I’ve often worked with clients on SEO or website design who have been advised to have a little black book on their website. A directory type page where they recommend other businesses to their visitors, they might be networking buddies, trusted clients and suppliers or maybe even affiliate schemes.
They’re told to do this because it helps to “build connections” with these other businesses, and there’s a “giver’s gain” to be found if one of your visitors does go on to buy from them. Maybe. I don’t buy it, tbh. Consumer psychology just doesn’t work like that.
But having a page like this could negatively impact your website’s search ranking and even the impression your customer’s may have of you, and that’s what I want to talk about in this blog.
Listing links is a bad idea
I think some people get confused about links on a website, they think that quantity is the key. And so the idea for linking networks was born. You’d have a page of links to other businesses and they’d have a page of links with your website on it, and you’ll generate some new traffic within this network to increase sales. Right?
Well, no, that’s wrong.
Google sees this kind of activity as spam. The links on your website should be relevant and contextual to your website. They should serve a purpose for the website itself. This might be to provide evidence for a claim you make by linking to a research paper, to link to a client featured in a testimonial, links to the graphic design work you’ve done so customers can see it for themselves, etc.
A black book of links to businesses doesn’t do this. It’s not supporting your website, it’s not reinforcing your core marketing message and it could see your website ranking decrease because Google thinks you’re being spammy to try and cheat their algorithms.
But referrals are a great form of marketing, right?
Referral marking is indeed a great way to get new clients, I’m not denying that. But, you can’t use all forms of marketing everywhere. Just like you wouldn’t have a printed ad you’ve put in your local newspaper on you website, or a list of your social media posts, nor should you attempt referral marketing here either.
At least, not on one page as a directory type affair.
We, as consumers, don’t cope well with lists. A few bullet points here and there, sure but a full page? It’s an instant turn off for most. I’m not talking about listicles – an article of a “top ten x” because they have some content in there too and there’s an actual purpose to it (often one of the items links back to a sale or product page on the website).
I’m talking about a page with names, logos and a link. For me, they just don’t work. I’ve been on a website for a virtual assistant because I’m interested in having someone help me with some admin tasks and I come across this page full of links to businesses about landscape design, funeral plans and window cleaning. What has that got to do with virtual assistance?
Now you might be thinking, well, some people might be needing a window cleaner so seeing one on a website could prompt you to contact them. Sure, maybe you’re right. But what is the actual likelihood of that? Most people will look at the first couple of links, see they’re not relevant to what they are looking for at the moment of time, i.e. a VA, and will just leave the page if not the entire website.
When visitors are on your website they are there with one purpose in mind – to answer their search query. Most of the time, they’ll visit the page Google takes them to and make contact after that if you’re a good fit for them. Some people may have a bit of an explore of your about page, maybe a few blogs but hardly anyone will look at every single page of your website.
So, more often than not, your black book page of links won’t get read at all.
It’s not serving your website, it’s seen as spam by Google, very few website visitors are going to even look at it, and if they do hardly anyone is going to be interested in clicking on any of the links to another business because it doesn’t serve their need in that moment.
You can recommend other businesses on your website
I’m not saying forget about recommending others completely. But there is a better way to be doing so, one that helps your website and helps the business your recommending far better than a link on a page can do.
Feature them in a blog post, or collaborate in a video, podcast or interview type article instead.
By doing this, you’re creating quality content for your website, you can make it relevant to your audience, it gives you some additional social media content that will reach a wider audience as the other business will share it too, and it’s not seen as spammy by Google.
Sure, it’s a little more work but you, and the businesses you’re recommending will reap far better rewards for doing so, which is the point after all.
