How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Guest Post & Other Blogging Help
Guest posting can strengthen your backlink profile while helping build brand recognition and credibility, but it’s important to know the in’s & out’s before writing a quality post for your next (or maybe, if you’re reading this, very first) client - so what exactly goes into it?
To quickly summarize before we dive in, guest posting is an effective way to generate backlinks from an established website and increase traffic to your own. Because of this, having content published by an authoritative site can boost domain authority - and ultimately help your site rank higher on search engines.
You should start by finding an industry blog that accepts guest posts. After narrowing down a shortlist, take into account their content quality, social media presence, comment count and domain rating metric using tools such as Ahrefs to make decisions based on this data.
Next, create a blog post relevant to the host site's audience. Your topic should be engaging and unique while your article should be informative and easy to read - consider including a table of contents so readers can easily navigate its contents.
You need to make sure your article is free from grammatical errors and includes links back to your website. Also, be mindful of word count. If a paragraph exceeds six sentences, consider breaking it up into two parts for better readability. Finally, include an image and a short bio about yourself at the end.
Once your article is ready to submit to its host site, an editor will usually review and provide feedback on it. Be sure to provide a comprehensive description of your article along with answers to any inquiries that the editor might have.
It is also imperative that relevant links be provided that complement the topic of your article; don't use keywords as anchor text!
Increasing Traffic
Gaining exposure for your online business is one of the greatest challenges when creating a post. Social media and SEO can assist, but results take time. Guest posting can provide quick traffic generation quickly while building a solid backlink profile is crucial for SEO.
However, you should just be wary about where and how you obtain these backlinks as some may not help improve rankings - an SEO tool can be helpful in quickly finding high-quality backlinks that will boost your search rankings.
Quality content writing is key to driving traffic to your site; ensuring posts have a clear call-to-action and provide value to the reader. Tools like the SEO Writing Assistant can help check grammar, readability and keyword density. Incorporating relevant internal and external links may also increase traffic - however please follow any restrictions set by host sites as some limit them.
Expert roundup posts are another effective way to boost traffic. These blog posts feature interviews with multiple experts about one topic and can help build relationships with influencers as well as reach new audiences. Once complete, publish the post on your website and share it across social media networks for maximum exposure.
Consider content, audience and domain authority when selecting a host site for your guest post. Select one that reaches out to your target demographic while having similar topics - this will ensure your post reaches and is read by those most relevant to it.
According to these tips - you should select a blog with an active social following - more shares equals more traffic - especially if the post is shared by influential individuals in your niche. But also, social media analytics tools provide an effective way of measuring a site's traffic and engagement levels - this information can help determine if they are the ideal choice for your company.
More Purposeful Engagement
Guest blogging can be an effective way to promote your brand and drive traffic to your website, build authority, and increase domain authority. A marketing agency or guest posting service provider may do the job for you - but how can you ensure you’ll get what you need from the job? To make the most out of guest posts, however, you must follow some basic guidelines when writing guest posts.
Selecting appropriate sites for guest posting is of utmost importance. Make sure your content will resonate with and resonate well with the site's target audience by considering their domain authority and demographics, this way your content will remain relevant and well-received by its audience.
Once you've identified your target websites, it is essential to create engaging SEO-optimized content. Use keywords related to your niche in headlines and subheadings so you can maximize search engine exposure; your content should provide readers with useful information while adding credibility through data, statistics, examples or case studies. You should also be sure that all grammatical errors have been eliminated from writing it - which I’ll get into below.
Writing a Good Guest Post
1. Find a Relevant Topic
When selecting a topic for a guest post, aim for something that will provide value to readers of the site where you're writing for. This will ensure your article gets read and that readers click through to your website.
By creating more links and traffic to your site, this will increase its ranking on Google. However, you must choose your topic with caution as too similar articles on similar subjects may lead to it being rejected by search engines.
Providing distinct insights that others don't possess will set your content apart, increasing its chances of publication on sites. For instance, if everyone on TikTok is discussing a certain workout routine, pitch it as an article for publication by fitness blogs.
Researching the site you intend to write for is also key, so take some time to look through their past articles and identify their preferred types of content - this will give you a good indication of the tone to use and topics that are popular with readers. Also, consult their writing guidelines as this will show what expectations exist from authors.
