A friend of mine who just started a new blog asked me the above simple question when we met on Christmas day…She wants to go into guest posting as she has read a lot about it from several blogs.
However, as the question suggests, she was not sure as to when to go that path. I will provide the answer I gave to her in conjunction with other important key factors to consider when looking to go into guest posting…
What Is Guest Posting?
Guest posting is when you occasionally write for a blog within your niche as a guest. In doing this, you give away some of your best posts to already established blogs with substantial traffic.
You cannot republish an article you have already submitted for guest posting on your blog. So if you are giving away your best articles to big blogs for free then surely there must be something in there for.
What Do You Gain From Guest Posting?
As mentioned above, there must be something in there for you in order to give away your good content to other blogs as a guest post. In other to obtain majority of the benefits which comes with guest posting, you must make sure that…
- Firstly, you are submitting to a blog with enough traffic.
- Secondly, the blog must be within your niche or else, what will be the sense even if the blog has huge readership and the readers are no way interested in your blog?
One of the principal benefits guest posting is ‘gaining traffic’. When you submit a good relevant post to a huge blog within your niche, you are guaranteed to receive some traffic from that blog. As conventional of guest posting, you will have your blog’s link provided below the post or somewhere in the post which will state or show that the post was written by you.
Apart from getting new readers through guest posting, you are also likely to receive one or two link backs from a bigger blog which will boast your blog’s standing on the SEO ladder.
Also, through guest blogging, you will get to network with bigger bloggers. Immediately a bigger blogger accepts your guest post, it marks the beginning of a good blogging relationship. A lot of things start from here…Remember networking is the key to having a successful blog.
Closely related to above, you get to let other bigger bloggers in your niche know of your existence through having had a guest post on a big blog. With this advantage, whenever you approach the other bigger blogs, they will easily recognize you from your previous guest postings.
When Is The Right Time To Go Into Guest Posting?
This is where the answer to the question my friend asked lies…A lot of bloggers get this wrong and as such, they do not receive effective returns from their guest posting.
If you are ready to give away your best content as a guest post, then you should make sure the time is right to do so…
First of all, you must make sure that you have enough quality and interesting posts on your blog before you go into guest posting. The reason being that, readers who find your guest post interesting will surely click on your blog link to check you out.
Great, you have gotten the traffic coming in to your blog. What will they find on your blog? This is the most important part of guest posting…If they come and find a dry or a blog full of trash; they will be disappointed and will quickly bounce off.
Secondly, apart from stocking your blog with quality content before going into the business of guest posting, you should also think about what you want to do with the readers your guest posting will fetch.
If you want the new visitors to sign up to your list or join your rss feed readers, then make sure your subscription slot is very visible and attracting…If you prefer using a landing page, that is also a good option.
On the other hand, if you want your new visitors to buy a product you are promoting, make sure your product is well place at a spot where it can be easily seen.
So you see, guest posting is an effective way to get traffic, get yourself known and build networking but make sure you have your home sorted out before you invite visitors to come in.
Remember that if a visitor is disappointed the first time, he/she will never care to check out your house again even if you refurbish it at a later date. The visitor will also discourage her friends who may want to come and visit your house.
Always put your house in order before going out to invite visitors to check it out through guest posting…
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