It’s true that every niche is different. Not just in terms of topics discussed but also size.
Meaning, a highly-competitive niche such as digital marketing has no shortage of link prospects.
A smaller niche like coworking space management, on the other hand, is going to be much more limited.
But regardless of the niche you’re in, link building is instrumental to overtaking your competition on search engine results pages.
In this article, we’ll skip any strategies that might only work in larger niches and focus on the only niche link building techniques that works for everybody: niche edits (aka link insertions).
Let’s begin.
Link building cheat sheet
What is Niche Link Building?
Niche link building, also known as niche editing or link insertions, is a focused strategy that zeroes in on existing content within your specific industry.
It involves identifying articles or web pages that already mention your target keywords, but aren’t direct competitors.
You then reach out to the site owner to propose a collaboration, often structured as an ABC exchange to maintain Google’s guidelines.
Strategies like the skyscraper technique or broken link building, which rely heavily on analyzing competitors’ backlink profiles, which may be limited in smaller niches, can be less effective in these situations.
Niche edit link building, however, remains consistent.
Even in the smallest niches, you can typically find a hundred or two relevant opportunities for link insertions.
In addition, websites in small niches are typically much more receptive to link building emails (as long as you’re providing something in return) because they don’t receive hundreds of them on a daily basis.
Start with Link-Worthy Content
To effectively build niche edit links, you’ll need content that goes beyond your standard home and product pages.
These pages are near impossible to build niche backlinks for organically, without resorting to paying for your link placement.
The idea is to create content that proviвуі genuine value to your audience.
This means covering a wide range of keywords relevant to your niche, and offering something that other websites and bloggers will want to reference.
Consider creating:
- Informative blog posts
- Curated listicles
- Original data studies
- Free tools & other freebies
For inspiration, check out Ahrefs’ website – it has all of these, executed to perfection.
While these types of content will naturally attract some niche relevant links, it’s important to set realistic expectations.
Yes, they will get you links organically – but don’t expect a miracle.
Especially in smaller niches, the primary purpose of creating this content is to have something to build links to, not create a passive link magnet.
You have to be proactively building links, otherwise you might just get a handful of links and that’s it.
How to Find Niche Edit Opportunities
Now, on to how to find contextual link insertion opportunities.
For this, you’re going to need Google and a bit of patience. Along with a few advanced search operators.
The goal here is to find highly relevant websites that have already mentioned your target keywords within their content, but aren’t direct competitors.
It’s about precision and relevance, not blasting out a million generic emails and hoping for the best.
Let’s use the “remote team collaboration tools” anchor text as a pretty niche example. To find these opportunities, we’ll use a specific Google search string:
inurl:blog intext:”remote team collaboration tools” -intitle:”remote team” -intitle:”collaboration” -intitle:”tools”
Here’s what each bit does:
- inurl:blog: returns ONLY pages that are part of a blog.
- intext:”remote team collaboration tools”: This ensures that the exact phrase appears within the body of the content.
- -intitle:”remote team” -intitle:”collaboration” -intitle:”tools”: This is important. By individually excluding “remote team,” “collaboration,” and “tools” from the title, we’re filtering out pages that might mention some variation of these words and saving time on running multiple searches.
Here’s an example of a page found through this search:
It’s a non-competing blog post by a company that does not sell a remote team collaboration tool.
So, this would be a prime opportunity for you (if you sell such a tool). The same logic applies to every other niche, no matter how big or small.
Now, obviously, not every niche site is going to be a good link building opportunity, so let’s talk a bit more about how to vet them.
Vet Websites Before Outreach
First and foremost, a super heavy emphasis must be placed on non-competitiveness.
Before reaching out, meticulously double-check that your prospect doesn’t have any similar content or sell similar products.
Don’t waste time by reaching out to competitors.
Once that’s out of the way, check the referring domains’ metrics.
Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to get a feel for the website’s overall traffic and authority.
Higher traffic translates to greater potential exposure for your link, and a strong Domain Rating (DR) signifies a more valuable backlink due to the website’s established authority.
As a rule of thumb, focus only on sites that are getting at least 1000 organic traffic per month. The DR range will depend on your own site’s Domain Rating.
