Renewable energy, ecofriendly business or ‘going green‘ are not new concepts, as companies like outdoor wear manufacturer Patagonia have been successful at balancing capitalism, profitability and responsibility. Since going green seems to be more popular than ever, and companies or individuals can take measures to tap into the natural powers of wind and solar for much cheaper than ever before, more and more companies are not only going green every day; but also developing new products which benefit the environment .
Going green or offering ecofriendly products is great for the Earth and developing a niche for your business, and it’s also a great way to build new links to your company website. For the past 10 years, I have worked with numerous companies which have offered products manufactured from recycled paper, printed with soy based inks or even offer solar panel installations.
Developing offers and businesses in such a passionate and driven niche has not only led to expanded brand loyalty, but also given these companies a competitive edge in the search marketing world, as ecofriendly or green companies attract high authority links via targeted press releases, ecofriendly business directories and renewable energy sites & blogs.
Green & EcoFriendly Directories and Portals
I’m going to share a secret with many of you. Linking is not only about helping with Google rankings, but can also deliver quality direct traffic and conversions to your business from the site that is linking to you. One example of a niche portal which sends very targeted traffic to the sites listed within it is EcoMall, a directory for ecofriendly online shopping.
Let’s forget that EcoMall is a quality authority site which has been active for nearly a decade and a link from EcoMall should highly assist your site’s Google rankings. The links themselves drive traffic and I have witnessed thousands of dollars in sales directly coming from EcoMall as a referral. What does this mean?
If your business passes the green test or sells ecofriendly products, the links you develop from eco sites which have their own loyal memberbase, is some of the most targeted marketing that can be done outside of organic and paid search. Being that ecofriendly consumers are serious about buying from responsible companies, these listings will drive sales.
Other similar portals and directories include :
- EcoBusinessLinks.com
- Organic Consumers
- Green People
- Green Home Guide
- EcoFirms.org
- Happy Hippie
Blogs & Public Relations
In addition to the basic green or ecofriendly directory listings, finding devoted ecobusiness or green bloggers to write about your company or your new green products is also a surefire way to not only build targeted links, but reach your target consumer.
For finding relevant blogs, I would suggest searching for green or reusable energy oriented terms in Google Blog Search or other Blog Search Engines, but sometimes it’s also easier to find the heavy hitters by sifting through targeted ecofriendly blog directories such as :
- Best Green Blogs
- Best of the Web : Sustainability Blogs
- Best of the Web : Energy Blogs
You can contact these bloggers to try to obtain links in their blog rolls, sponsor their blogs or if you have a newsworthy story, perhaps they can blog about you.
Also, do not forget to take a chance and approach some of the most authoritative and well read green blogs and news portals on the market. Remember, this is a loyal and devoted group of consumers, and if your company’s story is worth writing about, you will not only be gathering links from these big time sites, but also customers as that loyalty will be transferred to your business, like a warm and heart felt introduction.
- TreeHugger
- Green Yahoo
- The Green Guide
- Care2.com
- ENN : Environmental News Network
The web is a dream come true for businesses that offer solutions for loyal niche markets and the green or ecofriendly market is not only loyal, but growing substantially. Given the times, the more hit in the wallet people become by rising energy prices, the more they will look to save money, and environmental sustainability or renewable energy is now a cost effective way to do so, while also helping to give back to Mother Earth and sustain the life of the human species.
It’s a win-win situation for companies that offer such products to target these niche and loyal online portals, directories, blogs and email newsletters. Doing so in a smart manner will not only grow your company and its Google rankings, but also drive direct traffic and sales; which is an added bonus all around.
