Exchanging website links with the other wedding vendors you work with is a great way to get more online visibility, build traffic to your website, and book more weddings.
Inbound links to your site will also help your rankings at Google. Why? Google sees inbound links to your website from other thematically similar websites as a “vote of confidence” for your business. It creates TRUST and AUTHORITY for your website, both which are heavily weighted ranking variables.
Unfortunately, link exchanges are harder to get than you might think. Everyone says “Sure, let’s do it,” but then it never happens.
Try a bit harder and be persistent. Trust me, link building is a WIN-WIN and generates great long-term results.
I recommend that you create a business card-size “Link Exchange Offer” instructional card and hand them out at networking events and weddings where you meet other vendors. Always have them ready to give out!
Have your company information and link ready to quickly send to someone who agrees to a link exchange with you. Keep it handy in a digital notepad like Evernote (http://evernote.com).
Action Items
- Create a “Friends of….” page or blog post at your website where you will place link exchanges.
You might also promote these vendors on your Facebook page from time to time. It creates a tremendous amount of goodwill. Just copy-and-paste the content from your “Friends of…” page or blog post to Facebook. - Create a business card size Link Exchange Offer with instructions. You can get 200 of them for under $30 at VistaPrint (http://vistaprint.com).
- Check the listings and links with any of your professional associations and local business groups that have online member directories. Make sure they include an up-to-date description of your company along with a link to your website (that works properly!).
