What is Guest Blogging?

In simple terms, to guest blog means to write a post which is then published on another person’s blog. However, there is a lot more thought that goes into guest blogging than simply posting on blogs for the sake of it. Quite often, when a person is trying to increase traffic to their own blog, they start by guest posting on more established blogs. Guest posting helps to put your name out there. It lets people know about you and what you do by giving them a taste of the type of content you have to offer them.

Guest blogging on other people’s sites

Publishing blog posts on other people’s sites starts with identifying the right sights on which to post. This means looking for blogs that are focussed on the same industry or niche as you. A Google search is a sufficient way of discovering potential targets for your blog posts. However, there are other tools that you can use to, not just find other blogs in the industry, but find out which of the blogs is the best. You can also find the same by searching for ranked lists.

Once you’ve found the right target, you have to study the type of content that is posted on the site to understand the writing style that is favoured by the blog. Some blogs will want simple, general content while others will be more interested in long posts that provide in-depth information to the reader. Some blogs will want posts that come with accompanying pictures while others will favour posts that come from specific types of people such as experts in a particular field, consultants, business owners etc.

When you know the type of content the blog wants and the type of readers you’re targeting, you can get down to the business of creating the right content. However, you also need to know the best time to pitch your guest posting idea. Before you pitch your idea, establish a presence in the blog you’re targeting. Reply to some of the most recent posts and even share some of them on social media where applicable. A good time to pitch your guest posting idea is when the blog owner has asked for guest posts or when you’ve established a rapport with them.

Guest blogging on your site

If you’re writing guest blogs on other people’s sites, it won’t be long before others ask to guest post on your site as well. This can actually be a good thing for you since it can bring in a lot of traffic. It’s also tough to find the time to post on your site while you also post on other people’s sites and this is a great way of getting content. However, some people write guest posts exclusively to create backlinks to their site. These types of posts are frowned upon by search engine and could result in your site being penalised. While backlinks are not bad, they have to be added in a relevant and professional way.