Guest blogging has become an increasingly popular and effective SEO strategy in recent years. As we move into 2023, guest posting on high authority websites in your niche is one of the best ways to build high quality backlinks and boost your site’s search engine rankings.
What is Guest Blogging?
Guest blogging is the process of creating and publishing content on someone else’s website as a guest contributor. Typically, you would reach out to relevant blogs and websites in your industry and pitch some article ideas that would appeal to their audience. If the site owner accepts your pitch, you can write and submit a post to be published on their site. The post will include a short bio about you and a link back to your website.
Why Guest Post for SEO?
There are several key benefits to guest posting for SEO and website growth:
1. Earn High Quality Backlinks
Backlinks remain one of the top ranking factors for SEO. By publishing content on authoritative, reputable sites in your niche, you can earn high quality backlinks that pass link equity and authority to your own site. Focus on getting placements on sites with high domain authority and traffic.
2. Increase Referral Traffic
Quality guest posts on popular industry sites can send new visitors back to your own website. Include relevant internal links in your author bio and guest posts to boost referral traffic.
3. Establish Yourself as an Industry Expert
Guest blogging allows you to connect your name, brand and expertise to respected industry platforms. Writing for the top blogs and websites in your niche showcases your knowledge and raises your authority.
4. Expand Your Audience Reach
Leveraging the established readership of popular sites in your industry is a great way to get your own content, messaging and brand in front of a larger target audience.
Finding Guest Posting Opportunities
The first step is researching and making a list of websites and blogs you would like to write for. Identify sites that:
- Have high domain authority and organic search traffic
- Are frequently updated with new content
- Accept and actively publish contributor posts
- Have an audience aligned with your target market
Search for relevant industry keywords to find the top blogs and websites. You can also use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs and BuzzSumo to analyze competitors’ links and find guest post opportunities. Networking on social media and reaching out to your personal connections can also uncover potential options.
How to Pitch Sites for Guest Posts
Once you have a list of sites, it’s time to start pitching. Keep these tips in mind to increase acceptance rates:
- Personalize every pitch and appeal to the site’s audience
- Include your credentials, expertise and background
- Suggest 3-5 specific, unique article ideas that would resonate with readers
- Explain why you’re a good fit as a contributor
- Offer to provide SEO value by promoting their site
Follow up within a week if you don’t hear back right away and be willing to tweak your pitch or ideas based on their feedback.
Writing Compelling Guest Posts
If your pitch is accepted, put care into writing an engaging, high-quality guest post. Your writing will represent your abilities and expertise. Here are some tips:
- Always provide value to the site’s audience – teach them something new
- Align your article with the site’s existing content and tone
- Include internal links back to the site within the post
- Create an engaging headline and intro that draw readers in
- Include relevant images, videos, stats and graphics
- End with a strong conclusion summarizing key points
Promoting Your Guest Posts
Don’t let your guest posting efforts go to waste. Be sure to promote each piece of content to maximize value:
- Share the article on your social media channels
- Link to the guest post from relevant pages on your site
- Build additional links to the post from other sites
- Monitor comments on the post and engage with the site’s audience
- Promote on social bookmarking sites like Reddit, Digg and StumbleUpon
Guest posts with strong promotion can continue driving referral traffic and links over time.
Guest Posting Best Practices
Follow these best practices as a guest blogger:
- Stick to sites relevant to your niche – no spammy guest posts
- Avoid over-optimizing with excessive keywords
- Always provide useful, original content – no duplicate or scraped articles
- Be professional in your interactions with site owners
- Follow their editorial guidelines and policies
- Send a thank you note to the editor when published
- Only include one natural, relevant link back to your site
Conclusion
Guest blogging remains one of the most effective link building and content marketing tactics if done correctly. As we move into 2023, take advantage of guest posting opportunities to grow your site authority and organic reach.
With high quality contributions and strategic promotional efforts, you can leverage guest blogging to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry this year.
FAQs About Guest Posting for SEO
Here are some common questions about guest blogging best practices:
Q: How do I find the best websites to guest post for?
A: Research competitors’ backlinks, use SEO tools to identify high authority sites, and network with influencers in your niche to find the best guest posting opportunities.
Q: What should I include in a guest posting pitch?
A: Include your expertise/credentials, 3-5 unique post ideas tailored to their audience, why you’re a good fit as a contributor, and how guest posting on their site will provide SEO value.
Q: How much should I charge for a guest blog post?
A: Most guest posts are contributed for free in exchange for the SEO benefits and brand exposure. But some sites do offer paid posts from $50-$200.
Q: How long should my guest blog posts be?
A: Aim for at least 700-1500 words of expert advice. But always adhere to the site’s editorial guidelines for contributor post length.
Q: How many links should I include in a guest post?
A: Only include 1-2 natural, relevant links back to your site. Avoid excessive links as this will get your post rejected or links removed.
