Link building is an essential component of modern SEO. Link building is the practice of obtaining links pointing to your domain from other websites, usually publishers. Each link you build to your domain adds “authority” to it. With time, you’ll accrue more links from better publishers, increasing your trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.

A solid link building strategy can support a powerful SEO campaign. But if your strategy becomes stale and static, the benefits will fade.

What can you do to refresh a stale SEO strategy and reap its full benefits?

Problems of a link building strategy

If you keep ranking well and getting lots of organic traffic, there may be no harm in consulting the same sources and building the same links. After all, it worked so far. But following a stale campaign has several drawbacks:

• Diminishing returns

Building multiple links on the same domain has some benefits. You’ll instantly get more brand exposure and referral traffic. However, each link you build on a domain reduces its authority. In other words, adding more links to the same source reduces returns. To counteract this, constantly seek out new publishers and link sources.

• Chances for competitors

Allowing your campaign to stagnate allows competitors to easily outrank you. If you let your guard down and stop investing in continuous improvement, your competitors will be able to exploit your negligence.

• No vertical growth

Most people know that reaching new publishers is critical to link building success. Rather than just growing horizontally, you should start growing vertically, reaching bigger and more influential publishers. Aiming for bigger and better publishers requires better content and pushing the envelope.

• Boredom and quality decline

Boredom, complacency, and a decline in quality are all symptoms of “stale” link building campaigns. You might get bored or frustrated with the process if you’re used to building links or writing certain types of content. This lowers the quality of the material you produce. Boredom can be a great motivator, so this may help you come up with something new for your campaign.

• Ignorance of newcomers

To stay on the cutting edge of your industry while also remaining relevant to your audience, you must constantly seek out new publishers. You might miss a newcomer in your field. Keeping yourself challenged and adapting your strategy will help you discover and utilize new sources.

Ideas for a change

If your link building campaign is getting stale, try these tactics to refresh it:

• Work with other writers

Working alone can be intimidating, so consider collaborating with a new writer, link builder, or publisher. You may be able to create entirely new types of content or explore previously inaccessible development paths.

• Copy a rival’s publishing strategy

Keep an eye on your competitors. What content do they write? Who publishes? How are their links? Then you can either come up with a completely new idea or exploit their best tactics.

• Solicit new ideas from editors

Talk to your editors and publishers. They may have contacts with other publishers or new ideas for content writing.

• Create a new link type

Consider diversifying your online link-building strategy. Making a donation to a charity, or networking with local groups could all be hugely beneficial.

• Outsource your plan

Consider completely outsourcing your link building strategy. Let someone else be creative!

Your link building strategy doesn’t have to be completely unique or ever-changing to benefit your domain. To maximize your potential, you must constantly evaluate and adapt your efforts. One of the best things you can do for your campaign is keep it fresh.