It’s not the nature of business to give without a guaranteed return. Businesses are constantly accused of cynicism even when donating to charity because of this well-known fact. It simply doesn’t make sense for a business to offer something without knowing that something even better will be winging its way back.
All of this give-and-taking gets business into a certain mind set. This mind set is not always a beneficial one. For some things, particularly some areas of search engine optimisation and internet marketing, you can get a lot further by concentrating more on the ‘give’ and let the ‘take’ take care of itself.
*Giving to your site’s users. This is the biggest and most rewarding gift you can give in relation to search engine optimisation. It’s also the smartest. Offering your site’s users free, quality content and other little downloadable treats is an old and tested method of SEO. Allowing users to download a free application is also great for internet marketing and can lead to material going viral. Talk to us at SEO Consult Australia if you’re curious about the power of viral.
*Giving to the blogosphere. An excellent way to forge a relationship with a blogger is to mention their blog on your own or on your site generally. This shows that you have read their blog and indicates you are a fan. They are likely to be a little flattered and will be more open to helping you out by giving you a link. Even if they don’t, your site’s users will see that you’re engaged with their online community.
*Giving to other businesses. This is an even more anti-instinctive move, and one that can generate great returns. Developing a relationship with a complementary business is a great way to publicise your business with no financial investment. All it requires is a little giving on your part, in the form of publicity for someone else.
Sites have tapped into the potential of complementary business from time to time with their link strategies. In order to gain some quality inbound links, a site will approach a related business that is not a direct competitor and offer a link swap. The tactic is strictly against search engine rules, but usually goes under the radar as there’s no reason the businesses would not naturally link to each other.
It doesn’t often occur to businesses to take this one step further and offer complementary coverage. For example, if your site, Jim’s Fish Supplies, forges a link with a complementary site, All Pet Health, both businesses could benefit from customer referrals from the other. The way this is achieved is through recommendations. The Jim’s Fish Supplies Newsletter might note ‘for your guppy’s vitamins this year, visit our friends at All Pet Health’. In return, All Pet Health might note in the ‘fish’ section of their site that ‘guppy novelties are available at Jim’s Fish Supplies’. The relationship requires a fair amount of trust on both sides but not much else in the way of investment.
