What is Guest Posting- A Definitive Guide

Did You know corporate marketers who prioritize blog posting efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI?

Guest posting is a powerful Off-page SEO strategy that involves publishing articles for other websites. The written articles are often highlighted by the editor or publication as being written by the contributor or guest author.

Amazingly, It allows you to tap into existing audiences, build credibility, and enhance your website visibility.

And the good news is that you might be awarded for your post, like a link back to your website or social media accounts.

A study conducted by Backlinko in 2018 analyzing over 115,000 domains found that guest blogging delivers strong SEO benefits when done strategically.

Do you want to make yourself more engaged in what this Guest Blogging is all about?

Here is the complete guide which will help you understand this content marketing strategy as it covers a wide spectrum of guest posting:

• What Is A Guest Post?
• Why Guest Posting Matters for SEO?
• How does Guest Posting Work?
• What makes guest posting different and effective?
• Guest Posting Benefits
• How to Find Guest Post Opportunities?
• How to Write a Guest Post?
• How to Submit a Guest Blog Post?
• Guest Posting Guidelines
• How Many Guest Posts Per Month?
• Guest Posting Platforms
• Guest Posting Mistakes To Avoid
• How to measure the success of your Guest Posting Efforts?

What Is A Guest Post?

 A report generated by WordPress in 2018, indicates a significant surge in guest posting as 87 million posts were published with a remarkable 47.1% increase compared to may 2016. This data highlights the growing popularity of blog posting over time.

 

Now, let’s take a brief look at what a guest post actually is.

Guest Posting (also known as guest blogging is known as a marketing tactic that includes writing articles for other websites to promote personal brand. As the name suggests, ‘guest’, the author.

 

 It is a clear-cut process and takes more than a little effort to make guest blogging strategies successful to achieve the ultimate guest post outreach.

 

All you need to know about guest posting is to have a goal about an outside expert writing a high-quality post in their domain within the areas of expertise and adding value to their knowledge by bringing fresh content with the help of an appropriate guest post platform.

 

 It is important to note that topics should be relevant to the blog’s original content and audience.

 

Why Guest Posting Matters for SEO?

Here are some key reasons why guest posting matters for SEO:

• Backlinks – Each publication of a guest post provides a new backlink to your site from an authoritative source. This passes link equity and helps with search rankings.
• Domain Authority – Guest posting on top sites in your industry builds your overall domain authority over time. This makes your content appear more expert/relevant.
• Keyword Usage – You can optimize guest posts for important target keywords to draw new organic traffic directly to your articles and website.
• Indexing – Major blogs tend to be frequently crawled by search engines, ensuring your guest posts and their indexed pages/links provide new visibility.
• Link Anchors – Varied anchor texts in links back to your site enhance anchor text profile for keywords. This signals relevancy to search engines.
• Social Shares – Well-written guest content gets shared naturally, passing link equity through each social platform instance.
• Content Marketing – Establishes you as an industry leader and produces engaging material prompting readers to explore your own site/offers.
• Evergreen Value – Properly tagged as reusable resources, guest contributions deliver ongoing SEO benefits without maintenance.

 

How does Guest Posting Work?

From our comprehensive article on guest post submissions, here’s a simplified guide for you to understand the guest posting process.

Search  Opportunities- Guest authors look out for the blogs in their industry or specifically in their topic area to find websites with an active blog that allows guest contributions. There are many websites, such as “Guest Posting Sites” and “Submit a Guest Post” platforms, that help writers get connected with the right guest post opportunities with their domain.

 

A Perfect Pitch- The ‘guest’ writer has to reach out to the blog owner or editor with a compelling draft or outline that aligns with the site’s content and target audience. The only condition is to have a topic that aligns well with a topic idea and not buy guest posts.

 

Acceptance- your pitch is successfully set with the blog owner, who will guide you with the terms and conditions and other necessary standard operating procedures to follow.

 

Write-Up-The guest has to read the script that aligns well with the research conducted and ensure that it meets the owner’s quality and formatting requirements.

 

The Final Publication- Progressively, the blog owner will review the post and publish it by linking the writer’s name to it, thus, creating an opportunity to build their brand.

 

What makes guest posting different and effective?

Unlike regular blog commenting or social shares which pass minimal equity, guest blogging results in a new inbound link directly from a third-party authority site. This passes significant ranking power to the guest blogger’s domain. It also expands their reach through the host publication’s larger readership while creating opportunities to build relationships for future placements.

