Last Updated on 3 months by Christopher Jan Benitez
So, you want to submit a guest post to a highly authoritative website that welcomes millions of monthly visitors. And if what you’re hoping for is for your submission to elevate your own blog’s status, you’re on the right track.
The catch is, you have to pull your weight.
So, we’ll get into what you have to do in this article. Here, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about guest posting. This way, you can get your blog or website to rank on search engines and grow your audience in 2023 and beyond.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting is posting on websites or blogs as a guest author. While more than most blogs write only five guest posts every month, a small percentage hosts over 100 guest posts.
These webmasters welcome guest posts for traffic generation and other reasons. And most times, their reasons boil down to their need to increase valuable content on their website.
Notice how they include a backlink or link to a guest author’s bio on a host website? Take the image below, for example. When Backlinko’s Brian Dean submitted a guest post to Entrepreneur, his author bio on the website contained a link to his own blog.
Now, let’s look at guest posting from the perspective of guest authors.
One reason guests submit posts to popular websites is to direct traffic from host websites to their own blog. The more established the host website, the better it is for them.
So, if you plan on submitting a guest post, an effective way to get around to it is to write a post for well-established and popular websites. Doing so lets you tap into their audiences.
Let’s say millions of visitors view a host’s website every month. So, millions of people can read your post.
Beyond that, you can also enjoy guest posting as it:
- Increases search value – Always include backlinks in your guest submissions. They help search engines find your content easier.
- Builds authority and credibility – Create top-notch quality guest posts and they can see you as a top-notch content creator. The better your content, the higher the respect you earn from a host website’s readers.
- Connects to people – Reach out to new bloggers and introduce yourself to their network of colleagues. These new acquaintances can open doors for you.
What are the issues with guest posting?
Back when he was the former head of web spam, Google’s Matt Cutts, once, said this:
According to his bold claim, guest posting is an unreliable way of building your status. Among other reasons, “it’s just gotten too spammy”.
Soon enough, though, he retracted his previous statement. And in a new one, he corrected himself by saying guest posting still works to a certain degree.
However, it seems he was on to something in his original post. Sadly, if you browse the web, you’ll uncover spammy guest posts. There are spun contents and the rest are of little value.
Here are the other poor practices tied to guest posting:
- Over-optimized content – So, don’t stuff too many keywords into your post. Rather than impressing search engines, always focus on providing value.
- Too many backlinks – Limit the number of backlinks you include to one or two. And avoid any explicit self-promotion.
- Poor quality content – Instead, write unique, engaging, and high-quality posts. And don’t submit guest posts for the mere sake of having a guest contribution.
How to write a guest post that works
Webmasters accept guest posts submissions if these posts are rich in value. This is often non-negotiable because they can easily reject submissions.
Here are common reasons site owners often reject guest posts:
- No visuals – Include relevant images, charts, and graphs. We know these to increase conversion rates.
- No sources – Unless you cite the source of every information you present, webmasters will associate you with unreliability.
- Generic pitch – Pitching your intention to guest post on many websites is fine. Just remember to assure webmasters you’ll be writing an exclusive post.
Don’t want to get a “no”? Always write a substantial post. All over the internet, you can find many ideal guest post examples. Below is one of them:
It’s a guest submission published on Deep Green Permaculture, a website about sustainable living. What makes it count as a great example of a guest post? It contains visuals and links to sources. It’s also:
- Informative – It contains in-depth information about what you need to know about living in a tiny home. So, create informative content because the more information your post has, the more attractive it is.
- Easy-to-read – It uses simple words that don’t complicate readers’ lives. Because the words are carefully chosen, even children in elementary school can understand.
- Relevant – It’s centered solely on tiny homes. It doesn’t discuss the drawbacks of apartment living, for instance.
That, and you need to respect what the host website wants. It’s their website. So being a good guest, observe proper etiquette and play by their rules. Otherwise, don’t submit.
Fortunately, many webmasters’ guidelines for guest post submissions aren’t too strict. Most of their rules include proper formatting.
If you write posts regularly and you’re familiar with how to format standard posts, you wouldn’t have a hard time coming through.
Remember to read through every portion of the guidelines, though. While they can be no-brainers, it reflects poorly on you if you receive a rejection notice for not following a basic regulation.
Here’s an example of a batch of guidelines from a pet website that accepts guest posts:
What to look for in guest blogging sites
Found a website that appeals to your target audience?
Then, it looks like a website worth submitting a guest post to!
Don’t submit a guest post on random guest blogging sites. It’s a terrible idea. Remember, even if your guest submission is likely a good enough content by a webmaster, it doesn’t automatically mean that it’s the best place for a guest post. Instead, be mindful of websites where you make your mark.
For one, make sure that your guest post’s destination website accommodates the readers your post is for. This lets you stay relevant and maximize the effectiveness of your post. Not to mention, it’s a surefire way of avoiding unwanted scenarios in your career as a content creator.
For example, you plan to submit a guest post that targets people who are into vegetable gardening. So, submit to a website that entertains readers about vegetable gardening topics — or something similar.
Don’t insist on submitting a post to websites that discuss palliative care tips only. Few readers of that website will bother with your post. And if someone stumbles on what you’ve whipped up, you’ll probably appear a joke to them.
Here are the other points that you should look into, too:
- High engagement rate – Guest post on popular websites with engaged readers for your post to be the subject of buzz. As long as your post is relevant and thought-provoking, the readers are likely to engage with the author.
- Strong authority – Be a guest on websites that are highly reputed. The more prominent they are, the more influential your post can be.
- Social profile – Choose webmasters active on social media. That way, they could share your post to different social media channels and amplify its reach.
Conclusion
Does guest posting still work? Yes, it does.
The best thing about it? It’s a two-way street where both the author and the webmaster can benefit.
So, if you’ve encountered the ideal website where you can send a pitch for the intention to submit a guest post, go ahead. Reach out to the webmaster.
Want a handy tip? Check out their website or blog and get a feel of what their posts are like. Then, submit something similar.