In this article, we will cover some major questions on our guide to guest blogging like-
- What is Guest Blogging?
- Guest Blogging and Guest Posting one and the same thing?
- How can you effectively use the guide to guest blogging for your business or brand?
- Is guest blogging a white hat strategy?
- How Google view this?
- How you can become an expert in this field?
The industry is divided on how guest blogging can be effectively used by brands and businesses. In my experience, there are ethical ways of promoting guest blogging, and there are non-ethical ways.
How you are able to use guest blogging and posting depends on what is your ultimate goal. While Google announced as early as 2014 that guest blogging and posting is not right, has guest blogging stopped altogether? The answer is no!
Table Of Content
What is Guest Blogging?
Guest blogging or guest posting is similar and interchangeable terms. For example, both the terms mean and stand for the same thing. Guest blogging is the practice of writing content for other websites and publishers.
The act of guest blogging is a mutually beneficial relationship between publishers and writers or brands.
For the publisher or website/content site owner, it means getting quality content for his site. If the information is informative, user-friendly, and appeals to his audience, it is a win for him.
For the writer, who might or might not be representing a brand, it means getting backlinks in the content. The writer will also benefit from the already existing traffic on the publisher’s website.
In an ideal world, guest blogging should be done in industry-related niches and websites. For instance, if you want to write a guest post for a gadget review, you should submit the same to a tech or gadget related website. You should not try to seed it in a site, which has content on pets and pet’s supplies!
Benefits of Guest Blogging
You can digitally help your business in many ways. Even though Google has come down hard upon guest posting sites, guest blogging is still the number one way to benefit your business.
Guest Blogging can help you achieve-
- Increased traffic from related websites and blogs
- New consumer base
- Sales conversions and string marketing outcomes
- Gaining backlinks from authority sites will improve SERPS
- Forging strong relationships with reviewers and bloggers
- Become a strong industry voice
There are other benefits as well, but for the sake of our guide to guest blogging, we will deal with the above ones.
Guest Blogging is a sure shot way to help you and your brand to gain newer audiences. Guest Posting will also help you become an industry voice with a huge following of readers. However, the biggest advantage of guest blogging is- driving actual sales.
Google’s Reaction to Guest Blogging
Many people are of the opinion that guest blogging is dead, or will be dead in some time. When you ask them why they will point to Google’s crackdown on guest blogging and posting.
What was Google’s crackdown you ask? Well, Google stated in 2014 that guest blogging should stop.
However, even more, important than this statement are the reasons why it said so. Rather than sulk over missing such a great avenue, let us try to see how we can make it better.
Google made this declaration for a particular section of the digital marketing community, which was misusing guest blogging.
These blog sites were using spun articles and plagiarized articles to help place backlinks and improve rankings.
In other words, one guest blog article with the same content was placed on more than ten different sites. It was not only the content, but the links were also the same. These were in equally spammy sites that had no purpose rather than outright paid link building.
- Copied Content
- Copied Links
- Bad Metrics of Sites
- Spammy Content
- No Information
- No Consumer Benefit
These people were lending a bad reputation for guest blogging. Yes, Google came down heavily on them by reducing site metrics and even de-indexing thousands of them.
However, the question is were all sites de-indexed? The answer is no. In contrast, guest blogging has come out stronger than ever before.
Guest Blogging dies not to die because bloggers and businesses were able to follow an effective guide to guest blogging.
Without further ado, let us dive deep into the most advanced guide for guest blogging in 2019.
Advanced Guide to Guest Blogging: Tips and Best Practices:
#1. Identify your Guest Blogging Niche/Industry
No one can master writing content on all topics and issues on the planet. The key is identifying your niche or industry. If you have been able to narrow it down, you need to start the research process.
Many websites do not accept guest posting at all. Because of the problems in the industry, you need to develop a relationship based on confidence.
Submit your articles to the ‘Contribute’ section of the website, and explain to the blogger what you want from the engagement.
#2. Industry-Specific Guest Blogging
Most people do not understand that guest blogging is possible on websites and platforms that are related. If you want to do quality guest posting, you need to do it according to relevance.
Relevance means that the website you are trying to do the guest post it should be relevant to-
- The writing potential of your brand
- Relevancy in terms of your brand (if you are writing on behalf of a brand)
- Should be identifiable with your target audience
- It should relate to the expectation of the guest posting (leads, sales, social sharing, etc.)
Google permits and promotes guest blogging if it sees that the post is adding value to consumers on the internet. It should not serve your own purpose. Always keep that in mind.
#3. Check the Metrics of the Publisher/Blogging Site:
The key to quality blogging is trying to get your writing in top-notch authority sites. Check for markers such as the site’s Domain Authority, Domain Ranking, Monthly Traffic, and so on.
