Guest Posting: Everything You Need to Know

Blog posts

Blog posts, on the other hand, are regularly written by authors who are part of the website or blog in question. They're typically more personal and offer a unique perspective on a particular topic. Blog posts don't have to be promotional. They can simply provide readers with information, entertainment, and insights. If you want to write content for blogs the fast way, you can use an AI copywriting tool.

The key difference between guest posting and blogging is that guest posts usually have an ulterior motive - namely promotion - while blog posts are generally used to enrich readers' knowledge and experience. Guest posters may use their articles as a platform for marketing or advertisement, whereas bloggers focus more on providing informative content for their audience.

If your small business website has its own blog, it's worth considering both types of posts when building your online presence: guest posting can help you reach new audiences, while blogging provides useful content to engage existing readers.

What is the benefit of guest posting?

The better question would be, "What are the benefits of guest posting?" There are a plethora of advantages that come along with taking part in the practice of guest blogging. We'll explore each in detail.



Builds authority

By becoming a trusted resource in several communities you are likely to get more readers. By regularly posting helpful and informative content to other blogs, it will build your authority as an online expert. This gives potential customers faith that they can trust your brand on issues related to the topics you post about.



Expands your network

Networking with interested businesses through guest posts can be beneficial from a marketing point of view. You can identify potential customers and tap into their networks to develop business relationships. This gives you an opportunity to reach a new audience with higher conversion rates than just targeting people who already know your brand.



Organic advertising

Organic advertising is another great benefit of guest posting because it allows you to reach an audience through organic searches without having to spend money on ads. Additionally, when done correctly, it boosts website traffic which helps with SEO rankings and visibility across search engines. It also works as a great way to acquire backlinks for your website which further help with boosting website traffic.

Grows your audience

By engaging in guest blogging regularly, you are likely to see a good return on audience growth. People will follow your work as they come across it on other websites and blogs which helps build loyalty with readers. Guest posting also allows you to interact with people who may not have heard of your brand before, but could become loyal customers once they find out more about it through the content you post.



Boosts your social media footprint

Social media is another platform where guest posting can help boost your presence and grow an engaged follower base. When other websites and blogs link to your content, it gives you the opportunity to gain impressions from new audiences and build a following on social media. This will also help improve your market strategy as you can have an easier time reaching potential customers with relevant content.



Strengthens your SEO

Finally, guest blogging is a great way to build backlinks for your website. These links act as votes of confidence from other websites and help strengthen your SEO rankings with search engines. This will increase the visibility of your website across various platforms, leading to more organic traffic and better customer engagement.

How do you write a good guest post?

Writing a good guest post worthy of publishing is not as easy as writing an article for your own blog. It requires considerable research, understanding, dedication, as well as the ability to follow the guest post guidelines set by a specific website. But once you've mastered the craft, the benefits for both your website and the host blog can be substantial. With the right approach, you can effortlessly create a high-quality guest post that the content manager of the host blog wants to add to their own web of content. Here are 8 tips on how to write a good guest post:

1. Research keywords

In guest blogging, keyword research is key. It's important to research relevant keywords before writing a guest post so you can target the right audience with your content and draw in more readers. If your guest post performs well from an SEO standpoint, the host blog most likely allow you to become a regular guest blogger.



2. Write for their audience

You should never forget to write for the host blog's audience when guest blogging. When writing a guest post, consider who will be reading it – their age, interests and level of knowledge or expertise – so that you can tailor your content accordingly and so that your guest post is more likely to be approved.



3. Follow their blog format

When guest blogging, it's absolutely important to familiarise yourself with the formatting standards of the host blog before you write your post. This helps ensure that your post fits in seamlessly with their existing content and looks professional overall. Failure to do so will likely result in your guest post being rejected.



4. Optimise your post for search engines

Utilising SEO best practices can help increase visibility for your guest post and bring in more potential readers. Yes, you need to do keyword research, but the keywords should be used thoughtfully throughout the text. You should also create an effective meta description and post title for each guest post you write, as well as add relevant alt texts on the images.



5. Provide actionable content

Writing guest posts with a clear intention in mind can help ensure that your post is both useful and relevant to a host blog's target audience. Providing actionable tips or advice will be invaluable for readers and make them more likely to read your guest posts in the future.



6. Include internal SEO links

Proper internal SEO linking matters even in guest blogging. Linking out to other related content within your guest post (from the same domain) is an easy way to draw readers deeper into a website's content library, as well as provide additional value for them. This will also put you in good standing with the host website as they'll appreciate that you follow guest posting best practices.

7. Provide all the images they need

Good visuals are essential for any blog post – so be sure to provide high-quality images that are relevant to the topic. This could include screenshots, diagrams or even photos.



Researching your guest post

The simple task of finding a guest blog can seem extremely intimidating, but it’s actually easier than it looks. With so many websites out there, only a portion of which are blogs (and only an even smaller number are relevant to your niche), trying to figure out where to start can indeed be overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with the process. However, with a few key strategies and tools, you can easily identify good guest blogging opportunities.



