What is Guest Posting and How Does It Improve Your SEO?
What is guest posting? Some people might say that it’s the best way to improve your SEO, and that’s true. The problem is if you want to rock guest posting, you need to think beyond page views.
Guest posting is a complicated topic in the blogging world. There are bloggers who see guest posting as this amazing thing, an indicator that you’ve “made it” as a blogger. They wait for recognition, instead of sending out pitches.
Other people see guest blogging as another transaction on the road to blogging. Write enough guest posts, and your traffic will go up.
While we all love more traffic, it should never be the only goal we have for guest blogging. Writing a guest post should be about connecting with new readers.
Guest blogging can help you in many different ways that go beyond your blog traffic. Keep reading to find out how.
What is Guest Blogging and Why Should I Care?
So what is guest blogging?
Guest blogging describes the process of writing for someone else’s blog or website. You create content related to your expertise, and someone else posts it for their audience to see.
It sounds pretty simple, but why would you do that extra work for someone else’s site?
First of all, it establishes your authority in front of a new audience. Readers on your site know that you’re the go-to blogger for vegan dog food recipes. By writing for your friend’s animal blog, their audience will also get to know you and your expertise.
Guest posting also builds your SEO reputation on search engines. If you write a guest post on a reputable site, then you need to include a link to your own blog. When Google sees that link, it will rank you higher in search results for your niche.
Why Would I Want Someone to Guest Post for Me?
Guest posting is good for you, but why would you want someone to guest post on your site?
If you’re a small site creating new and interesting content can be exhausting. Guest posts give you a break and can send you new readers from their site.
It’s also a great way to get a guest post spot. If you guest post for them, they can guest post for you. Everyone gets new readers and better SEO. It’s a win-win!
How Does Guest Blogging Help My SEO?
We already touched on what is guest blogging and that it helps your SEO. How do you optimize your guest post for the best SEO?
Post to a Relevant Website
Readers aren’t stupid. They can spot a scam from a mile away. So if you’re a food blogger writing a post for an automotive blog, readers will smell something fishy.
Readers aren’t the only ones who will think something’s up. Search engines are looking for patterns in your SEO. Guest posting for some random website isn’t going to help that. Instead, find a blog in your niche, and offer to write for them.
There Won’t Be a Lot of Competition
If you’re guest posting for a relevant website, then there’s a good chance your link is going to be one of the only ones on that page. This signals to readers, and search engines, that your content is important to this topic. This will help you rank higher in SEO.
More Diversity for Your Domain
If your domain shows up in lots of relevant content, Google will assume you know your stuff. By establishing yourself as an authority in your niche, Google will automatically rank you higher in search engine results.
Put Your Links in With Relevant Content
We keep talking about relevant guest posting because it’s important! You want Google to look at a site, the links attached to it, and rank your blog with those same keywords. If your content is in the middle of spam or it looks like keyword stuffing, your SEO will suffer in the long run.
How Do I Find Ways to Guest Blog?
Now that you know what is guest blogging and why it’s important, it’s time to get your first guest post. How do you do that?
Check Your Network First
It’s always easier to guest post if you already have a relationship with the blogger. Take a look at the bloggers in your niche that you enjoy, then e-mail them.
Don’t ask for a guest post off the bat though. Instead, work on establishing a relationship with them. You might get a guest post, but you’ll also get a friend.
Find a List of Top Blogs in Your Niche
If you’re a brand new blogger, then do a search for the top blogs in your niche.
This is as simple as searching for “Top [Your Niche] Blog List.” You’ll find some great blogs, and they might accept contributors.
Google “Write for Us”
Another great way to find websites who accept contributors is by searching for them. You can do this by Googling phrases with your keyword like
- “Write for us”
- “Guest posting”
- “Contributor”
- “Guest Author”
- “Submit a post”
Be Prepared to Pay
Guest posting has gotten a bad name in the past few years. Part of this is because authors will spam websites with guest post requests, thinking that it’ll be easy free publicity.
As a result, some sites want you to pay them money for a guest post. Depending on how big the website is, this might be a calculated risk you want to take.
How Do I Write a Great Guest Post?
When you get your first guest post, you want to make the most of the opportunity. This might be your one shot on this website, so you don’t want to mess it up.
Click here for guidelines about writing the best guest post possible. Don’t forget to edit it when you’re done!
Want to Learn More Ways to Improve Your SEO?
Our blog has lots of resources for you. We answer questions like “What is guest posting” and “How to find the right keyword.”
Sypder Byte Media is a Michigan based SEO company. If you have a website that needs some SEO guidance, we’re here to help. Contact us today to get started.