In addition, you can check whether the site’s social media pages to see the kind of engagement that the page gets on social media.
This will give you a great idea about the health of the site you want to guest blog in. The vice versa is that if the site is strong in terms of metrics, it will not allow for spammy guest posting.
#4. Quality and Original Content:
No publisher worth his worth in DA is going to allow an article, which is not good. Your article needs to be-
- Informative
- 100% Original
- Novel and Innovative
- SEO friendly
- Long Format
- Provide a Service
In short, you need to be a great blog writer. Brands and writers have had a seriously long run, however, this cannot go on forever.
If brands are reading this, trust us, you will not get guest blogging for $5 dollars anymore. You might get sub-standard writing of 1000 words for $5 dollars, but that will not be acceptable to the publisher anymore.
Investing in quality writing is the next big thing in the guest blogging. With Google clamping down severely, it is only good content that can help you do guest blogging.
#5. Educate the Reader, Not Promote your Product:
The perfect guest blog article should add value to the readers. In the same vein, it should not advertise the product or the brand.
For example, if your brand makes Fire Extinguishers, your article should talk about the dangers of fire-related accidents. How the absence of fire extinguishers has destroyed homes and families.
While concluding your article, you can give an in-content link to your brand’s website. It should be a sentence like- While looking for a fire extinguisher brand, you should look for one that is genuine, authentic, and provides great service (hyperlink added).
#6. One Link, One Article Rule:
If you think Google has no idea about where links are going, and what they offer, you are wrong. Google watchdog maintains surveillance over every link on the internet.
The key to a good guest blog is not having more than one hyperlink in a 1500+ word article. By adding a couple of links to authority sites and having one brand link, you will optimize the content. This also enables the content to become highly SEO friendly.
People are divided over the number of links, but good publishers will not accept more than one. If the publisher is accepting three links, trust us, something bad is going to happen.
#7. Guest Bloggers should Build Online Presence:
If you are a guest blogger, you need to ramp up your online credentials. It is always a good idea to have a personal website.
Another way is to leverage social media to your advantage. By posting frequently, and becoming an authoritative voice, you can convince publishers to publish your content.
If you are serious about guest blogging, you should start educating yourself with all the tricks of content marketing. Guest Blogging is just one aspect of content marketing.
Some of the platforms you should be active on are-
- Social Media Pages (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)
- Quora
- Personal Website
- WordPress Profile
- Industry Authority Forums
Most importantly, a simple Google search of your name should throw up relevant search results about you!
#8. Guest Bloggers should have a Curious and Fun Bio:
If you write great content and are active in guest blogging, you should back it up with an amazing bio.
People love to know about someone whose article or content they have just read. A good idea would also be to give a link in the bio section. This link can be a personal website link or even a Facebook profile URL.
If you are able to establish a relationship with readers on the publisher’s site, the publisher will be excited and eager to publish your next content. Trust us this happens all the time.
#9. Invite Publishers to Guest Post on Your Brand Site:
Guest Blogging is a two-way street. You need to build relationships with bloggers by also offering them space and links on your website and platform.
If you just want it to be a one-way thing, you will not survive long in the game. Guest Blogging and Posting is a highly respected and small group. Everyone knows everyone else. Once you get a bad reputation, no one would want to work with you.
You need to build trust, give and take, and have a smile through it all.
#10. Blogger/Publisher First; Client Second:
No guide to guest blogging will be complete without this last point. If you are into the guest blogging business, you always need to remember a cardinal rule. You always need to prioritize the publisher or blogger relationship.
A brand or a client will pay you for 10 or 12 links. They might be there for some time. However, it is imperative that you always maintain a great relationship with the blogger.
In my experience, I have developed great relationships with industry-leading sites and bloggers but not with clients.
I have relationships, which have stretched beyond ten years with some amazing bloggers. However, I cannot say the same about any of my clients.
The Final Word
Guest Blogging is not always about money. It also involves transactions where links are exchanged, relationships are built, and people go out of their way to help someone.
I always tell young guest bloggers to work on their writing skills. If you are part of a digital marketing agency that offers guest blogging services, you have a head start.
There have been many changes in the industry because of Google’s crackdown. However, we are forgetting that this is only going to affect agencies, brands, and publishers who were manipulating it.
If you are genuine, credible, authentic you will always benefit from guest blogging services. Compromises of any kind in the short run are going to catch up with you in the near future.
This guide to guest blogging explains the process from three perspectives- publisher, guest blogger, and brand. (If you want me to write individual perspectives, hit me up in the comments section).
Guest Blogging is as much an art as it is a science. If you have played your cards right, you will add tremendous value not only to yourself but also to your brand.
If you need any more information on Guest Blogging or Guest Posting Services, contact us at [email protected]
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