Link Exchanging, Best Practice or Old News?

Once upon a time, reciprocal links were the best way to build links to your business website. Now it’s thought that inbound links are king and the practice of reciprocal linking is dead - but that’s not true. Although link exchanges don’t really boost your site’s SEO, they will likely still bring some traffic to your site if the link is housed on a relevant and quality webpage. And for small businesses, referral traffic from other sites that have you listed as a preferred vendor, a recommended partner or the like, can increase your sales.

If you decide that exchanging links is for you, there are a few best practices that you should take note of. When reciprocating links with other small businesses, keep these simple tips in mind:

1. Only link to related businesses. There are a few problems with links from unrelated sites, some obvious and some less so:

• They’re less likely to get clicked. If I’m on a site looking for handmade candles, I probably won’t click on an unrelated recommended product. It’s really as simple as that - and leads me to the next point...
• They give both sites a bad reputation. Unrelated links give your new potential customer a bad impression. When you link to unrelated products and services, it screams spam, and that is not a word you want linked with your brand.
• You might be penalized for linking to low-quality sites. In April, Google announced the Penguin update, which penalizes websites that are loaded with low-quality links. You’ll also want to check periodically for broken links with a free link checking tool.

2. Make sure you can vouch for products and services. When you run a small business, recommendations that are posted on your business website are as good as recommendations from you. Before you link to another site and list them as a partner just to get links to your site out on the web, try out the product or ask to see work samples if you’re linking to a service. I’ve been in a situation where I recommended a service to a friend and it didn’t go well. Although the friend wasn’t upset with me, he very well could have been (and this situation could easily happen to someone who isn’t a friend, and will be upset).

3. Triple-check content on other sites that mentions you. I know firsthand how it is to run a small business and be (extremely) strapped for time. However, when your partners offer to link to your page, you should always have final say on what they write. If there is a blurb that describes your business, you should write it to keep your brand voice consistent. And don’t be afraid to ask for edits; the only way you’ll get traffic is with well-written content that describes your company.

The verdict on link exchanging? Go ahead and do it, but be careful. Remember that building backlinks to your site surrounded by content (like getting mentioned in a blog or article) is always best, but all quality links are good links. Have any questions or comments? Contact me at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com or leave a comment below.



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3 Steps to Get Started with Social Media

The internet is full of articles and advice about social media. Do this, not that. Post this, not that. You should be on this site, not that one. With so much contradictory information, it can be difficult to have any idea where to start.

The truth is, every single small business will have a different presence on social media, post in different ways and on different sites – and you can all be successful. Use this short guide to get started using social media to your advantage.

Step 1: Choose your platform

Facebook. Twitter. Google Plus. Instagram. Pinterest. And the list goes on. There are so many social media sites that it can be near impossible to figure out which one you should post to. My first tip is to only choose as many sites as you can keep up with. If that’s one site – perfect. If you choose five, that’s great too, just make sure you do them all well.

It’s important to consider what you’re selling. If you’re selling B2C, feel free to take advantage of the usual suspects like Facebook, Twitter, Google+. However, many direct to consumer companies find a lot of success on Pinterest and Instagram, so those might be a good place to start. Alternatively, companies that sell B2B might not do as well on Pinterest as they will on Twitter.

Step 2: Strategize

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make on social media is not having a plan. Social media is all about reaching a larger audience, so feel free to get a little personal to connect with your readers. However, posting about everything from your business to what you’re eating for dinner is a mistake. Sit down and make a plan:

• What you’ll post – What is your target audience interested in? If you’re selling clothing, post about industry trends and related topics. If you’re a band, post about music. It really is that simple. And to make deciding what to post even easier, set up an RSS feed like Feedly to get a constant stream of information.
• When you’ll post – Create a schedule that outlines the days and times you’ll post. Tools likeFollowerWonk for Twitter analyze your audience and tell you the best time to reach your fans.
• How you’ll post – Logging into each site and posting throughout the day is a lot of work. Employ an easy-to-use tool like Buffer to plan posts for the whole week. (And, bonus, it’s integrated with Feedly!)

Step 3: Put yourself out there

You’ve chosen your platform, your target market, and made your plan. Now get out there and do it! Remember, everything you post won’t get liked, shared or retweeted – so don’t get discouraged. It will take a while to gain a solid following.

Getting started on social media really is as easy as the steps outlined above. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me a note at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com or leave a comment below!