While link exchange is certainly not uniquely Dutch, it’s a very common practice among SEO and digital marketing agencies of various sizes in the Netherlands. Here you’ll find everything you need to know to successfully exchange your links.  

Outreach 

• English. Translating your mail to Dutch is unnecessary and often cumbersome. Everyone can read and write English in the Netherlands.  
• Be direct. The Dutch have a direct communication style. Explain frankly what you want and what you offer in return.  

Exchange 

• Ratio. Often, the ratio is: 1 partner page link = 2 directory links, 1 guest blog with 2 links = 2 partner page links. An HQ or Startpagina.nl link = 2 partner page links.  
• Indefinite. The links are placed indefinite, or until the website is sold.  

Tools 

• Standard mail templates. From outreach to interest, placement and confirmation, standard mails can be used as a basis for your communication. 

• Link & Blog exchange. Not receiving any mails for link exchanges and don’t know how to contact? Try this platform for setting up exchanges: Blogexchange.nl. 
• URL opener. Use a tool for opening lots of urls at once, like the one of Blossom your Content; Blossomyourcontent.eu/url-opener.  
• Link checker. Try our béta-version link checker! Copy/paste your links with ULS and anchors and press check. Try Usual suspects or Full Domain search for extra check. Due to technical reasons, it won’t cover 100% but this tool will save you time! https://blossomyourcontent.eu/link-checker/

Best practices 

• Stay courteous. Make your mails relevant for the reader and not completely copy/paste. It will make your mails more successful and the contact more pleasant.  
• Update. Typically, links are placed within days and blogs are placed within a week. If it takes you longer, update your contact proactively.  

• Verify the metrics. Don’t assume the metrics shown in the contact’s Excel spreadsheet are up to date. The most valuable metric is the site traffic according to Ahrefs.  
• Share the partner page. Where on your website did you place the link? Give the direct URL to save the other person a bit of time.  
• Find the partner page. So the other person didn’t tell you where they placed your link and you have to manually look them up. Try these slugs: /partners/, /vrienden/, /tips/, /handig/.  
• Check the indexation. When the partner page is not shown in the navigation menu, there is the possibility that the partner page is not indexed at all by Google and the link is not worth anything. Google the full url with quotations marks, like: “https://alice-meubelen.nl/partners/”. No result means no indexation. Ask for another link or suggest them to place the page in the navigation.  

Keep in contact! People with a big exchange lists and the right attitude love working together, because they can easily set up a big exchange again and again.