Since the dawn of Web 2.0 there have been numerous free blogging sites, giving virtually anyone with an Internet connection the ability to share their thoughts, ideas and creativity through a personal or business blog.
As it turns out, we human beings like blogging. A lot.
According to Worldometers, there have been well over 2 million blogs posted online today alone. This certainly makes it difficult for those who are, or aspire to be, niche authorities to raise their profiles by increasing their online exposure – with humans and the search engines.
If you’re struggling to get your name or business known, I suggest you take your focus off adding more and more content to your own website (for just a moment), and consider the benefits of guest posting.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting is when you (the guest) write an article and submit it for publication or an online property owned by someone else. There are many ‘news’ type sites that are populated solely by guest writers (some paid, others not), much to the annoyance of journalists. Think Forbes, Huffington Post, Moz etc.
The rules may vary from site to site, but for most you are able to add a short bio at the end of the article with a link back to your website. Of course, the site you post to should have some relevance to your own website in order to make the greatest impact.
7 reasons why guest posting can be lucrative
You may already be strapped for time trying to write for your own blog (and if you are my Kerry Finch Writing team can help with that right now!). But investing the time to create just one guest post as well could reap both short and long term benefits.
1. You have the opportunity of becoming an authority figure
Websites that accept guest posts often have high quality standards. Those whose posts are accepted as relevant and worthwhile immediately acquire some status with those who visit the site for information. So you must be sure that you write with authority, yet in a way that will engage the site’s audience.
When you back up any claims with statistics and proof, you may find that you will be quoted and referenced (often with a link back to your site) in posts written by those who have read your guest post.
2. Your content will be shared on social media
Even better than being quoted is when readers share your guest post on social media. From that point your post will take on a life of its own, with audiences potentially in the millions.
You can start by sharing a link to the published article to your own social media, which will both promote your work, and send a link back to the publisher’s site. The analytics these sites employ show which posts are receiving social media traffic, and will be more inclined to accept posts from authors whose posts have been received well.
3. Search engines love guest posts
Search engines all value links that come to your site from highly regarded, well-ranking websites that are know to publish original content. As you post will include a link back to your website, any traffic that comes to your website by following that link will boost the value of your blog in the virtual eyes of the search engines.
There was a time not so long ago where a plethora of link-building services creates sites to host guest posts just for the SEO value of those links. Google didn’t take long to pick up on this, and now carefully assesses the value of the sites linking to yours to determine if they have genuine value.
7. You will improve your knowlege
The research you undertake in creating a guest post will likely take you down some previously unexplored paths. Stepping away from writing about ‘what you know’ and discovering ‘what others know’ can only be a good thing. Too often we take a micro view of our business niches and focus only on what they are doing.
I’ve found that my clients are often surprised at what else is going on when they read the content that my team and I have researched and written for them!
Finding Guest Post Opportunities
Surprise, surprise – look to Google. Most websites that invite guest writers will have a section on their website “Write For Us”, so this is what you should enter into a search box – you will be blown away by the results. In fact today, it was over 12 million results!
Of course to narrow things down to your area of expertise, just add the topic area – and you can be as specific as you like until you have a manageable list.
Carving out the time to write a guest post may be a struggle, but there is no denying that it is a fantastic strategy when it comes to extending your reach and boosting your reputation. Start uncovering your guest posting opportunities by finding similar blogs in your niche and see if they accept guest content. From there, all that’s left for you to do is to continue to produce and share amazing content with the online community.
My team and I love researching and writing guest posts for my clients, so if you are time-poor, allow us to create the guest posts for you.
I can be contacted directly today at [email protected], and welcome your enquiry.
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