But, as you know, traffic may vary heavily on a page-by-page basis. So, the next step is to check that.
A page that gets zero traffic still passes link juice, but needless to say, it’s way better to have real referral traffic flowing through it as well.
Once you have a list of link building opportunities, it’s time to find contact information of the people responsible for these pages, and prepare for outreach.
You can spend hours doing it manually or daisy-chaining a dozen different solutions for each step of the process, or you could use Respona, which is tailor-made specifically for niche link building.
Speed it Up with Respona
Respona understands that niche link building requires precision and automation.
That’s why it provides a dedicated campaign template specifically for link insertions.
This isn’t just a simple email template; it’s a comprehensive framework that handles the entire workflow, from email sequences to bulk opportunity searches, and, of course, AI personalization.
By simply inputting the URL of the article you want to build high quality backlinks to, along with your target keywords, niche, and a brief description, Respona sets up the foundation for your campaign.
You can also add an incentive for your prospect, such as an indirect link back, to increase your chances of success.
The platform then guides you through creating your email sequence.
Prepare Your Sequence
While Respona offers a pre-designed sequence as a starting point, we strongly encourage you to experiment with it and find a format that works for you specifically.
You can tweak the wording, add unsubscribe links, check for spam words and even utilize the AI-powered Icebreaker feature to generate personalized and engaging opening lines for each email.
This feature is particularly valuable for creating a strong first impression and increasing your response rate.
In the next step, Respona automates the search for relevant websites and contact information – at the same time.
Find Opportunities
Respona runs multiple Google searches using the advanced search engines operators we’ve discussed, identifying potential opportunities and digging up the contact information of the appropriate individuals.
It also automatically filters opportunities based on your chosen SEO filters.
Of course, you can also change the email finder settings to fit your specific criteria.
This includes job titles, seniority levels, and the option to use or skip generic and catch-all emails.
On this same screen, you can also provide the AI with instructions for your writing style.
This ensures that your outreach feels genuine and tailored to each recipient, increasing the likelihood of a positive response.
From here, Respona will find niche link building opportunities for you, along with their contact information – and personalize your outreach at the same time.
Review & Launch
The last step is to review and launch your campaign.
This is where you can make some final edits and review AI variables.
The tool also finds your prospects’ LinkedIn addresses – and we recommend sending them a connection request there as well to maximize your chances of getting a reply.
Last but not least, Respona will double-check that you don’t have any recent or duplicate contacts, and that all placeholders are filled.
Hit launch and wait for responses!
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
By following this niche link building strategy, you’ll be able to grow your backlink profile regardless of the size of your niche.
But, we still recommend you to dip your toes into other strategies such as skyscraper technique, and, of course, guest posting – even if it’s only going to get you a few results.
It’s still better than zero!
Need help with getting high quality links in your niche?
Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day free trial with Respona to see it in action.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the main advantage of niche link building?
Niche edit link building efforts focus on highly relevant websites within your specific industry, leading to more qualified traffic and improved search engine rankings.
It’s particularly effective for smaller niches where broader link building strategies might not yield as many results.
Why is non-competitiveness so important in niche link building?
Reaching out to competitors is unlikely to result in a backlink, as they are essentially fighting for the same audience and search engine ranking.
Focusing on non-competing websites that share a similar audience but offer different products or services increases your chances of securing valuable links.
How can I identify an authoritative website for niche link building?
Look for niche relevant websites with high domain authority, relevant traffic, and a strong reputation in your niche.
Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can help you assess these metrics.
Also, ensure the website’s content aligns with your target audience and the specific page you’re targeting receives a decent amount of traffic.
Is niche link building suitable for all niches?
Yes, niche link building works effectively in both large and small niches.
While larger niches may have more potential opportunities, smaller niches often have a higher success rate due to less competition and greater receptiveness to collaboration.
How can I improve my chances of success with niche link building?
Create high-quality, link-worthy content that provides genuine value to your target audience. Personalize your outreach emails and clearly demonstrate the mutual benefits of collaboration.
Using tools like Respona can automate and streamline the process, increasing your efficiency and chances of securing niche relevant backlinks.
