Do you know that there are over 152 million active blogs floating around cyber space? No wonder we feel pressured to pump out as many guest posts as we can in hopes that our own blog will fight its way to the top of the overcrowded blogging web.
The competitive nature of blogging has led to a primary goal of link building paired with a dwindling focus on good content. However, it seems that the world of guest blogging is making a U-turn and focus is returning to good content over simply another link in the SEO tool belt. Are you ready for this shift?
The practice of guest blogging can be a wonderful tool to increase traffic and acquire link backs to your site or blog when used correctly. Because the blogging community is so important to us, we have put together the following list of “9 Innovative Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Guest Blog Posts.” Good luck!
1. Establish Yourself as an Authority
Instead of using the opportunity to advertise your product, try establishing yourself as an authority on the topic you are writing about. Your readers will appreciate the engaging and informative content over a written advertisement and will be more likely to visit your site.
2. Put a unique spin on your post
Don’t just regurgitate information that is readily available all over the web. Take the time to jot down something that can make your post unique and makes your readers want to soak in the whole thing. Can you speak from experience, quote an expert, throw in an interesting fact or provide a case study to back up your claims?
3. Use your Own Social Media Channels to Promote the Post
The post isn’t just about acquiring a link— it is also an opportunity to get your topic exposed. Promote your post on your own social media outlets to increase traffic to the site and maybe you’ll get invited to blog again.
4. Grab Their Attention or Else
Good journalism isn’t dead. Write down three potential titles for every post and then pick your favorite. The same goes with the lead, draw in your reader by writing something engaging and letting them know right away what makes your post worth reading. After all, you are a writer so use this as a fun opportunity to let those creative juices flow!
5. Don’t Irk Google
Google is constantly developing more tools to penalize the bloggers who “cheat the system.” One of the practices that Google has been cracking down on is the publication of duplicate content. So, write a new piece for every site.
6. Experiment with Alternative Forms
The seconds are waning and you only have a few of them to grab your reader’s attention. With today’s short attention spans, try grabbing readers visually with these alternative story forms.
7. Confirm Your Link
When agreeing to write a guest post, ensure that you will be getting a link back even if it is just in the author’s bio.
8. Don’t Write Blindly
Many times guest posts are written through a blogger link up service. These are great but take it one step farther and familiarize yourself with the voice of the blog because this is what the audience will be looking for. Is it informative, conversational, inspirational, humorous, etc.?
9. Craft an Engaging Bio
Keep it interesting, short and sweet. Don’t forget to include some contact information for readers to contact you about freelance and guest blogging opportunities.
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to increase your Google ranking and traffic to your site. Have you been using it well? We’d love to hear your comments below!
