Consider for a minute my son's website for grass mowing, grassattacker.com. Obviously this is a very small target group in our town, but think of the ideas and marketing opportunities that could come from something like this. By creating a website for 'my client', I've not only provided a way for him to increase revenue, but in this case I'll be along with him (cutting grass all summer?!), and I'll have the opportunity to market my skills in a non-intrusive manner to obviously web-savvy people.

Do you have a friend or colleague that has a business and website? A complimentary website could be the answer to your business needs. If you were in the flower selling business, why not hook up with a DJ service in your town? Both of you could then share leads on upcoming weddings. You could point business to them, and them to you. Complimentary businesses could boost your revenues dramatically. And complimentary websites that cross-link also increase your Google placement.

Working with complimentary businesses will help you become a leader in your area. If other businesses are recommending you, you've already got an advantage on your competition. In our example, a young groom and bride that hear about your flower company from their DJ service is more likely to visit/call you first, assuming they were happy with the DJ business.

Think about merchants that you conduct regular business with, and if they compliment yours in some way, approach them about 'sharing the wealth'. It wouldn't hurt to ask!

William Hanke

Will Hanke runs Lighthouse Technologies, a web design and hosting firm. He is also the author of The Hosting Refugee (hostingrefugee.com) and The Webma$ter Smartass (webmastersmartass.com).