keywords that haven’t budged in awhile. If the answer to this one is “all of them,” pick some priority keywords and craft micro (or “mini” if you prefer) strategies to craft some focused link building tactics.

List Your Pitfalls (Chances are, there’s more than one)

Ask yourself a very simple question:

Why aren’t people linking to my / my client’s site?

Could it be your approach in your emails? Lack of content on the site? Too broad of a target market for link leads? Too niche? Too competitive? Create a list and see what you come up with. Be realistic. In fact, be brutally honest in your assessment. It will only help if you look at things in the right context. From there, come up with action plans to change your issues.

Lack of content = Content Strategy

Bad Email Requests = Change Your Approach

Too Broad of a Market = Pick a Niche and Move Forward

I think you get the point.

Have (Another) Brainstorm Session

I love link building brainstorm sessions. Take the information you’ve garnered from the first few steps and have another session (I’m assuming you’ve already had one). I already covered this topic in another post (pretty thoroughly, if I do say so myself) but the point is, get some fresh people in the room and hash out some new ideas.

First, understand that this post is not meant to be a fix-all. This is just a snapshot of my methodology. And it certainly doesn’t apply to every industry or site out there. I would be insane to make such a broad statement. But perhaps bits and pieces of this coupled with your own ideas would help kick things back into gear.

Photo Credit: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/wp-images/dead-end.jpg

When it comes to link development, many feel that they are all by themselves in the big, bad world of link requests and directory submissions. That certainly is not the case. Yet many link builders (either paid or suckers volunteers) get lost, overwhelmed and feel as though no one can do what they are doing.

Fear no more! Help is here! And it comes in many different forms.

1. Writers – We all know that valuable content attracts links especially when the content is:

• Interesting
• Attention-grabbing
• Timely
• Relevant
• Equipped with a catchy title

Working with writers will help you reach out beyond the mundane directory submissions that encompass a lot of our time. Having valuable content to present to another site can get you some great links from valuable domains.

2. SEO Strategy Experts. These guys (and gals) should have a ton of insight into industry research, competitors and the targeted (and most coveted) keywords to go after.

3. The Data Junky. Those analytics types blow my mind. I should know, I’m related to one. They are able to look at things in a different, and “unique” manner that will help you in both strategy and execution. Not to mention measuring the effectiveness of your link building efforts. Looking beyond the Site Explorer numbers is critical, but where do you look? How do you know you’re doing “well?” The analytics friends that you encounter along the way will be beneficial beyond compare. Even if they do have an unhealthy affinity for Star Trek.

4. Social Media Gurus. You know the type. Have their own blog, twitter all throughout the day, facebook friends galore… they know everything about social media before the mainsteam crowd does. And they know what works and what doesn’t. Having some insight into the popular and upcoming trends is a huge benefit when it comes to link development, especially ground breaking ideas like link bait concepts. Make them your friends and try to keep up. With friends like these, you’ll need some high tech running shoes.

Now, you may not be on a team as diverse as this where you are working. I am fortunate as I work with a ton of brilliant people. But they are out there. And you will be able to find them the more that you reach out.