What is Guest Post Blogging – A Definitive Guide in 2023
Last Updated on 16th March 2023 by Ajmer Singh
Guest post blogging is a very popular way to get one of your posts out there on a different blog.
It’s usually used by large companies, SME owners and people who don’t have their own blog/site already running for a while.
How to get traffic from other sites?
To solve this problem, Digital Marketers have found a way to use Guest Blogging as an effective solution.
Guest posting helps share content so other marketers can benefit too.
But the success of this technique depends on how well you manage your efforts.
What is guest post blogging?
Guest posting is when you write an article for someone else on their website.
This could be any type of article, from reviews to tutorials or how-to articles.
In return, they will almost always put a link back to your site.
And sometimes they may add the logo of your company too (and this can help with search engine rankings).
Before you jump on board with guest posting,
It’s important to know both the good sides and the bad sides of it so you can make an informed decision.
The good sides of guest posting:
– You get free traffic from another site/blog with a huge audience of their own.
– Getting your name out there for potential clients to see who you are and what you can do.
– Building a relationship with a blogger or website owner may help in the future.
– Link building is the most common reason people blog on guest posts – but remember link building is now Google’s number 1 tabu.
This means that if your article gets picked up by anyone at all (99% chance it will as there are loads of ways), then just think you’re going to be penalised for those links being dropped from your site.
So this method isn’t as effective as it used to be (so don’t rely on links within your articles for ranking).
The bad sides of guest posting:
– You need to write an article for someone else, so not only you get credit/link back to your own site, but you also have to spend time writing an article that isn’t directly benefiting you at all.
– Your views will probably be split between the two sites e.g.
if you get 100 visitors per day on your site and 50 of them go to the other site because of the link in the post,
then it can be frustrating having less than half of what you usually get.
Also if there are any comments left under your name or brand on their blog it’s unlikely you’ll be notified.
This means you need to keep an eye on both sites for your own post, so it can be time-consuming if you do this regularly.
– It may get harder to rank in Google Search results; because you are publishing an article that has another link within it (which again will probably get dropped eventually)
And also because your views will be split between two websites, meaning less of your own site’s content is seen.
– If the site gets hacked or something similar happens then not only could they drop all of their links to you,
but it would look terrible if the entire blog was removed from the internet (i.e., nobody can find any articles under your name).
Guest blog in the same niche:
If you decide to go ahead with guest posting, what you should do is write for sites that are very similar to yours (same niche even if they’re smaller).
Why?
Because then there’s more chance of the link staying on the site
(compared to getting picked up by a big fish in an area that has hundreds/thousands of blogs; it’s easy for them not to get seen).
If you want to get more articles published, make sure they are written for someone who either doesn’t blog or hasn’t got many posts on their blog.
So your content ranks higher than theirs and after you’ve posted keep an eye on Google Analytics just in case.
This way you can see if lots of people leave their website straight away because of the link in your article.
Benefits of guest posting:
Guest posting can be a great way to build relationships with other bloggers or website owners, spread some awareness about your company/brand and get free traffic from another site.
Just make sure you understand all of the pros and cons before you make a final decision about it!
How to write a guest post that drives traffic?
This guide shows you how to make your content irresistible for bloggers so they’ll want to publish it on their blog (and hopefully link back to yours).
This tactic works extremely well because as well as driving traffic to your site,
guest blogging can also help you build relationships with people who could be extremely helpful for your future.
1. Find a popular keyword and optimise the article around it
This will make it easier for search engine spiders to find and rank your content.
This way more readers (and bloggers) will see it and therefore there’s a greater chance of getting picked up.
2. Create a catchy headline
Catchy headlines are one of the most important parts of your article as it will make people want to read more.
(if they think it’s boring or uninteresting, then there’s no way they’ll bother clicking through to see what you’ve written).
3. Write unique and helpful content
If it isn’t informative and doesn’t solve any of your reader’s problems then nobody will want to use it, which is what you need for successful guest blogging.
