Every marketing manager or site owner in charge of link-building is bound to find themselves in a link-building rut sooner or later. Since Google has made building “natural” links so much harder than it used to be, finding new and valuable link-building opportunities is more like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack than ever. Everyone has bad days where they feel burnt out; the passion is gone, the inspiration is waning, and the thought of building another link makes your stomach hurt a little bit. You’re in the link-building rut.
 
Here are 3 ways you can get out of your link-building rut:
1. Look at something other than the Internet.
Granted, you can’t build links from newspapers or TV commercials, but looking at other mediums for inspiration is never a bad idea. Maybe you’ll come across a great ad that inspires your next link-building move. Maybe Getting Out of Your Link Building Rutyou’ll hear about a new company that your website could partner with. Or maybe just taking a little break from the world of online link-building will give you a fresh perspective the next time you open up your browser.
 
2. Look back at your missed opportunities.
What are those great links you tried for and missed? Why not go after them again? If it was a fantastic guest blogging opportunity maybe you can pitch new ideas or demonstrate how your writing skills have evolved since the last time you contacted the site. If there was some conference last year that you didn’t get to attend why not go this year and see if you can be a presenter, and not just have a booth? Those missed opportunities are still viable link-building options, so why not give them a second go?
 
3. Look at what the competition is doing.
You are not the only one out there in your niche looking to build links. So if you are stuck in a link-building rut why not see if the competition has done something that your site could also benefit from? I’m not suggesting you copy the competitor’s link-building campaign link for link, but link smarter, not harder!  If your competitors have a few great links that you can also jump on why not take that opportunity? SEO tools like Moz’s Open Site Explorer can give you an under-the-hood look at your competitor’s link profile.
 
These are just three ways you can break out of your link-building rut and still keep building links. Sometimes though, the best thing you can do is walk away from the computer for a little while and give yourself a mental break. Take a walk, work on some other aspect of your SEO program, help a co-worker out with their project–something that has nothing to do with link building and give your brain time to reset itself and approach link building with fresh eyes.