Blogging is a fundamental aspect of digital or online marketing. Whether you run a blogging website or any other business, your web presence counts.
Almost every website you visit features a blog because content sells and it strengthens your SEO game. Most people will be directed to your website by a search engine, so you need to show up in the results more often, and preferably on the first page.
There are several ways to promote your products or services through digital marketing; the fastest routes to generate website traffic usually involve substantial financial investment. Improving your web presence through blogging is not the easiest method out there, but it is certainly the most effective; also, it doesn’t have to cost a dime.
If you have been blogging on your web page for a while, you may realize the significance of posting informative articles. The words or phrases people type into the search engine are the specific ‘keywords’, which must be included in any relevant blog you publish.
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Getting your keywords right usually requires some online research and a good deal of common sense. In order to perceive your spectators, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Creating appealing content becomes more doable when you understand your target audience.
You have to generate high-quality content without break and keep up with changing trends. For instance, if you run a health and fitness blog, you should be well aware of trending diets and new weight loss techniques everyone is talking about. Nonetheless, at least a thousand other businesses like you out there may have written a piece on the same topic.
If being discovered in the search engine results is your only game plan, the chances of success are pretty bleak. How will you beat all the national or international competition and come close to claiming a spot in the top three? This is where guest blogging comes in and opens up new prospects.
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What is Guest Blogging?
Guest blogging, also known as guest posting, is the act of writing an article for another website. If you are new to this concept, you must be wondering that what’s in it for you. Typically, guest posts are not paid for, so what is the purpose of handing over a well-written blog to another business?
The blog will be published on their website, thus it may seem like they are the only one at an advantage here. While the recipient is acquiring free content for their page, you get to add one or more backlinks in the body of your article. If the people reading your blog on another website like the content, they are likely to visit your page for more similar stuff.
Guest blogging is all about obtaining exposure from a wider audience that is looking for products or services associated with your field of expertise. Most guest bloggers contribute to websites in their own niche or industry, which makes absolute sense.
Suppose you run a personal injury law firm – publishing an article on a legal blog is certainly appropriate. The blog that provides information for a law-related topic will appear to be a misfit for a website connected to the food or fashion industry. When you get backlinks from multiple high authority websites that complement your forte, it automatically leads to brand recognition.
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How to Get Started
When looking for websites that may publish your blogs, target non-competitors of your industry. For example, if you are a building contractor in Norfolk, Virginia, another contractor in the same city is unlikely to promote you. Both of you shall be competing for leads rather than recommending each other to potential clients.
However, you may have better luck collaborating with a real estate agent, who regularly meets up with buyers inclined to invest in a fixer-upper house. Anyone who buys an old house and wants to make it livable again will definitely need a contractor on their speed dial.
In order to make the best of your guest post, you need to put it up on the right site. Firstly, the host website should have a good ranking and receive a lot of traffic. Websites that showcase spammy content can be bad for your business reputation.
You also need to make sure that the article you submit is correlated to the topics covered by your host and the backlinks you add are not for something completely irrelevant to the blog itself. If you do not follow these basic guidelines, your guest post is likely to face rejection from the targeted host or get slandered by negative feedback from the spectators.
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Keep in mind that not all guest posts can be used to promote a certain product or service. Cramming too many heedless keywords or backlinks will be the downfall of your website’s credibility. Sometimes, you just lure in the audience with thought-provoking content and let them explore your products/services on their own.
You have to acknowledge your host’s principles and values before pitching your article. For instance, if you are a pastry chef promoting your confections, a website that helps patients with diabetes and obesity might find the proposal offensive. On the contrary, a website that addresses alcoholism and drug abuse shall be keen to collaborate with a DUI attorney.
The rest is rather self-explanatory. Your blogs should be void of plagiarism and grammatical mistakes. Your content should come across as engaging, informative, and resourceful. Backing your theories with facts and adding links for reference shows that you are cultured.
You must abide by any additional guest post guidelines requested by the host. Review several recent articles published on the host’s website to take note of their blogging style and literary preferences. Link your article to one of the blogs already published on the site. This gives the impression that you did your research and that you are truly invested in the venture.
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The Many Benefits
Now that you know the meaning of guest blogging and understand how it’s done, it is time to discern the many gains from it. When you work with another business that is native to your industry, your target audiences tend to overlap.
This means that many users who visit your host’s website are likely to take interest in your products or services; as a result, you generate several qualified leads and shorten the sales cycle.
You are instantly exposed to new traffic that is prone to engage in what you have to offer. The subscribers or followers of your host website will automatically trust you for being featured and begin to truly appreciate you for your work.
There is simply too much information on the internet and more than half of it is misleading. Nonetheless, there are sources people trust and when these sources publish your content, they are in fact vouching for your credibility. When people follow your backlink and like what they see on the landing page, there are high chances of being recommended.
People might share your blog on social media and bring in even more traffic. The more online businesses you collaborate with, the bigger your network grows. Getting backlinks from multiple high authority websites can do wonders for your rankings and sales.
If the host benefits from your guest posts, they will gladly offer further opportunities. They may endorse your business on their social media pages and you can return the favor to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. Guest blogging can be the start of a promising business partnership. For instance, a beauty blogger and a dermatologist can combine powers to intensify their influence.
They may support each other in different marketing campaigns and put on a strong front against fierce competitors. Business owners from the same industry can learn a lot from each other, especially when they are not competing for the same prize.
Many bloggers will offer an article for your website in return for your contribution to their blog. Creating original and dynamic content on a regular basis can be very challenging. Readers may get bored of blogs that seem to have an identical voice, as they tend to sound monotonous.
Featuring articles from other talented writers could be the change you need to keep your followers interested. The new perspective from guest posts can add a good dose of variety and freshness to your webpage, which will prove good for business.
Almost all websites that accept guest posts include an ‘about author’ section at the end of the article, which lets readers know about you. You can use the author description to glorify your business in a few sentences, as well as include links for your website and social media accounts.
If you limit blogging to your own website, you are basically waiting to be discovered. When you publish guest posts on a range of websites that receive a lot of traffic, prospective leads find you. If blogging is something you just recently got into, you may have to sharpen your skills.
When you submit blogs for publishing on other websites, the hosts will thoroughly assess their value. If your articles keep getting rejected, this is an indication that you should step up your game.
Unbiased opinions and criticism will certainly help you evolve into a better writer and even reveal the flaws of your business.
