Nearly every business has heard about the power of blogging, prompting thousands of companies to post content on their website regularly. But guest posts can be more of a mystery. Requiring some extra work and a bit of know-how, guest blogs can really skyrocket your marketing efforts when done right. Whether you have a vague idea of what guest post placement is or you’re completely new to the topic, this guide will help you to unlock a whole new component to add to your outreach strategy.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting involves creating written content for a website other than your own. Sometimes referred to as guest blogging or guest post placement, it’s used by businesses as part of their wider marketing strategy to increase traffic to their website.
For guest posts to be effective, they need to discuss topics related to your chosen industry or service. Try to be consistent with this and make sure you’re choosing relevant websites for your guest posts to be featured on. Writing content for websites that have nothing to do with your business can actually do more harm than good, relevance is a key part of guest posting, so it’s important to choose platforms carefully. Similarly, if you write poor quality guest posts for other websites then your efforts are likely to damage your reputation over time.
How to find guest post opportunities
Guest posting might seem like a simple concept, but finding opportunities isn’t easy if you don’t know where to start. Even if you can think of some industry-related websites off the top of your head, there’s no guarantee that they accept guest posts or are looking for submissions at this time. So how can you find the right kinds of websites to write for? Here are a few tried-and-tested tactics:
Networking
One of the best ways to secure guest blogging opportunities is by making connections with people first. Networking with other professionals in your industry can open doors that wouldn’t have existed before reaching out. In the digital age, networking can be done over social media or through online groups and forums. You could even join webinars (or run one yourself) to find like-minded business owners open to collaboration. But don’t underestimate the power of in-person networking, so keep an eye out for sessions and workshops in your local area.
Google Search
Often the first port of call for just about anything related to digital marketing, Google can help you to find relevant websites in your industry. Use your existing keyword research to search for blogs and online magazines that cover topics you’d be interested in writing about. While it might take some time to find blogs that are accepting guest posts, you shouldn’t necessarily rule out the ones that aren’t. Just because blogs don’t state they’re open to contributions doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to them. Even if they say no, it could be the start of a fruitful partnership further down the line.
Competitor Research
Similarly to the above, this method also involves using Google, but this time you’ll be using your competitors to find relevant websites. If you’ve spotted a fellow industry expert who’s guest posting quite a lot, use their name instead of keywords to discover which websites they’ve been featured on. Many of these blogs will likely be open to accepting contributions, but if they’re not, you might stumble across some valuable networking opportunities instead.
Guest posting tools
If you’re still wondering how to find guest post opportunities more efficiently, then guest posting / link building tools could be the answer. These programmes make finding relevant websites a lot easier and even offer additional insights into keywords and trends. Using Google isn’t a bad starting point, but the work can feel very manual and could eat up more hours than you have to spare. Here are some tools that you should consider as a next step:
- Ahrefs Content Explorer: Widely considered to be one of the best guest posting tools, this software allows you to search for blogs using your own keywords. It comes with handy filters to make finding the right website even easier, as well as additional metrics to support your own data collection and analysis.
- BuzzSumo: Available at a lower cost, this tool has very similar capabilities to Ahrefs and is probably better suited to businesses just getting started with guest posting. You’ll be able to take care of blogger outreach as well as discover new content ideas, but if technical SEO is an important part of your strategy, Ahrefs still comes out on top.
- TrendSpottr: Struggling to come up with topics to write about? This tool helps you to identify relevant trends to pitch to blogs in your industry. It uses predictive technology to pinpoint what could really take off in the coming months, helping you to stay ahead of the curve.
- NinjaOutreach: Find new leads and influencers within your industry using this outreach tool. If you want to connect with not only bloggers but social media personalities as well, this could be the perfect choice for you.
- BuzzStream: Another more influencer-focussed tool, BuzzStream helps you to build relationships and grow your e-mail and social profile database. With guest posting increasingly branching out from blogs into social media, many businesses are now working with influencers as well.
There are many other tools on the market – the list above is merely a small overview of some of the ones we use internally.
Why is guest posting so impactful?
Guest post placement is a popular marketing strategy for businesses across a huge range of industries, and for good reason. One of the main reasons why is because guest blogging impacts the success of your website in more than one way. Here are some of the ways it can enhance your online presence:
Contributes to your backlink strategy
Whether you already have an SEO strategy in place or are planning to implement one in the near future, guest blogging can really support your efforts. While there are a number of different strategies for securing backlinks, using your guest post to connect readers to a useful page on your website is a great place to start. This is where choosing relevant, high-quality websites for your post becomes essential, as this will help your SEO to really take off and ultimately lead to your pages ranking higher in search results.
Increases brand awareness
Guest posting exposes your business to new audiences who already have a background or interest in your chosen industry. The more guest posting you do, the more readers you’ll be exposed to over time. But after a while, the same readers will begin recognising your business across multiple platforms, which is what really allows you to build awareness of your brand. This helps you to become a memorable and respected figure within your industry, which could lead to collaboration and networking opportunities too.
Drives traffic and new leads
Links in guest posts can also help you to drive traffic and new leads back to your website. This goes one step further than building awareness and might even result in conversions or sales as well. After all, the first step to selling your product or service is getting potential customers to actually visit your website. While traffic is no guarantee that you’ll make more money or leads, it will support your broader SEO strategy, helping your pages to rank even higher.
Builds authority
When you post high-quality content on other blogs, your audience won’t just be aware of your presence, but will start viewing you as an authority or expert in your field. The same goes for Google, which means guest posting can boost your SEO strategy in yet another way. Remember to only choose websites that have a good reputation themselves for your guest posts. It doesn’t matter how good your content is if the blog you choose has a reputation for misleading its readers.
Expands your knowledge
While this isn’t a direct benefit to your website or marketing strategy, it shouldn’t be ignored. Guest posting can expand your knowledge in your industry and encourage you to develop your skills, stay on top of trends, and expand your offering. Sometimes business owners fall into the trap of standing still simply because things are going well, but having a growth mindset is key to long-term stability and success.
How a guest post outreach service can help you
If you think guest posting could benefit your business but you lack the time or the resources to get started, a guest post outreach service could take care of all the hard work for you. Whether you need someone to take over your current strategy or devise a new plan of action, get in touch today to find out more about how we can help.