What is Guest Posting?
Guest posting refers to the practice of creating content for and publishing articles on external websites and blogs within your industry. As a guest poster, you provide high-quality, relevant content to the host site. In return, you are typically allowed to include 1-2 backlinks pointing back to your own website within the article and author bio.
Overview and Definition of Guest Posting
The main goals of guest posting are to tap into the existing audience of the host site, build relationships with industry influencers, and secure backlinks from authoritative domains. By leveraging the domain authority and reach of reputable external sites, guest posting allows you to organically boost visibility and establish expertise.
Some key things to know:
- Guest posts are articles or other content published on a website owned by someone else
- The host site allows backlinks in return for high-quality content
- Helps expand reach, improve SEO, and build credibility
- Requires creating tailored, useful content for each site
Related Article: The Complete Guide to Guest Posting for SEO
Benefits of Guest Posting
There are many advantages to developing and implementing an effective guest posting strategy:
Builds Backlinks and Improves SEO
Quality guest posts allow you to secure authoritative backlinks pointing to your website. These backlinks signals to search engines that your content is valuable. More backlinks from reputable sites can improve domain authority and boost SEO rankings.
Increases Brand Awareness and Reach
By tapping into the audience of industry websites, guest posting expands your reach and gets your brand and content in front of targeted new readers. Increased brand visibility and association with authority sites boosts credibility.
Establishes Thought Leadership
Consistent, high-value guest posting enables you to build a reputation as a thought leader in your niche. Sites will recognize you as an industry expert and continue to invite you to contribute content.
Drives Referral Traffic to Your Site
Quality guest posts will lead interested readers to click back to your website to learn more. An insightful guest article lets you showcase expertise and provides a lead generation opportunity through organic referral traffic.
Related Article: Why Guest Blogging is Important for Business: Benefits, Strategies, and FAQs
How to Find Guest Posting Opportunities
Conduct outreach and research to identify reputable industry websites that accept guest contributions:
Use Keyword Searches to Find Sites
Try keyword searches like “your topic” + “write for us”, “accepting guest posts”, “contributor guidelines” etc.
Check Competitor’s Backlinks
See where competitors have previously gotten links to find sites accepting guest posts.
Look for “Write for Us” Pages
Many sites have dedicated pages with submission guidelines and details for potential contributors.
Build Relationships With Site Owners
Engage with sites through comments, social media, etc. Building connections will make securing placements easier.
Creating an Effective Pitch for a Guest Post
A tailored pitch email is crucial for getting your post accepted. Here are some tips:
Personalize Each Pitch
Research the site and make it clear you are familiar with their content and audience. Include details on why you are specifically reaching out to them.
Provide Options and Descriptions
Give the editor 2-3 possible article headlines/angles and 1-2 sentence descriptions of each. Let them choose what fits best.
Include Relevant Writing Samples
Link to 2-3 published articles or guest posts that showcase your expertise on the topic you want to write about.
Follow Submission Guidelines
Carefully adhere to all guest submission rules provided on their site regarding article length, links, images, etc.
Also Read: SEO Backlink Strategy Guide
Writing a High-Quality Guest Post
Creating compelling, useful content is key. Here’s how:
Provide Value, Don’t Just Promote
Focus on providing tips, insights and useful takeaways for readers. Avoid overly promotional language about your company or products.
Follow Formatting and Style Guidelines
Mirror the tone, voice and article formatting used on the host site. This makes the editing process easier for them.
Include Relevant Internal Links
Link to 2-3 related articles on the host site to show you’ve done research and provide value to readers.
Optimize Images and Headers
Include well-optimized images and descriptive headers (while following their guidelines). This makes your post more engaging and search-friendly.
Promoting Your Published Guest Post
Get the word out about your guest article:
Share on Social Media
Promote your guest posts across your own social channels when they are published. Ask the site owner to share it too.
Reply to Comments
Engage with commenters on the post. This shows readers you are invested in the conversation.
Link to it From Other Posts
Reference your guest posts through links in other guest articles to increase their authority.
Also Read: What are the Tips and Tricks to Grow your Business with Digital Marketing?
Measuring the Success of Guest Posts
Track these metrics to gauge the impact of your guest posting:
Track Backlinks With Tools
Use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to monitor how many backlinks each guest article earns over time.
Check Performance in Search Console
Look at impressions, clicks and rankings of your guest posts in Google Search Console.
Monitor Traffic and Engagement
Use Google Analytics to see how much traffic each guest post drives to your site, time on page, bounce rate etc.
Adjust your guest posting strategy based on the top-performing placements that deliver the most valuable visitors to your site.
FAQs About Guest Posting
What are the benefits of guest posting?
The main benefits are increased brand awareness, backlinks and improved SEO, more website traffic, establishing thought leadership, and building relationships.
How do I find guest posting opportunities?
Use keyword searches, check competitors’ backlinks, look for “write for us” pages, and build relationships with site owners in your niche.
What makes a successful guest post pitch?
A personalized pitch, options/descriptions for posts, relevant writing samples, and following their guidelines makes for a successful pitch.
What should I include in my guest posts?
Incorporate useful tips, actionable takeaways, optimized images/headers, relevant links, and avoid too much self-promotion. Provide real value.
How do I promote my guest posts?
Share on social media, reply to comments, link to it from other articles, ask the site to share it, and promote it on your own platforms.
How do I track the success of guest posts?
Use backlink tracking tools, check Google Search Console, monitor traffic and engagement in Google Analytics to gauge success.
Is guest posting still effective for SEO?
Yes, high-quality guest posting done properly remains an effective white hat SEO tactic as of 2023.
How often should I guest post?
Aim for at least 1-2 new guest post placements per month. Be careful about over-optimizing anchor text links which can seem spammy.
