Guest blogging is one of the most simple yet difficult things a brand can do to increase their link building. It’s easy because many websites are looking for high-quality content in your niche. And if you have that content to offer, they will happily publish it and link back to your site.
It’s difficult because site owners are bombarded by pitches every day, most of them average or mediocre. Your pitch in the initial email must stand out to capture the attention of publishers and site owners.
So, how do you effectively use guest blogging strategies to receive more links for your website?
Make an Outreach Plan
Perform Google searches and look for medium to high authority sites in your niche that accept guest posts and have clear guest posting guidelines. Your outreach will make or break your guest post strategy and even harm your reputation if done poorly.
Here are some simple dos and don’ts of guest posting:
Do:
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Double-check the Domain Authority (DA) of guest-posting sites. Getting links from high-authority sites helps boost your site credibility and, ultimately, your ranking. Use the Ahrefs Website Authority Checker for this.
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Find the dedicated email for guest-post-related queries. Don’t use general emails unless they’re listed on a guest posting guideline page.
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Follow instructions. Most sites want a pitch, not a complete article. Failure to follow instructions is a surefire way to instant rejection.
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Be prepared for rejection, and if the site is a popular one, be ready to wait. Unless your article is timely or newsworthy, many editorial calendars book out months in advance.
- Pick relevant websites. You don’t want to post on sites that have nothing to do with your industry. Find the right platform, make a personable outreach, and offer flexibility to accommodate the websites’ needs.
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Have a unique angle, perspective, or topic. And make sure your copy is relevant.
Don’t:
- Make the same pitch to too many sites. Mix it up a bit so if more than one editor says “yes,” you’ll have something truly unique to offer them.
- Outreach editors or site owners via social media. Unless you’re already connected to them, it’s like selling vacuums door to door – you’ll rarely get a yes, and more often than not, you’ll just annoy site owners.
- Pitch stale, overused topic. Websites want guests to bring something fresh. Make sure you go through the posts they currently have on their site so you don’t pitch an idea they’ve already covered.
Write High-Quality Posts
Once you land a guest blogging spot, don’t ruin it with a poorly-written or badly edited post. Provide your highest-quality writing. Have someone on your team edit your post and look it over for typos. The more eyes you can get on it, the better. Double-check your facts and use referenced articles that are up-to-date. Also, you shouldn’t use stats from five years ago to illustrate your point. Check the date on articles, and make sure you’ve done your research.
If you have to, pay freelancers to create good content for you.
Establish a Portfolio
Even if you use a freelancer, they’ll often ghostwrite for you, so your name is in the byline. This allows you to build a portfolio of content that you can share when you do outreach. Having a list of well-written guest posts will strengthen your pitch. Not to mention you’ll have stronger backlinks, and your site profile will be more reputable.
There are countless places to house this portfolio, but you can even create a page on your website showcasing your content. This displays your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (the pillars of the Google E-A-T principle), making you a more desirable guest writer.
The Good Content Cycle
To build effective links, you need good content on your site to link to. It’s hard to get a link to a product page, but it’s much easier to get publishers to link to your homepage or relevant, well-written blog posts on your site. That content leads to more links, which leads to more guest posting opportunities in places you might not have succeeded at pitching before.
The cycle continues. Good guest posts and content on your site feed each other and can even help you gain organic links without any outreach at all. There are several strategies you can employ, including:
- Public relations (PR) or earned link building
- High-authority guest posting
- Newsjacking link-building (even as a guest on another site)
- Regular guest features on relevant sites
Stick the Landing
A guest blogging strategy can be a great way to land more links to your site. But it’s all about outreach and quality. Get those things right, and your guest blogs can lead to even more opportunities.
Need help making sense of how guest blogging relates to search engine optimization (SEO) and your overall link-building strategy? Contact us today!