 

 

Guest Posting Benefits

Let’s we discuss the possible Benefits of guest posting:

• It builds authority in industry domains by placing articles on established sites. This improves SEO rankings over time.

• Guest authors reach new potential readers and clients beyond their own sites’ audiences.

• High-quality posts that answer user questions and solve problems boost reader trust in the writer.

• Links back to a writer’s site from authoritative blogs are still valuable for SEO link building.

• Guest posting lets authors continuously produce fresh content without relying solely on their sites.

• Writers gain opportunities to showcase their expertise to new audiences.

• Host blogs attracting expert contributors to build their authority and readership in the process.

• Some sites allow or prefer guest posts to be evergreen and shared on social networks to extend reach.

• Readers benefit from a diversity of knowledgeable perspectives on industry topics through outside contributions.

• When balanced properly as part of content/link-building strategies, guest posting still effectively grows brands and traffic potential for both parties.

• As long as quality articles focus on reader value over direct promotion, the results prove mutually advantageous.

• Consistency over months establishes a writer as a thought leader and prime future contributor for hosts.

 

How to Find Guest Post Opportunities?

The easiest way to land into the right places is to locate websites open to publishing guest contributions:

Rule 1

Browse submission platforms like “Guest Posting Sites” which have a list of blogs looking for good contributors along with the requirements and submission process. It is surely an easy search tool!

Rule 2

Research for the top blogs! Go out and check competitors and leaders of your niche that welcome submissions. Look for the contact information and check out the way to leave your positivity.

Rule 3

Networking, join groups, forums, and online networking directories that are industry-specific and open doors to greater opportunities.

Rule 4

You can pitch your articles directly via cold emailing or messaging bloggers on sites.

Rule 5

Keep a regular check on websites like “Guest Posting Platforms”, and niche-specific marketplaces, and then comes HARO which is the game changer when it comes to connecting experts to those seeking their knowledge.

All it takes is a proactive approach, there are numerous websites accepting submissions daily in every interest area.

 

 

How to Write a Guest Post?

Below are some of the best-outlined steps in 2024 to ace your guest post

Step 1

The vitality the topic holds is impeccable, ensuring that your topic is a perfect fit. Do your research according to the blog’s niche and craft an idea that aligns well.

• guest post + technology
• guest posting + technology
• health + guest blogging opportunities
• fashion + submit a guest post
• business + want to write for us

Step 2

The blog’s style, formatting, and technical requirements that is to adhere to the guest post email templates and policies.

Step 3

It is important to note the relevant optimization of keywords to both your site and the hosting blog. It is advisable to use them consistently in your titles and throughout the context.

Step 4

The best guideline is to provide informative content, checklists, data-driven guides, and/or case studies that fit well with the reader’s needs and are not only based on self-promotion.

Step 5

The visuals- Formatting your content professionally with appealing images, subheadings, and other visual add-ons that enhance the readability.

Step 6

Make sure before you finalize, it is polished and error-free and is well reviewed. The well-structured writing makes the best impression.

Step 7

Interlinking- You can ask for the application of your site to the content or you can incorporate additional SEO benefits that make your writing stand out with a perfect SEO guest post.

 

How to Submit a Guest Blog Post?

Once you have found the perfect guest posting opportunity, these guidelines will align for successful guest post submissions:

• Read carefully the blog’s author guidelines and meet the exact requirements of the guest blog post.
• Craft clear and compelling content and a 250-word article that flows your idea well.
• Outline the fact that the post will benefit the readers in the pitch email, and address a problem and a solution simultaneously.
• Provide 1-2 samples that ensure your writing quality and ensure your upcoming quality guest posts.
• You can request links back to your website in the pitch for SEO purposes and make your piece a perfect SEO guest post.
• Thank them politely for the consideration, whether declined or accepted.

It is important to note that adhering to submission guidelines increases the probability of post-acceptance rates at quality blogs.

 

Guest Posting Guidelines

The guidelines outline the best practices to keep in mind for both a host blogger and a guest author with a  well-researched guest posting guide.

• Topics need to be best aligned with the niche of the host and regular subject matter coverage.
• The key is to provide original content for readers, that educates readers and informs them well about the matter. This makes the most valuable, and the quality should be consistent.
• The complete outlining of the technical requirements, such as formatting, linked internal pages, and header style, must be followed exactly.
• Plagiarism is unhealthy for your writing piece; any sources used should be cited properly where helpful.
• Should ensure that the writing piece should uphold the brand standards and reader experience.
• Scheduling of posts across weeks and months for planning calendars for the host sites.