4. Use SEO friendly titles/subtitles
Just like your article’s title, using this for your blog post will help get it noticed by governing bodies.
If you want other people to trust you and link back to your site, they need to know who the person behind the article is.
Providing an in-depth bio, social media profiles and a photo will help show people you’re real (and not just spouting nonsense about their website).
6. Add images
This helps break up sections of your article and makes it easier to read.
It also shows other bloggers the quality of your work and gets them excited about publishing it on their site.
7. Promote your article
Once you’ve written and submitted it, make sure you tell as many people as possible (including the blogger who will publish it),
because this way there’s a greater chance of more people seeing it!
Why guest blogging?
So you’ve probably heard of guest blogging but you’re wondering why people do it?
What’s in it for the guest blogger and the person they’re writing for?
Well, here are 6 reasons why guest blogging can be extremely beneficial …
– Guest blogging helps build relationships with other bloggers.
– It’s a great opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge about a topic.
– It can help get more traffic to your site.
– It acts as free advertising for your website.
– You can get backlinks to boost your search engine rankings (making it easier for people to find your site).
– If you’re publishing an article on a popular blog it’ll be seen by thousands of readers
(and if they like the content, there’s a good chance they’ll link back to your site).
– Guest blogging helps you gain exposure so it can lead to more leads/sales because of increased brand awareness.
Tips to improve Guest blog performance!
– When writing a guest post, use real and fresh statistics.
– Provide useful and easy-to-understand information for your readers.
– Link out to other useful resources and share them with your audience through a hyperlink.
– Make sure that the blog where you publish your article has a good authority and domain rating.
– Don’t just copy content from other sources, instead, produce quality work that will keep people engaged.
– Use lists wherever possible to attract attention and encourage more people to read your content.
– Personalize as much as you can by adding your personality and experiences into what you write.
– Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, disagree with others or share unique perspectives.
– Show that you’re an expert on the topic by providing helpful tips and valuable information.
– If it’s appropriate, leave comments on other similar blogs to start a relationship.
– Guest blogging is not an overnight success technique. You need to learn and grow through experience so your audience can trust you.
FAQs about guest blogging!
Is guest blogging still a thing?
Yes, it is! In fact, some people claim that guest blogging is dead – but there are others who say it’s as strong as ever and only the format has changed.
Google is now looking for higher quality guest posts so just make sure you’re always producing content that will be beneficial to both the people who read it and the person who makes money from it
How do I guest post?
It’s actually pretty simple – all you need to do is send an email or message to someone asking if they want you to write something for them.
Provide lots of information about yourself, why they should say yes, what your article will be about and how long it’ll be.
Don’t just ask them to take a look at your article and tell you what they think – that won’t get you far!
How can I find guest blogging opportunities?
You can start by searching Google for blogs related to the topics you write about.
Some of these sites will have submission pages where you can send your article so you don’t have to email the blogger manually.
If not, look for an ‘About’ or ‘Contact’ page where you can get their email address and reach out to them that way.
What should I include in my guest blog?
– A catchy headline
if they’re not interested in the beginning then they won’t bother reading the rest!
– A brief intro about yourself
make sure to include your most important keywords.
– Add links/resources at the end of your article
this makes it easier for people to find you. You can also include lots of high-quality images and videos.
– Include a photo or some other form of eye candy
it’s all about standing out.
– Make sure your article is properly edited.
Is guest blogging worth the effort?
Yes, it definitely is. It’s a great way to get more exposure and traffic and build relationships with other people in the same industry as yourself
How will I know if my guest blogging efforts are successful?
There is no set metric for this.
Guest blogging in itself does not produce any direct revenue so it’s important to look at your efforts holistically.
Are more people visiting your site after you post or just when you publish a guest blog?
Are you getting more email subscribers from the content that you put out there? Is your social media following growing?
