Guest posting is a great way to share your writing and get your name out there. It involves writing content for another website with a higher domain authority than yours with the goal of getting a link back to your website. This is a fantastic link-building tactic and improves search rankings if done right. This is because a strong backlink profile equals a vote of confidence for your site.
With so many updates to search engines, it’s okay to question whether guest posting is still an effective SEO strategy. So, does guest posting still work in 2023? The answer is YES. As a blogger and SEO (search engine optimization) expert, I can say that it’s possible to build online credibility via guest posting in 2023. Without a proper strategy in place, though, it’s a lot more challenging.
First, it is important to provide value in your guest post. So it’s essential to ensure that your main goal is to provide engaging, high-quality content to readers. Also, if you’re writing about a topic that is already saturated with content, it might be hard to get noticed, even with quality guest posts. Writing about a less popular topic or one in which you have a unique perspective is a good idea. There is more to this which I elaborate on in this post.
How Does Guest Posting Work?
The guest blogging process starts by determining your goals. Why are you blogging? To increase traffic? To build your social presence? To build relevant backlinks to your site? Or to raise brand awareness?
You need to decide what you want to achieve with your guest posts and what kind of guest blogs you should submit them to.
After you’ve determined your goals, follow the steps below to submit your first guest post:
Step 1: Find Relevant Websites/Blogs
Find a website or blog in your niche or industry. You can use search engines to find quality sites in your niche and find their owners. If you’re unsure how to find guest post opportunities, check out seven ways to reach more prospects.
You should be mindful of the type of content your target blog offers. Of course, you’re aware that they offer content relevant to the keywords you discovered. But look at some of their other blog posts; when were they last updated? How does the blog post new content?
What type of content do they post, and how many words are they? Do they have a specific audience in mind with their articles? What types of articles get the most engagement? Once all that is out of the way, it’s time to reach out.
Step 2: Reach Out
This is the most important part, and proper care must be taken to get the best results. Start by sending out a guest post request to blog administrators in your niche, asking if they are open to guest blogging opportunities.
Some websites will have a page or contact information dedicated to guest post link building. Others might need you to send an email or message through their contact form. Once you have determined the best way to reach your prospect, the next step is pitching.
Pitching is pretty simple. Attached is an email I sent to another web admin asking to be a guest author.
I have used this template to get hundreds of guest posts for myself and my clients. Let me tell you why it works and some ideas you can implement in your guest post pitches:
- It is not generic – Website administrators get thousands of these pitches, especially if their site is an authority site. I used the site owner’s name to show I had done my homework.
- I focused on the benefits to the recipient – In his book, The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene has a chapter titled “When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy or Gratitude.”
We can apply this principle in every aspect of life, including pitches. I always focus on what the person gets from my proposal, which makes it much easier.
People are more compelled to help when they get something in return.
- The mail looks and sounds like it came from a human – Here, we go back to the point of pitching, making a genuine connection with the reader. In this mail, I used a free email signature that contained my face, contact details, and who I am.
With this, there is a difference from other emails they receive, which is sure to pique the reader’s interest. Note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to pitches, keep tweaking until you get a strategy that always delivers.
Step 3: Write Your Article
Ensure it is high-quality, informative, and relevant to the website’s audience. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to search for keywords related to your niche. Insert these keywords throughout the article, but make sure they don’t interrupt the flow of the writing.
Google loves fresh and informative content, so make sure your article has that. Research widely, consult experts, and use previous knowledge to come up with a well-detailed guide. Overall, the content you create should help the reader and not leave them more confused.
If you do not have much experience in content writing, you can hire an SEO content writer to write the article instead.
Step 4: Submit Your Article
Always proofread your guest post before submitting it. Ensure that it offers valuable content that is clear and coherent, with appropriate internal links; proofread for grammatical and spelling errors.
Guest posting is the perfect opportunity to create a link back to your website, so include a link to your website in the article.
When you are convinced that your article is ready, submit your article to the website owner for publishing. They will check to make sure it fits into the tone of their blog, and that’s about it.
Step 5: Follow Up
This step is most times a forgotten step in most blogger outreach, and most web admins are guilty of this. Once web admins get the link they want, they leave, never to be heard from again.
The most successful blog owners have built several long-term relationships with others which have helped them achieve their success.
Strive to be different, and make sure to send an email to the website owner thanking them for the guest post opportunity. By doing this, you express your gratitude and let them know that you’d be open to making another guest contribution in the future.
