Guide on How to Identify and Navigate the Blue Ocean of Link Building Strategy

In the world of SEO, link building is a crucial component for improving search engine rankings. However, with Google’s strict policies and the increasing competition, it has become more challenging to execute effective link building strategies. To stand out from the crowd and achieve success in link building, it’s essential to think outside the box and identify untapped opportunities. This is where the concept of the Blue Ocean Strategy comes into play. In this article, we will explore how to apply the principles of the Blue Ocean Strategy to link building and discover new growth avenues for your website.

Understanding the Blue Ocean Strategy

The Blue Ocean Strategy is a business planning approach developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. It focuses on carving out new, unexplored market territories, known as “blue oceans,” rather than competing in existing, crowded markets, referred to as “red oceans.” In red oceans, businesses face intense rivalry and struggle to differentiate themselves. On the other hand, blue oceans represent fresh market areas ripe for innovation and devoid of fierce competition.

By applying the Blue Ocean Strategy to link building, we can move away from overused and saturated tactics and venture into innovative, less competitive, and more value-driven approaches to earn backlinks that build our site’s reputation.

Finding Your Blue Ocean in Link Building

To identify your blue ocean in link building, you need to explore new strategies and tactics that differentiate you from the competition. Here are some key areas to focus on:

1. Innovative Content Creation

Instead of creating content that everyone else in your industry is producing, focus on unique, helpful content that addresses gaps in the market. The Skyscraper technique is a good example of a link building strategy that found a blue ocean when many link builders were playing in a red ocean. This technique involves creating content that surpasses the quality of existing top-ranking content on a particular topic. By offering more value to your audience, you can attract natural backlinks from authoritative websites.

2. Untapped Platforms

Instead of relying solely on traditional link building techniques like guest blogging, explore methods that haven’t been saturated by competitors. Look for untapped platforms where you can distribute linkable content, such as niche forums, emerging social media platforms, or collaboration with complementary industries. These platforms may offer less competition and provide unique opportunities for building backlinks.

3. Building Relationships

Rather than engaging in transactional link building practices like paid links or link exchanges, focus on building genuine relationships with industry influencers, bloggers, and even competitors. Building strong relationships can lead to organic link building opportunities in the long run. By providing value and fostering genuine connections, you increase the likelihood of earning high-quality backlinks.

4. Value-First Approach

When reaching out for link building opportunities, always offer undeniable value. This could be in the form of original research, expert insights, or exclusive content that the linking site’s audience would find beneficial. By providing valuable resources, you increase the chances of other websites linking back to your content.

5. Diversification

Instead of relying on one or two methods, diversify your link building tactics to explore multiple blue oceans. This could involve a mix of digital PR, collaborations, podcasts, and more. By diversifying your strategies, you reduce the risk of relying too heavily on a single approach and increase your chances of success.

The Benefits of Applying the Blue Ocean Strategy

Applying the Blue Ocean Strategy to link building offers several benefits. Firstly, it encourages creativity and innovation in your content strategy. By shifting from overused “red ocean” tactics to innovative “blue ocean” methods, you can differentiate yourself from competitors and attract more attention from your target audience.

Secondly, the Blue Ocean Strategy helps you tap into new growth avenues. By exploring untapped platforms and building relationships with influencers, you can expand your reach and gain exposure to new audiences. This can lead to increased brand awareness and more organic backlinks.

Lastly, the Blue Ocean Strategy aligns with Google’s guidelines for maximizing visibility in search engines. By creating helpful and valuable content, you establish yourself as an authority in your niche and improve your chances of ranking well in search results.

Applying the Blue Ocean Strategy to Your Link Building Campaign

Now that you understand the concept of the Blue Ocean Strategy and its relevance to link building, let’s explore how to apply it to your own campaign. Here are the steps you can follow:

Step 1: Set Your Intentions

Start by setting clear intentions for your link building campaign. Remember that links should be a consequence of your creative marketing efforts, not the sole goal. Aim to create valuable content that resonates with your audience and attracts natural backlinks.

Step 2: Identify Your Area of Focus

Analyze your industry and identify areas where you can achieve a compelling win. Look for existing content that can be distributed or consider creating new content that fills gaps in the market. Balance the level of effort, complexity, and experience required for each strategy to determine the most achievable approach.

Step 3: Build a Cross-Functional Team

Assemble a cross-functional team comprising PR, content, SEO, and tech experts. This team will provide valuable insights, collaborate on the approach, and optimize their workflows to incorporate link building opportunities. Transparently share your approaches with this team to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure a unified strategy.

Step 4: Understand the Competitive Landscape

Analyze your direct and search engine competitors to identify their link building strategies. This will help you differentiate yourself and plan your own unique approach. Utilize tools and resources to gain insights into proven content marketing and link building models that can guide your differentiation.

Step 5: Identify Pain Points and Gaps

To truly stand out in the blue ocean, you need to identify pain points and gaps in the market. Create a user story map to understand the user’s journey and pinpoint specific pain points. Ask experts to generate specific questions and create a problem statement that addresses the pain points. By uncovering and addressing these pain points, you can develop a strategy that offers unique value to your audience.

Conclusion

The Blue Ocean Strategy offers a fresh perspective on link building, encouraging innovation and creativity in your approach. By applying the principles of the Blue Ocean Strategy, you can differentiate yourself from competitors, tap into new growth avenues, and maximize your visibility in search engines. Remember to focus on innovative content creation, explore untapped platforms, build relationships, offer value, and diversify your link building tactics. By thinking outside the box and venturing into the blue ocean, you can achieve link building success and elevate your website’s reputation.