Guest blogging or guest posting as some may call it started to create a bigger presence towards the end of last year. This was mainly due to content marketing. Since the start of 2013 this technique of link building has grown and many webmasters are using it more and more. This is a smart move considering the changes which have been made to Google’s algorithm, penalising big sites (Interflora) and various other linking networks.
How to choose a platform to post on.
This is the very first action you should do and that is to determine the blog you wish to put your content on. When doing this the niche needs to be relevant not exactly identical but there needs to be some sort of relevance. Always look out for any spun content, keyword stuffing or duplicate content as this could have an effect on the power of the link.
Ideally you need a platform which is related to your niche, which has no grey/black hat SEO featured with it. You can determine that through the page rank and link profile (that is also a good factor to check) along with the social media presence.
Content
Now for the most important part and that is your content. The idea of writing the content for a successful guest post is to keep the audience entertained. Ideally 500 words minimum and related to the niche.
A good tip is to use graphics and humour to keep the target audience engaged in the subject, because let’s face it you could be reading about your favourite thing in the world but if it is all one big long paragraph of text then you will not read it correctly. Use titles to break up the content and add some cliff-hangers just to add that bit more suspense.
The thing with guest blogging is that it is beneficial for both parties involved and I think this is why Google values the link as much as it does. You are engaging with others related to the topic and you are working for a backlink which is what the recent panda refreshes have been all about.
Best possible result?
If you have done all of the above, added fresh, relevant and engaging content to a relevant high authority domain then not only will your site move up the SERPs but there is also a chance that you could go viral.
This would mean promoting your post to relevant forums, use your social media accounts and depending on how high you are on the SERPs it could happen.