Benefits of Guest Posting
Guest blogging is a win-win for both the guest blogger and the host site. From the guest blogger’s perspective, here are the benefits of guest blogging:
Increased Visibility
Guest posting on a popular website can help you reach new customers and improve your online visibility.
As your guest posts start to appear online, people will start to notice your brand on influential sites. This increases your website’s organic traffic and opens up new business prospects.
Exposure to New Audiences
When you guest blog on a website with a different audience than your own, you can reach a wider audience who may not have otherwise found your website.
As an illustration, imagine that you own a website that promotes healthy living. Write a guest blog on a website that focuses on fitness. The viewers of the fitness website might also develop an interest in healthy living (on your website).
Improved Authority
No matter how relevant your content is, it might not be easy to keep visitors as loyal users or customers if the public does not trust your brand.
You will establish yourself as an authority in your niche or industry by posting high-quality articles on other websites. This helps to build credibility and earn the trust of your target audience.
Improved SEO and Ranking
Search engines use backlinks as a rating indicator (Domain Rating). This shows that a website is a reliable and authoritative source.
Websites will achieve a high ranking position in search engine result pages with the use of high-quality backlinks. This makes it easier for users to find your content on search engine result pages(SERPs).
Branding and Promotion
Guest blogging is a fantastic opportunity to promote your brand and spread the word. According to Oberlo’s report, 86% of content marketers use blog articles in digital marketing strategies.
Your brand will become more recognizable to your target audience as you produce more guest pieces. A quality guest article draws potential clients to your website and opens up new business prospects.
5 No-Fail Guest Blogging Strategies for 2023
As a professional guest blogger, I have learned that some guest blogging efforts work better than others–while others don’t at all. Effective guest blogging takes patience, perseverance, dedication, and winning SEO tactics. That’s why I’m sharing some no-fail guest blogging strategies that will help you make the most of your guest blogging efforts. Take a look.
Never Guest Post to Websites With Low Engagement
Check the target website’s readership. If it has plenty of traffic with an active readership, that is a good sign–you may submit a guest post proposal.
Also, check the site’s social media engagement and search engine rankings. If they don’t have the kind of engagement you need, it’s time to find another prospect. For the best results, target high-authority websites.
Grow an Email List Through Your Guest Posting Efforts
Smart bloggers know that guest blogging is a great opportunity to build an email list. Include a call-to-action in your guest article that encourages readers to sign up for your email list. Offer a free resource or discount as an incentive to encourage sign-ups.
Connect Before Pitching
Make an effort to connect with the site owner before pitching a guest post proposal. Engage with their content, leave comments on their site, and follow them on social media.
As you build a relationship with the website owner or editor, the likelihood that they will accept your guest post will rise.
Engage Your Audience’s Comments
Make sure you reply to every comment on your guest blog post. This will show the website owner and readers that you’re engaged and interested in the conversation.
It will also help to build relationships with readers and other website owners.
Promote Your Guest Post Just Like Posts on Your Blog
Promote your guest post just as you would promote any other post on your blog. Share it on social media, email it to your list, and include it in your newsletter. The more promotion your guest post receives, the more visibility and referral traffic you will receive.
Create a Clear Call to action
Make sure to include a clear and concise call to action at the end of your post. This is your opportunity to let the world know who you are and how you can help. Include a link to your website and a summary of your services or products.
How Much Traffic Can I Get From Guest Posting?
How much traffic could a guest article bring in? Many different elements affect what you should expect. These include:
The Quality of Your Guest Post
A guest post that is well-written, educational, and engaging is more likely to draw readers and increase traffic to your website. But, a poorly-written guest post on a low-quality site is less likely to attract visitors to your website.
Relevance of the Destination Website
The website where you are guest blogging also significantly determines how much referral traffic you may expect to receive.
Guest posting for a reputable and high-traffic site is more likely to increase visitors to your website.
Additionally, the website’s readership is crucial. If they are not interested in what you are offering, it won’t be easy to attract them to your website.
Promotional Channels
Last but not least, how you publicize your guest post impacts the volume of traffic you receive. Make sure to share your guest post links to your email list, social media accounts, forums, and groups relevant to your niche.
So, Does Guest Posting Still Work?
Yes it does. It’s critical to remember that the rewards of guest blogging won’t manifest right away. Instead, the process requires persistence, hard effort, and a lot of patience.
Some entries will be a total disappointment. But the important thing is what you can learn from that failure to make the following one successful. Keep experimenting until you discover what works best for you.
So, what are you waiting for? Increase your digital presence and put yourself out there this year and beyond through targeted guest posts!