Certain websites have specific standards regarding the types of blog post submissions they accept.

These guidelines are often outlined on their “Write for Us” page. For instance, HubSpot has particular guidelines, such as:

and it’s crucial to thoroughly understand them before submitting your post.

 

How Many Guest Posts Per Month?

Quality over quantity is a perfect mantra for any author. There is no specific limit to the number of guest post placement someone can do in a month, but the appropriate research, and writing for each contribution aligning with the owner’s guidelines.

It is important to take a slow start by submitting around 2-5 high-quality blog posts per month.

 Also it is advisable to maintain a consistent schedule for more opportunities and increase your post turnaround with 10 posts in a month.

 

Guest Posting Platforms

Providing the lists of websites seeking guest posts some of them are included:

HARO Help a Reporter Out

Help a Reporter Out service link bloggers with suitable experts to answer the appropriate questions.“Submit a Guest Post” and Search out for the tool to find blogs welcoming outside contributors on specific topics

 

Medium

 

An online publishing network where publications outbreak announcements for open submission call publicly.

 

 

LinkedIn

 

 

A professional platform for social networking that allows connections with guest posting possibilities.

 

Guest Posting Mistakes To Avoid

1. Unappealing content that is not only unrelated but low-quality as well.
2. Unnatural stuffing of keywords rather than organic incorporation throughout.
3. Breaching the host site guidelines on formatting, style, and layouts.
4. Having a lot of outbound links without any value addition which enrages the host.
5. Using templated emails that are spammy and lack customization or unclear call-to-action.
6. Before sending the final draft, make sure you give it a thorough look, factual errors or other issues should be eliminated.
7. For a fruitful experience, make sure not to publish the same post on multiple sites simultaneously.

Maintain professional relationships, prepare the piece carefully, and follow directions for an amazing and seamless experience throughout!

 

Need Tips to Become a Successful Guest Blogger?

Here are some tips to become a successful guest blogger.

• Develop expertise in your industry or niche. Write blogs and ebooks and give talks to build credibility.
• Find high-quality blogs that accept guest posts. Research top publications and use submission platforms.
• Provide sample writing for hosts to review prior to acceptance. Demonstrate writing skills.
• Follow submission guidelines meticulously. Fit posted types and topics; proofread thoroughly.
• Write engaging, informative content centred on readers’ needs. Include visuals, Call-To-Actions for hosts.
• Ask for internal links from guest posts to boost your site in search results.
• Interact in comments. Thank commentators and hosts; build relationships for repeat opportunities.
• Repurpose popular content into social media graphics and videos for further reach.
• Monitor performance. Note top-performing topics to refine strategy and future ideas over time.
• Maintain consistency with high-quality output to become go-to experts for premier blogs in your domain.

 

How to measure the success of your Guest Posting Efforts?

Guest Posting is an effective content marketing strategy, The key areas for which the guest posting remains relevant.

Here are some key ways to measure the success of guest posting efforts:

• Traffic/Views – Check Google Analytics to see how much traffic each guest post drives to your website over time. Top performers help you refine topic/audience targeting.

• Backlinks – Use a backlink checker to track how many high-quality links are gained from publications. Valuable for ongoing SEO improvements.

i.e Use SemRush backlink analytic tool:

• Social Shares- Monitor share counts on hosted posts to gauge audience interest/engagement levels.
• Comments – Read/reply to comments to build relations; high comment counts signify involvement.
• Lead Generation – Add a signup form/CTA to measure how many leads each post acquires.
• Downloads – Track downloads of any shared assets like resources, checklists for new contact opportunities.
• Mentions – Check brand/post mentions on social/forums to find new influencers/readers.
• PR Opportunities – Some publishers may offer speakerships or interviews from guest blogging relationships.
• Repeat Placements – Effective posts encourage hosts to accept more articles from you over time.
• Subscriptions – Gain new subscribers/followers through quality content on hosted sites.

As long as any writing material goes well with the readers’ needs and stays within the host’s guidelines, the valuable contributions and incorporated guest post + technology blend will keep benefitting both parties when incorporated into an overall content strategy.

 

Wrapping Up

Guest posting is an ultimate strategy when it comes to benefit both the writers and the host sites when the guidelines, terms and conditions are followed. Maintaining quality standards and abiding by the standard operating procedure is the key. The best suggested approach for any guest author would be to provide original content altered with the needs of the readers and when the author assumes themselves as a contributor, it is then they can build an audience and new business avenues. Guest Blogging still proves to be very effective for attaining content marketing goals for all the parties involved.