How do you Build Links for Dull Industries

Link building has always been important in website design but for some industries, it is much easier than others. Let’s face it, certain businesses have an advantage when they are a bit more exciting and mainstream because of volume. But, how do you build links for dull industries? Who is going to want to link to a site the feel isn’t worthy simply because they are viewed as boring?

That is a great question which we would like to provide an answer to today. While being in a dull industry does make it more of a challenge, you still can run effective link-building campaigns once you understand the different methods you need to employ.

Importance of Link Building

There are a host of reasons why link building is essential to a successful SEO campaign which includes:

• Domain and Page Authority – The quality and quantity of inbound links is a ranking factor for Google. While this affects individual pages as page authority, the website as a whole is also measured for domain authority.
• Referral Traffic – Links that can be clicked on by viewers are another source of web traffic to your site.
• Brand Authority – When you regularly post strong, high-quality content pieces in various locations it increases your position as an industry leader.
• Trust and Credibility – When you are linked to higher-profile sites or publications even as a reference it is an important feather in your cap. Using badges or other indicators on your site showcase this which increases your trust and credibility.
• Long-Lasting – Link building efforts last as long as the link is active rather than a specified ending point like when you use paid advertisements.

Reviewing the Link Building Basics

Let’s start with a quick recap of what should be part of your link building process:

• Start with a plan – Your general link building plan and specific link building campaigns should always have a well-thought-out, written plan. This should outline your goals, determine all available resources and figure out what efforts will be undertaken.
• Conduct a backlink analysis – A backlink analysis will provide you with important information including the value of your existing links. This information can then be used in your plan as you look to add stronger or higher-ranking links over time. Additionally, this provides insights about underperforming links which may then prompt their removal.
• Research – Along with research about what you are working on, you should also be aware of what your competition is up to, which includes knowing where their links are coming from. There are tools available to help with this such as the Common Backlinks
• Create good content – This step needs to be mentioned because the content is the foundation of your SEO campaign. After all, people aren’t going to want to link to sites with low-quality content that has little value.
• Build relationships – This is one of the most important parts of any link building campaign; building relationships. Links shouldn’t be bought, begged for, or stolen; they should be earned from developing a good relationship and having great content which people will want to link to because they respect and trust you.

Building Links for Dull Industries

If your business is not exciting or flashy then you should look to consistently employ these ideas:

• Six Degrees of Separation – There is virtually no industry that stands wholly on its own. There are always connections to other industries that you interact with or impact either directly or indirectly. The key is to understand not only who uses your products or services but how they use them. Then you are in a position to create content that meets the needs of that audience.
• Focus on the Audience – It’s not necessarily the topic or industry that is boring, just how it is perceived. A creative person can make anything interesting if it is tailored to what the audience finds interesting. For example, if you go to a meeting of master gardener’s to trying and talk about your amazing iPhone they might not be that interested. But if you talk about all the ways the iPhone can specifically impact how they garden with various apps for weather, scheduling, etc. then they will be more interested.
• Remember those Serving You – Along with looking at those industries that use your products and services, you should also give attention to those businesses that provide you with goods and services. Remember, these businesses want you to stay and business and be successful because that means you will be a continuing source of revenue which might increase as your business does better. This can be utilized as additional sources of businesses to connect and link with.

It is when you combine these ideas that the real magic happens. What you are doing is creating content that will be valuable to the target companies in industries that have a connection to yours. When you craft incredible, useful, link-worthy content people will want to link to it if it appeals to their audience so your goal is to meet that need. Keep in mind this can be content you provide to them to post on their sites and then link back to yours, ghostwritten content, or content posted to your own site that you can then invite those businesses to link to.

This might seem like quite a bit of work compared to a standard link building campaign, you are right, it is. But that is one reason why it will help you in your quest to beat out the competition. There are many lazy people out there who simply won’t want to put in that extra effort and therefore won’t be gaining the rewards.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that most businesses will benefit from link-building as part of an overall well-rounded SEO plan. Even if your business isn’t considered flashy or exciting, you can still do well if you incorporate our ideas on how to build links for dull industries. After all, each one of those links adds to your overall ranking power which is integral to online success.

Be sure to check back every week for great new Lounge Lizard blog articles.