When you look at all of these together and see that there’s a positive trend then it’s safe to assume that your guest blogging has been successful.
How should I end a guest post?
Make sure that you conclude your article by reminding people what they’ve learnt from reading it.
If you were writing about the best tools that can help you to monitor your online presence,
make sure you include a link back to the original article where readers can find out more about each tool.
How long should my guest post be? Where can I publish it?
The minimum word count on most blogs is between 800-1000 words but if you can go higher, then do it.
Your guest blog will be more successful if you can create at least 2000 words of content.
As for where to publish your guest blog, there are thousands of sites out there that can accept contributions.
Start by looking at blogs in your specific industry and make a list of at least 10 places where you’d like to write.
What questions should I ask when reaching out to someone?
The best way is to look at the website of the blog that you want to contribute to and see what their contact page looks like.
If they’ve got an email address then it’s best to send them an email explaining who you are, why you’d like to guest post for them and what your article is about.
You can also try using social media sites such as Twitter to get a hold of them by sending a tweet with the exact same information.
What if people don’t reply to me?
Don’t take it personally.
It might be because they’re really busy and can’t spare any time for you right now.
But it could also be that your email went to their spam folder so try sending them another one or another message on Twitter.
Do I have to promote my guest post?
Yes, you need to share it with your own audience and remind them of the value that they can get from reading it.
Once you publish your article, let every person who might be interested know about its existence by sending them a direct tweet or posting it on your Facebook page.
If you’ve got a big enough audience, you can even send them an email with the article in it.
How do I make my guest post different from all the others?
Guest blogging is becoming more competitive these days but there are still ways that you can set yourself apart from your competitors.
The best way to deal with guest posting is when you write a blog post and publish it on someone else’s blog/site.
You can share this article with hundreds of people reading that particular blog by publishing it there.
This will help promote your business to their readers, who are usually interested in what you have to offer.
When should I do guest blogging?
You can start guest blogging whenever you want to, but it’s best done after building up your own audience.
If you can write about content that is valuable to someone else’s readers,
then the chances are that people will notice what you’ve written and pay attention.
Is there any point in guest blogging if I don’t get high rankings?
No, you probably won’t get high rankings because you’re not optimizing your post for Google,
but it’ll still do the job of improving your reputation in the industry.
What kind of links should I put on my guest blog?
Be sure to link back to your own site so that Google knows where to find you, but don’t overdo it with too many links.
A good rule of thumb is that every one out of five sentences should come with a link back to your website.
What are the benefits of guest blogging?
Guest blogging has many benefits for your business including offering you an opportunity to build up new relationships, make some connections and improve your reputation.
It can even help improve your brand awareness if you pick the right blogs to host your article on.
You’ll also get the chance to bring in some valuable links back to your site.
Is there any downside to guest blogging?
There are a few downsides to guest blogging, including having no control over who sees your article and getting your blog criticized by other people.
It can also be time-consuming if you’re not really familiar with the topics that you will, guest posting is placing a blog post on another blog.
The usual case however is that you write the post and send it to the owner of the other site for publishing.
There are no rules as to how many posts you can share on a blog’s website, but most people agree that one is a good number.
You don’t want to annoy the owner of that blog with your many posts, but it’s still important to have a presence on that website.
This is because people might come across your guest post and read it if they’re already following the blog.
When should I send my article?
You’ll probably be fine if you send the article before the blog’s deadline is up, but it’s important to check this first.
You don’t want to end up waiting too long for your post to appear on that blog’s website.
Conclusion
Guest blogging is a great way to build your business and network with other people in your industry.
You can also get quality backlinks, which will help boost SEO rankings for your site.
It’s important not only to do guest blogs on sites that are relevant topics for you but also to make sure they have high Google PageRank values so the traffic from these posts will be boosted by their authority as well.
I hope this guide has helped answer some of your questions about what it means to guest blog online and how it fits into building an effective marketing strategy for digital content creators like yourself!