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Guest blogging is a great outlet to expand your readership and increase traffic to your site. Many bloggers are wary of the practice, not knowing whether or not it is worth the time and effort required. If you create a well-thought out guest blogging strategy, the rewards will far outweigh the work put in. For all the bloggers out there, here is what you need to know about guests posts and how they can (and will) grow your blog.
Jessica
SEE ALSO: Your Guest Post was Rejected—Here is Why
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| Image Credit: Phil and Pam |
Is guest blogging really worth the effort?
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Beautiful Backlinks
One of the biggest perks of guest blogging, is the backlinks from authority sites you get in return. Those backlinks can help your Google ranking, which translates to more traffic for your site. In the recent Google Hummingbird updates, link farms officially went up in smoke. This doesn’t mean that links aren’t important anymore, it just means that where you put those links matters.
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| Image Credit: Jason A. Howie |
Providing quality content to other blogs that links back to your own, not only shows Google that your authority as an author is increasing, but that you are becoming relevant in your niche as well. Include your Google+ authorship in the bi-line of your guest post to reap the maximum benefits.
Guest blogging can expand your network across the board.
Rewarding Readership
Guest blogging can grow your readership exponentially. By posting on other blogs with similar topics, two things are happening.
1. When a blog owner lets you submit a guest post, they are telling their audience that you are a trusted source of information. Instant credibility.
2. That audience already loves the topic you write about. Now that you have been introduced into their world, they will naturally go to your blog and see what you are all about.
While no guest post will double your readership over night, you may get a few new loyal readers to make it all worthwhile.
Your blog needs new friends to grow.
Accepting Guest Posts
Now that we have covered what guest blogging can do for you, we can discuss the pros of accepting guest posts from others. Bloggers are a worrying kind, and many wonder if accepting guest posts will ruin their blog’s individual voice. The truth is, as long as you only accept quality posts that fit in line with your everyday content, your readers will be happy to welcome your guest bloggers to their inbox. As we have all heard, quality content is king.
Just as your company’s physical products and services should be top quality, so should content at your blog. If you have questions about how to define quality you may want to read this post called Quality Assurance: 5 Lessons from Zappos. The post begins with a great definition of quality. If you normally write about travel, a guest post on motorcycle safety will likely not go over well. However, your readers would probably welcome a guest post on the author’s recent trip to Namibia. Relevancy is always important.
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| Image Credit: internations |
One of the biggest perks of accepting blog posts is the time you save in not writing them yourself. While some bloggers only spend 30 minutes preparing a post, others can spend upwards to a few hours writing content, editing images, and conducting necessary research. Although you may need to re-format the submitted guest post to fit your blog, you will still save time overall.
Last but not least, the author of the guest post will want people to read it. They will take the time to promote the post on your blog, and send you new traffic you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. On top of your usual content promotion, you should see an increase on your average daily visitors with little to no extra effort.
If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, it is time to open up to guest blogging and allowing others to guest post on your blog. Expand those networks, strengthen your authority, and save a little time in the process. If you are serious about blogging, it is time to get out there and introduce yourself.
Leave your views about Guest Blogging in the comments below.
Jessica
About the Author:
Jessica Galbraith is a full-time writer and author of the travel blog The Fly Away American. She spends her free-time working on her online reputation through social media and networking.