Before submitting a guest post, ensure it’s error-free. Even minor typos can make an editor hesitate before accepting or rejecting it; so use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway App to double-check spelling and grammar for you. In addition, include your full name, a short author bio with social media links so that readers can connect with you, and a headshot photo for readers to connect with you directly.
2. Write for the Audience
To make the most of your guest blogging strategy, you must write for your target audience. Not only will this boost SEO but it will also encourage readers to share the post on social media - expanding your reach even further. It may take some practice before becoming proficient at writing posts that engage and inform.
Step one of guest blogging should always include researching the sites where you plan to guest blog. Doing this will enable you to determine which blogs best suit your goals - for instance, those with wide audiences and high domain authority should be preferred.
Content must also be relevant to the site you are writing for, so doing keyword research using tools from service providers is the answer. For example, fitness bloggers could use the tool to search for popular search terms related to fitness articles which will reveal which topics and articles readers are searching for most often.
Once you have your topic chosen, it's time to get writing! Keep in mind that blog owners want their audience to benefit from your post by including actionable tips and advice that they can implement immediately. Also, include links back to your website so people can explore more of what it has to offer.
Respond to comments or mentions of your post to foster relationships with your audience and may open new business opportunities (if there’s an opportunity to do so). Lastly, track the results of your guest blogging strategy using Google Analytics so that you can see if your efforts are bearing fruit and whether changes need to be made accordingly.
3. Engage with the Readers
As a guest blogger, one of the most important steps you can take is responding to every comment or mention of your article. Not only is this basic etiquette, but this also builds relationships between yourself and readers on new blogs as you establish long-term relationships that help strengthen brand recognition while increasing traffic back to your own site - which may help reach strategic goals more quickly.
Engaging with readers goes beyond responding to comments; answering their queries and sharing links that relate to relevant material will establish you as an authority and increase the readership of your posts. Engaging with them provides valuable insight into which they are as an audience - something which can prove extremely useful when creating future content.
Make the post more engaging by including a call-to-action at the end, such as asking readers to subscribe to your newsletter or social media feeds. This will encourage repeat visits and ultimately help meet more of your strategic objectives.
Writing for a new audience can be daunting, and even talented writers may make mistakes. That's why it is always wise to run basic edits on your work before publishing it - this will ensure that it is free from spelling and grammatical errors as well as well-structured posts.
If you're pitching a post to a high-quality site, the content must match or surpass what would normally appear on your own blog. Be prepared to create amazing pillar pieces - pieces that make the owner want to hit "publish." Doing this will set you apart from competitors and increase the chance that you will get accepted as well.
4. Be Original
When contributing content for someone else's website or blog, your goal should not be to create something boring and out-of-place that falls flat on its face. Instead, strive to produce something unique that adds value for its readers by making your post distinct from other posts on similar subjects.
One effective strategy to do this is through keyword research. Utilize tools such as Semrush or Keyword Magic Tool to see what keywords people are searching for, which will give you an understanding of what people care about. In the long run, this will help you craft an engaging guest post topic!
Keep your guest post unique by adding internal links to it, which is an effective way to drive traffic back to your website while improving SEO. However, be careful not to overdo it - too many internal links may come off as spammy; make sure to only link out to relevant pages related to the topic of the article, and follow any link-building guidelines set by editors.
Responding to comments and tweets posted under your guest post should be part of good manners, but also an indication of engagement with the audience and an investment in contributing to its success. Being responsive demonstrates both to readers of your guest post as well as to its owners that you care for their readers and want their blog to flourish.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
When seeking guest blogging opportunities, always be ready to answer questions from website owners and ask if the article you propose fits their audience well - this might include asking about word count, images or tonality of voice.
Another major question regarding your post will likely be its need for editing. While having it edited may erode some of its credibility, sometimes this step must be taken to produce high-quality content.
At last, it is a good idea to recognize that not all sites are equal; some possess greater authority and accept guest posts more readily than others. To increase your chances of success and maximize success rates, focus on targeting websites in your target audience.
If you are uncertain if a site is worth your time, a quick Google search provides an effective tool for reviewing backlinks. This will give an indication of their traffic levels and where most visitors come from; helping you make an informed decision as to whether guest blogging would help meet your goals.
It can also lead to additional leads and clients as people become familiar with your company through reading your post which increases brand recognition leading them to contact you about additional services provided. Make sure to respond appropriately whenever anyone mentions it either publicly or via social media!