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Today were going to cover a little about what is guest blogging? We’ll cover, why people use it, how they use it, when they do and some pros and cons about it.
Many people in recent times, have looked to guest posting as a way to market their website or business on the internet. And many people think this is some kind of new strategy. When the reality is, guest posting has been around for quite sometime.
Web marketers like Jim Daniels have been using guest posting since the mid 90’s and used to call it a grass roots marketing strategy.
But these days, it can take on a whole different tone when used. And many people use it for the wrong reasons. Many are only after building links to get ranked in search engine like Google when using a guest strategy.
This should not be your only focus. Keeping only search engines in mind, when trying to land article opportunities on other sites, can land your site in hot water. But there are many reasons it can work for just about any business.
Whats Your Focus?
You have to take a look at what your focus is when thinking about marketing your website. Are you 100% reliant on Google for all your web traffic? Are search engines your top strategy for getting traffic to your site?
If they are then, you might want to rethink your online marketing strategies. Don’t get me wrong, search engines are an awesome source of traffic. Relying on them 100% can lead to disaster.
So, if you care about Google then you will want to follow their rules a little closer.
But, what if you cared nothing about Google and you used Guest posting as a way to brand your business? Then it can be a great strategy for your website. Not caring about Google means, you will be trying to land articles on other sites that are relevant to your website.
And you will care more about traffic and branding more than anything else.
So, just keep in mind what it is you care about most. We know most people care about Google however. So, they play by Google’s rules.
But, also know link building is another way to get traffic to a website. It can take a ton of work yes but, it can deliver good results over time.
Think Relevance
The problem many guest posters have, is they start trying to place articles on any old website. And the problem is that site, is usually also accepting crap from everyone else also.
So, when using guest posting as a marketing strategy, you want to think relevance first. You want to get your article placed on a website where your audience will care about it. This way you will get some actual traffic.
it does really no good, to place your plumbing article in a magazine about solar panels. You could get many people reading your article, but not many visiting your website.
Find Good Online Publications
The biggest problem with guest posting is people will post on just any old website that will accept their post. But what if you wrote your best content and then tried to land an opportunity in say entrepreneur magazine?
Get your feet wet with some lower authority blogs and sites and once you have some success then try some bigger publications. This can help make all the difference.
Write Better Content
One of the biggest problems we see with many sites we either help or even do a review on is content. Either they didn’t have enough of it or it was really bad.
Take the time to care about your content more and just don’t try and speed though things just so you can get your article done. People know junk when they see it. And your content is really your brand these days.
Pretty much everything thing online is about two things, links and content. While this is an over simplification, your content does really matter.
Crafting quality content can really make all the difference in the long run. People will actually want to read and care about what you write. If you don’t know how to write great content learn.
Write For Humans
Another big problem we site is, people are all wrapped up into seo and Google and they forget all about who they are really writing for. And that’s people. Sure, a search engine cares about your content but ultimately, it’s people who will see it, read it, act off it, learn from it and benefit from it. Who knows, it may even change lives if your content is that good.
So sure, keep that fact that Google will see your content in mind. But, they only rank your content. A human reads it. And, you can get tons of traffic all day long from Google but if know one likes your content, what are you left with?
Guest Posting As A Strategy
if you are going to be using this as a marketing strategy then you should keep a few things in mind. Don’t make all your links pointing back to your site only from guest posting.
Always diversify your links, the best you can. Again, choose only quality relevant websites.
Take some time and practice writing, before unleashing your guest posting campaign. Have a friend or family member read your articles and make the necessary changes.
Next, find the sites you want to try and land some posting opportunities on. Make a list of all your websites and then divide them into an A list and a B list. Your A list will be your much better sites which will be harder to land an article on. And, your b list will be where you start trying to pitch your ideas to.
When you land a few from your B list, then it’s time to try your and go after your A list.
One thing people do is rush way too fast into this or really any online marketing strategy. But take the time to practice, refine and then go after what you want.