Look for relevant sites using search engines

You can find a guest post site that’s relevant to your niche by doing keyword searches on Google, Bing and other search engines. Use relevant keywords related to your niche and do an exact match search with a niche keyword plus a common guest post-related search term. For example, lawyer + “write for us”.

Once you've determined which sites are relevant, it's important to vet them before sending out a pitch. Check how often the site updates content and look at its Domain Authority (DA) score, which you can do so using an Authority Checker. If the site regularly pumps out low-quality content or has a low DA, you’ll want to stay away from it.

The last step is to prepare your pitch. Make sure it is tailored to the blog you are pitching and show them why your article would be a good fit for their website. Be sure to include information such as what topics you plan on covering, how long it will take to write, as well as any other relevant details. Once you have submitted your pitch, keep track of its progress by following up with the site regularly if there is no response after a few weeks.

Check out competitor backlinks

When it comes to outperforming your competitors in search engine results pages (SERPs), having quality backlinks is critical. By analysing the backlinks of your competitors, you can uncover high-quality guest blogging opportunities that could help improve your website's search engine rankings and traffic. The first step in finding guest blogs through competitor backlink analysis is to identify your top competitors in the same niche or industry. Once you have identified who they are and what type of content they are posting, you can use tools like SEMRush or Ahrefs to view their backlink profiles. This will show you which websites have linked to their content so you can reach out and enquire about guest blog opportunities as well.

Utilise social media searches

Social media is one of the most effective ways to find guest blogging opportunities. By leveraging social media searches, you can quickly and easily identify blogs that are open to guest posts. Here are some tips for finding guest blog opportunities through social media:



Search Relevant Hashtags

One of the best ways to find relevant blogs is by searching hashtags on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Look for hashtags related to your niche or industry and see which accounts post content related to it, as guest bloggers often promote their content using hashtags social media. From there, you can reach out to those accounts and enquire about guest posting opportunities.



Follow Influencers

Following influencers in your niche or industry is a great way to stay up-to-date with potential guest blogging opportunities. Influencers often share content from other bloggers, so by keeping an eye out for those posts, you can quickly spot potential guest blogging sites to target.

Target guest post sites

One of the easiest ways to find guest post opportunities is by searching the web for dedicated guest post sites. There are many websites that specialise in connecting bloggers with potential guest blogging opportunities. By doing a simple search online, you may be able to find dozens of these blogs to apply to.

When searching for these types of sites, be sure to look for websites that are reputable and have a good reputation. These particular blogs will have high-quality content and experienced writers who can provide valuable advice or insights into your niche topic. You should also make sure that the blog owners accept guest posts from outside sources, as this will help ensure that your post is accepted by the blog owner and published on their website.

Once you’ve identified some potential guest blogs, take time to research them further before submitting an article. Read through the blog and get a feel for what kind of content they post and how often they accept new posts. Check out their commenting section as well, which can give you an idea of how active their readers are in responding to articles. You may also want to look into previous guest posts on the site so that you can get an understanding of the topics that will likely be accepted.



Should I allow guest posts on my blog?

The answer depends on whether you are comfortable having others write content on your blog. If you are comfortable with that, then yes, guest posting can be beneficial for your blog in a number of ways. You can even set strict guidelines that a guest blogger must adhere to before their content can be published on your site. This also goes without saying that you shouldn't allow guest bloggers to post any content that conflicts with your values and goals.

It also depends on what your blog is about and what kind of content you’re looking for. For example, if your business is plumbing, then it's not a good idea to accept guest posts related to marketing since it will confuse your readers. However, if you accept guest posts about helpful plumbing-related content and information, then it will be beneficial for both your website and the guest blogger.

Accepting guest posts on your blog can be a great way to increase viewership and strengthen SEO rankings, as long as the posts are high-quality, relevant to your target audience, and appropriate for your blog’s topic.

If you decide to allow guest posts, be sure to provide clear guest post guidelines for writers and require them to add appropriate backlinks and references. You should also set a high bar for quality to ensure that only the best posts make it onto your blog. Additionally, you should consider having a few editors review the post before it is published to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Finally, remember that you are ultimately responsible for the content that is posted on your blog. Therefore, it’s essential to be selective when considering guest posts and carefully review any content before it is added to your website.

By taking the time to properly vet guest posts, you can ensure that all content posted on your website's blog is of a high standard and that it is relevant to your target audience. Doing so will help ensure that your blog remains a valuable resource for both readers and writers alike.

Key takeaway

Guest posting is a great way to grow your audience, build authority, expand your network, advertise organically, and increase your website's overall SEO performance. Whether you are thinking of submitting a guest post or are considering making your website available for guest posting, the benefits go both ways. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to make guest blogging a part of your online growth strategy.