15 cross-promotion ideas for websites (and how to run them well)

Cross-promotion ideas for websites all share one principle: two sites with overlapping audiences but different offers introduce each other to readers. It costs little more than time, it works for brand-new sites, and done honestly it builds trust instead of eroding it. Below are 15 formats, how to find the right partner, and the rules that keep partnerships clear of search engine trouble.

Published: 2026-09-28 · Satelo

Start with the right partner

The format matters less than the fit. A good partner has:

• An overlapping audience, not a competing offer. A wedding photographer and a florist; a budgeting app and a personal finance blog; a coffee roaster and a home-baking site.
• A similar size and quality. Partnerships between very unequal sites tend to feel one-sided and fizzle out. A free Quality Score check on both sites is a quick way to compare.
• Real readers. Check that the site has traffic and engagement, not just a domain metric. See how to check website traffic for free.
• Shared standards. If their content is sloppy or spammy, your name next to it hurts you.

Content ideas

1. Guest article swap

Each partner writes an original article for the other’s audience. Keep it useful, label it, and use rel="sponsored" on links where there is an exchange of value. A three-way or circular arrangement (A writes for B, B for C, C for A) looks more natural than a direct swap. Read the blogger collaboration guide for the process.

2. Expert roundup

Ask five to ten complementary site owners one question and publish their answers. Each contributor has a reason to share the piece.

3. Joint guide or study

Combine what each of you knows into one comprehensive resource: a checklist, a survey of your combined audiences, a price comparison. Both sites publish their own write-up and reference the shared work.

4. Interview exchange

Interview each other about your areas of expertise. Interviews are quick to produce and easy to make genuinely interesting.

5. Resource page mention

If you both maintain “tools we use” or “recommended reading” pages, include each other where it is honestly relevant.

Audience ideas

6. Newsletter swap

Each partner features the other in one newsletter issue: a short paragraph and a link to a specific useful page, not the homepage. Newsletters often outperform social posts because readers opted in.

7. Social media takeover

Run each other’s account for a day or post a collaborative thread or carousel. Agree the content in advance.

8. Joint webinar or live stream

Two experts, one useful topic, one registration page. Both promote it; both get the recording and attendee interest. Ask for consent before sharing attendee details between partners.

9. Podcast guest swap

If either of you has a podcast or video channel, invite the other as a guest.

10. Community co-hosting

Co-run a challenge, a monthly Q&A thread or a small online event in a community both audiences use.

Offer ideas

11. Bundle

Package complementary products or services with a combined discount: a template pack plus a course, a photo shoot plus a website setup.

12. Exclusive discount for the partner’s audience

A unique code per partner makes results easy to measure.

13. Joint giveaway

One prize from each partner. Check local rules for contests and avoid requiring actions that platforms prohibit.

14. Referral arrangement

Refer clients you cannot serve to each other. Formalise it if money changes hands, and disclose any commission to readers.

15. Co-branded free tool

A calculator, template or checklist built together and hosted on one site, with clear credit to both. Tools keep attracting visitors long after a campaign ends.

Cross-promotion ideas for websites compared

Example: two small sites, one quarter

A family-run campsite and a blog about hiking with kids in the same region decide to work together for three months:

• Month 1: the blogger writes an honest review of a weekend at the campsite, labelled as a partner visit. The campsite features the blog’s “first hike with toddlers” checklist in its booking confirmation email.
• Month 2: they publish a joint guide to five family-friendly trails near the campsite, hosted on the blog with photos from both.
• Month 3: a small giveaway: two nights at the campsite plus a printed trail guide, promoted in both newsletters.

Each step stands on its own as useful content or a real offer. Neither site depends on the links for the partnership to make sense, which is exactly what keeps it safe and worthwhile.

Agree the basics in writing

• Who does what, and by when
• Where each mention or article appears and for how long
• Labelling and link attributes
• How results will be measured and shared (UTM tags, discount codes)
• What happens if one side wants to end the partnership

A short email both sides reply “agreed” to is usually enough for small collaborations.

Also agree on tone. If one partner writes casually and the other formally, a quick look at each other’s recent posts before drafting saves an awkward round of edits. And set a review date, for example after three months, to decide together whether to continue, change the format or wrap up on good terms.

Measure what each partnership brings

Give every partner a unique UTM-tagged link or discount code. After each campaign, note referral visits, sign-ups or sales, and the time spent. Keep the partners whose audiences respond and politely let the others go. Three strong partnerships usually beat fifteen weak ones.

Stay on the right side of search engine rules

Google’s spam policies list “excessive link exchanges (‘Link to me and I’ll link to you’) or partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking” as an example of a link scheme. That does not ban partnerships; it targets arrangements whose main purpose is links. In practice:

• Make every collaboration worth doing even if links passed no ranking value.
• Label partner content and use rel="sponsored" where value was exchanged.
• Avoid sitewide footer links and “partners” pages full of unrelated sites.
• Prefer varied formats over one repeated link swap.

For a fuller discussion, see link exchange and Google’s rules.

A simple outreach message

“Hi Anna, I run [site], a blog about [topic] read mostly by [audience]. I’ve noticed your readers ask a lot about [related topic], which is our speciality. Would you be open to a [specific format], for example [concrete idea]? I’d promote it to our [newsletter/social] audience too. Happy to send an outline first.”

Specific beats generic. One clear idea gets more replies than “let’s collaborate somehow”.

If there is no reply after a week, one short follow-up is fine. After that, move on: a partner who is hard to reach before the collaboration will be harder to work with during it.

Next steps

Compare your site with potential partners using a free Quality Score check. If finding and coordinating partners is the hard part, Satelo’s exchange matches WordPress sites of similar quality and niche into article circles automatically: connect your site to start.

FAQ

Is cross-promotion bad for SEO?

Not when it is genuine. Google's spam policies target excessive link exchanges done for ranking purposes. Useful, labelled collaborations with rel=sponsored links where value is exchanged are fine.

How do I find cross-promotion partners?

Look for sites that serve the same audience with a different offer, of similar size and quality. Check their traffic and content before reaching out.

What is the easiest format to start with?

A newsletter swap or an interview exchange. Both take little time and show quickly whether the audiences overlap.

How do I measure results?

Use UTM tags or unique discount codes per partner and track referral visits, sign-ups and sales in your analytics.

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