None of these are “sneaky” in the sense of being gray-hat SEO or even immoral – they’re perfectly square strategies to become recognized as an expert on your topic. But they’re all strategies beyond “blog and hope” and link-mining, too. Consider what each of these content ideas can do for your ranking:

1. Interview a famous expert in your field – can’t get the Google Juice away from your competitor? Why not invite them to speak on your dime? Do a podcast interview with a leading expert in the field of your site’s focus. Many experts in small fields seek greater publicity, and there’s nothing like an interview invitation to boost somebody’s ego. Now Famous Competitor is linked to your site inextricably!

2. Create an infographic. – It’s easy, there’s tutorials out there. (See what we did there? Googled “infographic tutorial” and up pops – an infographic about making infographics!) Infographics appeal to the image-browser user, and they get traded and swapped around the web – always with your site’s logo, address, and spiel at the bottom, of course.

3. Publish a glossary – This is a time-tested strategy for pulling in text hits without keyword-stuffing. Post a list of terms common to your industry with definitions. This will also appeal to the novice looking to get into your field. Make it at least partly commonly-searched-for terms.

4. Host a Wiki – Similar to the glossary strategy, this is another dandy way to pull in search traffic for keywords. Plus you can let users enter content on their own, so you can crowd-source a Wiki very easily. Get links from Wiki directories. Empower users by giving them a smidgen of control. Learn new things from users who are already interested in your site’s subject.

5. Publish reviews of products and services related to your field. – Just like #1, this is another way to leech search hits from a target even if you don’t provide that particular service or product yourself. The affiliate link if the maker likes your review is worth the while.