Wait a minute! Why not accomplish both goals at the same time? By working with your current link exchange partners, and other website owners with businesses that complement yours, both goals are achievable.
Every website requires new content to provide interesting information for your site visitors. The same old stale articles won’t bring in much in the way of return traffic.
The various search engines give extra credit for site freshness and incoming links. Every article you provide to other webmasters provides them with new content. It provides your site with a themed incoming link. The same holds true for guest articles hosted on your site.
Trading articles with other webmasters will provide fresh content, along with more incoming links. Both help your online business, and those of your article partners, to reach their desired goals.
Finding the article partners
The first step to finding article trading partners is to contact your current link exchange partners. With a suspected decline in the value of link swaps, it’s a great time to upgrade those link relationships.
The existing links are probably on a non-themed links page. They probably have weak link anchor text. They are not getting the job done in the search engines or from visitor clicks. Guest articles strengthen every one of those weaknesses.
Another group of ideal article swappers are webmasters in businesses that relate to yours, but who are not direct competitors.
For example, if a site specializes in wedding gowns, then flower sites, limousine services, and men’s formal wear sites would make ideal article exchange sites. Columns on weddings in general, touching on the site’s main topic, would add themed content and incoming links. Both sites benefit as a result.
Checking with friends, who have unrelated sites or blogs can also provide guest article opportunities. Friends are very likely to swap articles with one another, gaining a link in the process.
Bloggers are constantly in search of blog posting ideas, and they are usually prolific writers. Many blogs have huge and loyal followings, providing a large and diverse fresh traffic influx to your site. Guest blogging on one another's blog is an ideal way to introduce yourself and your blog to new readers.
Many good article exchange sites already exist on the internet. Placement of your newly written article and use of another already posted article provides several positives.
Besides the fresh content, the authors are introduced to one another, opening up more possible exchanges in the future. After all, the swap is made with a writer of an already known quantity. That fact bodes well for future transactions.
Writing the article
It’s important the exchanged articles are relevant to both websites without being blatantly self promotional. The best traded content fits seamlessly with the information already appearing on the receiving site.
Returning to our example, travel site can contribute information on honeymoon trip planning to a wedding site. The returned article can recommend techniques of working with newlyweds as a target travel market. Both websites receive important fresh relevant content, with value for both their visitors and for the search engines.
Be sure to add a brief author’s biography, and a short unbiased description of the home website. Providing impartial information, along with the article, provides more credibility than marketing copy. There is plenty of opportunity, to convert the visitor traffic to customers, when they click on the link to your site.
Be sure to remember to add that link back to your website. As with all incoming links, it’s expected the link anchor text contains your most important keyword phrases.
There is another possible benefit available in this situation, however. Within the link text itself, there is an opportunity to aim directly, at the target market segment reading the article.
Alternative anchor text gives you another set of important keywords, to attract potential customers, and gain added search engine value. Remember, the goal of the article is primarily visitor traffic, with the search engines only a secondary concern.
Trading articles is a great way for two webmasters to help one another, and receive some very tangible benefits. It’s a true win-win situation for everyone.
