Guest Posting and its Opportunities

What is Guest Posting?

Let's first define 'Guest Posting' before plunging into the details.

When you write and publish an article on somebody else's website or blog - this is called guest posting. Quite simple right?

Why do we need guest posting?

Guest posting is a top strategy for growing your blog readership and platform.

The reason for its sudden popularity is because of a Penguin and a Panda. Don't worry, we've not lost the plot. Google have unleashed a couple of algorithm updates into the search engine optimisation world, named Panda and Penguin. This means that cheeky backlink building techniques on websites are now a thing of the past, and you will be rewarded for having more quality backlinks. Enter the guest posting strategy.

Google have always said that artificial links are bad practice. They are now more and more sophisticated with techniques to detect bad backlink practices such as excessive links through keywords, link farming and anchor text link building with irrelevant sites.

Now then, lets have a gander at the benefits and pitfalls.

See our blog on 'Effects of Google Panda and Penguin Update' for more details.

The pros

• Increase your SEO the Google approved way;

The reason why guest posting is so great in terms of search engine results is this; the host blogger must include a link to your blog somewhere in the post. Give it time and these well earned backlinks will increase the value of your blog on search engines.

• Gets you involved!

With guest posting you do two things; add value to another blog and build relationships with other bloggers. This is very beneficial because bloggers tend to be quite influential in the world of social media. You connect with new people and get more fans / followers. Don't hound folk with sales pitches - the key is to care about they're doing too.

• Gain expert knowledge in other areas;

If you are allowing others to guest post on your site, you will also benefit immensely. Not everyone can have expert-like knowledge in everything, which is why having another person write a blog for you can bring rich diversity to your website. This means that target audience will be broadened due to a larger appeal.

• The writing burden is lifted;

When welcoming guest posting your writing burden is lifted. This is quite ideal for busy bee website owners, who can otherwise focus on other priorities.

The cons

• Diluted website message

Accepting guest articles does help to increase your authority on the web, but be aware what you post on your site. The voice of your website should promote your brand with consistency. So if you have a bucket load of guest posts your unique voice can easily be drowned out.

• Directs visitors away from your website

The valuable trade of a blog for a link does have a downside too. The trick is just to be aware of where your visitors will be directed to from your guest bloggers post. You don't want to be sending them off to competitors now do you?

• Editorial effort required

When you decide to welcome guest posts you do have to pull your finger out and spend some time on editorial work. It is recommended and completely understandable to review your guest blog posts and coordinate any changes that need to be made.

Setting guidelines

Don't worry its not as boring as it sounds.

Basically you don't have to be a wimp and say yes to everyone that wants to be a guest blogger on your site. Have standards and limit the amount of posts you accept per month, for example you might allow 2 available guest post slots per month.

You can reach out to guest bloggers as well as waiting for them to come to you.

Don't be afraid to reject submissions. Your website's reputation is at risk too.

Where to find guest bloggers

It can be difficult to find a quality guest blogger especially if they're not knocking at your door...

Try;

• MyBlogGuest, its a site that links bloggers and blog owners. You can actually target a niche market.
• Social media can help a lot too. If you are present on different platforms you can announce that you are looking for some guest posts and you are bound to get some responses.
• Set up a guest posting option on your website, make it easier for people to contact you.

Tips for guest bloggers

If you are a blogger and participate in guest posting then you will want to select a website with integrity to write for and get that all important backlink. Look for the following things on websites that you want to post on;

• An established website
• Clear contact details and a physical address
• Activity on socical media sites
• Updates made recently
• A guest post submission option
• More content than advertisements
• A blogger from the website itself - not just guest bloggers

Blogging facts

• The morning is the most popular time to read blogs
• Blog reading peaks around 10am
• 60% of bloggers are men
• Word Press is the most popular blogging platform at 43%, followed by Blogger at 35%
• There are an estimated 31 million bloggers in the United States alone
• The top 3 blog languages are English (66%), Spanish (8.7%) and Portuguese (6.5%)

Thank you for reading about guest posting guys! We'd now love to hear from you. Do you have guest bloggers? Perhaps you are a guest blogger? Tell us about your experiences.

If you fancy finding out more about Guest Posting, or you would like to write a guest for us, or us for you - please don't hestitate to contact PS Website Design Today.