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Guest posting has become an integral part of any effective SEO strategy. By publishing content on reputable, high-authority websites in your industry, you can gain backlinks, increase brand awareness, and boost your search engine rankings.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about guest posting for SEO, from finding the best websites to pitch to creating compelling content that gets accepted. Let’s dive in!
What is Guest Posting?
Guest posting refers to creating and publishing articles and other content as a guest contributor on third-party blogs and websites. Also known as guest blogging, this off-site content marketing technique allows you to tap into an established audience and gain backlinks from authoritative domains.
Unlike paid advertising, guest posts put you in front of targeted readers actively interested in that site’s niche. You can position yourself as an industry expert and get your brand in front of thousands of readers.
The SEO Benefits of Guest Posting
There are several reasons guest posting has become a go-to SEO tactic:
Earn High-Quality Backlinks
One of the biggest SEO perks of guest posting is that it allows you to earn backlinks from reputable websites. Google and other search engines use backlinks as one of the top ranking factors. So, securing backlinks from authoritative sites tells Google your content is valuable.
However, not all backlinks impact SEO equally. Guest posts help you earn editorial backlinks that occur naturally within high-quality content. These contextual backlinks signal to search engines that your site is trusted and credible.
Increase Referral Traffic
By tapping into an established site’s readership, guest posts expose your brand, website, and products/services to an untapped audience. The goal is to provide so much value through your guest post that readers click your backlink to learn more, which drives referral traffic back to your site.
Over time, this can become a significant stream of organic visitors and leads.
Build Domain Authority
Your website’s domain authority reflects its credibility and influence. Guest posting on authoritative sites passes some of that site’s domain authority onto yours, gradually increasing your domain authority.
Higher domain authority improves your ability to rank for competitive keywords by making your site appear more reputable to search engines.
Boost Brand Awareness
Piggybacking off a site with an existing readership gets your brand name and messaging in front of new eyeballs within your target audience. Readers who find your guest post valuable will likely look for your site and social media profiles to learn about your products or services.
This is an effective way to grow brand visibility and recognition.
Finding the Best Guest Posting Opportunities
With so many business and industry blogs, guest posting opportunities are endless. But take the time to be selective about the sites you pitch to ensure your efforts pay off with SEO and traffic gains.
Here are tips for finding quality websites that offer guest contributor spots:
Check Alexa and Domain Authority Metrics
Focus on mid-tier and authority sites with healthy traffic and high domain authority scores. Established sites with more credibility pass more SEO value through backlinks and offer larger potential audiences.
Align with Your Niche
Look for websites that align closely with your brand, products/services, and target customer base. For example, if you sell accounting software, aim for sites like AccountingWeb rather than more general tech publications.
Review Existing Guest Posts
Vet sites by looking at a few recent guest articles they have published. This gives you a feel for the type of content they accept and their contributor guidelines. High-quality guest posts suggest they will be a valuable SEO placement.
Browse Related/Competitor Guest Posts
See where your competitors and brands in your space are getting placements. For example, note if a rival accounting software company published posts on CFO.com or the Journal of Accountancy. These likely represent substantial opportunities.
Spend time curating a list of 10-20 high-quality sites that accept guest posts and align with your brand. Outreach response rates are typically low, so casting a wide net helps you secure placements. Searchlogistics’ premium guest posting list can accelerate your process of identifying guest posting opportunities.
Creating Effective Guest Posts
With so much competition to score guest posting slots, you need to craft posts that grab the editor’s attention and provide tremendous value to readers. Here’s how to set your pitches up for success:
Tailor Content to Each Site
You must customize content for each site’s audience, niche, and editorial guidelines.
For example, an article focused on small business growth strategies would take a different angle for Forbes than Business News Daily. Do your homework to understand what resonates with each publication’s readership.
Find a Unique Angle
Avoid broad, overcovered topics and aim to provide a fresh perspective that teaches readers something new. This might involve tackling an underserved subtopic or adding your data and insights to put a new spin on familiar subject matter.
Feature Actionable Tips and Takeaways
Write posts focused on arming readers with tactical advice rather than self-promotion. For example, you might provide tips to improve invoice payment processes rather than pushing your accounting software. This educational approach establishes your expertise.
Include Strong Data and Resources
Well-researched posts cite supporting data from reputable sources to back critical points. This boosts credibility while giving readers additional resources to explore the topic further.
Show Personality
Let your passions and voice shine through to connect better with audiences. Leverage personal anecdotes and inject some friendly humor when appropriate to avoid sounding overly salesy.
By providing genuine value that aligns with a site’s sweet spots, you present editorial teams with an easy “yes” to top-notch guest contributor content.
Guest Posting Link Building Opportunities
Beyond placing guest posts, you can maximize SEO value through intentional networking outreach. Getting your site featured or backlinked from authority sites leverages guest posts for link building.
Roundup Lists
Roundup posts aggregate multiple links around a focused theme. You can pitch your content for inclusion when relevant roundups get published.
Mentions
Find news stories, product releases, or company achievements that may warrant a brief mention or backlink from industry media contacts.
Interviews
Position executives as industry experts by securing contributor interviews with top publications. Drop an interview mention linking back to your recent guest post or website.
Expert Quotes
PR pros constantly need input from experts. Subscribe to HARO or brand monitoring alerts to respond to relevant media queries with quotes referencing your content.
Brand Partnerships
Use guest posts and your expanding domain authority as conversation starters to explore co-marketing partnerships with complementary brands.
This amplifies the SEO value beyond the post itself. View every guest article as a networking touchpoint for follow-on media and influencer outreach.
Putting It All Together
Though it demands effort upfront, an effective guest posting process pays dividends over the long haul through compounding SEO gains.
Here is an overview of the complete playbook:
- Find Relevant Websites: Research and curate sites closely matching your product/service niche and target buyer demographics.
- Craft Valuable Content: Brainstorm unique angles with actionable, thoroughly researched advice.
- Personalize Pitches: Customize queries to align with each site’s editorial needs and guidelines.
- Be Persistent and Professional: Follow up politely if you are still waiting to hear back immediately and promptly address any revision requests.
- Optimize Posts: Work target keywords into on-page SEO elements and promote new content through off-page social channels when published.
- Expand Reach: Use guest posts as a starting point to build relationships and secure additional organic brand mentions.
- Track Results: Monitor traffic, rankings, and conversions gained so you can refine efforts over time.
Committing to an intentional guest posting process powered by compelling, customized content unlocks immense SEO and referral traffic potential. Treat every placement as a stepping stone within a larger inbound marketing strategy. Before you know it, you’ll have built a recognized domain authority and go-to site for your niche thanks to syndicated content working hard on your behalf.
