Guest Blogging: Does It Still Make a Difference in 2023?

Learn how guest blogs stack up today.

If you’re a content creator, copywriter, or blogger looking to build your brand and reach new audiences, you might have heard of guest blogging. Guest blogging is writing a blog post for someone else’s blog or website. 

In this article, we’ll explore what guest blogging is, how to make a solid guest posting strategy, how to implement it, how to create an excellent guest blog to submit, whether guest blogging still works, how to get started, and the benefits and risks of guest posting.

What Is Guest Blogging?

Guest blogging is a win-win situation for both parties involved. As a guest blogger, you can reach a new audience and showcase your writing skills. You also get to build relationships with other bloggers within your niche, which can lead to future opportunities, collaborations, and even business partnerships.

On the other hand, blog owners or publishers benefit from having high-quality content on their sites without having to create it themselves. It also allows them to bring in new voices and perspectives to their audience, which can help keep their content fresh and engaging.

How to Make a Solid Guest Blogging Strategy

Before you start guest blogging, it’s essential to have a solid strategy in place. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Define Your Goals: What outcome do you hope to achieve through guest blogging? Do you want to build your brand, generate leads, get more traffic, or improve your SEO? Once you know your goals, you can tailor your strategy accordingly.
2. Research Your Target Audience: Who do you want to reach with your guest blog? What topics interest them, and what problems do they face? Research your target audience’s demographics, interests, and pain points so that you can create content that resonates with them.
3. Identify Relevant Blogs: Look for blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. You can use search engines, social media, and blogger directories to find potential blogs. Ensure that the blogs you choose have an engaged audience and a good reputation.
4. Study the Guidelines: Read the blog’s guidelines carefully before submitting a guest post. Ensure you understand the blog’s tone, style, and content requirements. Follow the guidelines to the letter to increase your chances of getting accepted.
5. Pitch Your Idea: Once you’ve identified a relevant blog and studied its guidelines, pitch it to the blog owner or editor. Ensure your pitch is personalized and concise, highlighting the value you can bring to their audience.
6. Create High-Quality Content: Once your pitch is accepted, create a high-quality guest blog that meets the blog’s guidelines and provides value to its audience. Ensure your content is well-researched, informative, engaging, and includes a call to action.

How to Implement Your Guest Blogging Strategy

Once you have a solid guest blogging strategy, it’s time to implement it. Here are three actionable tips to help you get started:

1. Create a Schedule: Set a schedule for your guest blogging activities. Decide how often you want to submit guest blogs and on which blogs. Use a calendar or spreadsheet to track your progress and deadlines.
2. Build Relationships: Guest posting is not a one-time activity. Building relationships with other bloggers and publishers in your niche is essential. Engage with them on social media, comment on their blogs, and share their content. The more relationships you build, the more opportunities you’ll have for working with them on other collaborations.
3. Track Your Results: Measure the results of your guest blogging efforts to see what’s working and what’s not. Use analytics tools to track all metrics, such as traffic, engagement, and conversions. Adjust your strategy based on your results to maximize your ROI.

How to Create an Excellent Guest Blog to Submit to the Site Owner or Publisher

Creating an excellent guest blog takes time, effort, and skill. Here are five easy tips for creating a guest blog that stands out:

1. Choose a Compelling Topic: Choose a topic that’s relevant to the blog’s audience and provides value. Your topic should be interesting, informative, and engaging. Use keyword research to identify popular topics in your niche.
2. Write a Strong Headline: Your headline is the first thing readers will see. Make it compelling, concise, and attention-grabbing. Use powerful words, numbers, and emotional triggers to make your headline irresistible.
3. Structure Your Content: Your guest blog should have a clear structure that makes it easy to read and digest. Use subheadings, bullet points, and shorter paragraphs to summarize your content. Use images, videos, and infographics to add visual interest.
4. Provide Value: Your guest blog should provide value to the blog’s audience. Use data, research, and examples to back up your claims. Provide practical tips, advice, and solutions to help your readers solve their problems.
5. Include a Call to Action: Your guest blog should include a call to action that encourages readers to take the next step. That could be to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter, or download a free resource.

Does Guest Blogging Still Work?

The question on many people’s minds is whether guest blogging still works. The answer is yes, guest blogging still works, but it’s not as effective as it used to be. In the past, guest blogging was a popular SEO tactic that helped websites rank higher in search results. However, with Google’s algorithm updates, guest blogs for building links should no longer be your goal.

That said, guest blogging can still help you build your brand, reach new audiences, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. If done correctly, it can also help you generate traffic, leads, and conversions. The key is to focus on providing value to the blog’s audience and building relationships with other bloggers in your niche.

How to Get Started Guest as a Guest Blogger

Getting started as a guest contributor is easy. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Identify Relevant Blogs: Use search engines, social media, and blogger directories to find blogs that accept guest posts in your niche.
2. Study the Guidelines: Read the blog’s guidelines carefully and ensure you understand their tone, style, and content requirements.
3. Pitch Your Idea: Pitch your idea to the blog owner or editor, ensuring you highlight the value you can bring to their audience.
4. Create Your Guest Blog: Once your pitch is accepted, create a high-quality guest blog that provides value to the blog’s audience.
5. Build Relationships: Engage with other bloggers in your niche, leave comments on their blogs, and share their content to build relationships and increase your opportunities for contributing to their publications.

Reasons to Write Guest Blogs

Here are five top reasons to develop a guest post strategy for your business.

1 – Increase website traffic through guest blogging

Guest blogging is an effective way to drive traffic to your website. When you publish content on another website, you expose your brand to a new audience that may not have heard of you before. If readers enjoy your content, they’ll likely click on the link to your website to learn more.

According to a 2023 article by SEMRush, digital marketing agencies believe that guest posts are still the best way to build credibility. However, they also advise you to partner with websites in your niche and to add value–not only for the backlinks. That’s because spammy backlinks run afoul of Google’s policies.

2 – Increases Brand Exposure 

You can also increase your brand exposure through guest blogging. By writing for other websites, you’re putting your brand in front of a new audience that may not have been aware of you before. This exposure can lead to more leads, conversions, and revenue.

For example, if you own a home cleaning business, you could write a guest post for a popular home design website. This post could be about the importance of a clean home for mental health and productivity. Doing so exposes your brand to people interested in home design and looking for a home cleaning service.

3 – Builds thought leadership 

Guest posts are a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. By writing high-quality content regularly, you’re demonstrating your expertise and knowledge. Over time, readers will recognize you as your industry’s go-to source for information. This recognition can lead to new business opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations. 

Thought leadership through guest blogging can also help you stand out from competitors and establish a unique brand identity.

4 – High-quality backlinks through guest blogging

Backlinks are an essential part of SEO (search engine optimization). When another website links back to your site, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your website will likely rank in search results.

Guest blogging is a great way to create high-quality backlinks. When you write content for another website, you’re typically allowed to include a link back to your site. These links can be valuable in helping you improve your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site.

5 – Guest posts foster community and relationships

 Finally, guest posting is a great way to foster community and relationships within your industry. By contributing content to other websites, you connect with other industry business owners and thought leaders. This opportunity can lead to new connections, collaborations, and friendships.

Also, guest blogging can help you connect with your audience more deeply. Relationship building through guest blogging builds trust and establishes you as an authority in your field.

The Risks of Guest Blogging

While guest blogs can be a highly effective strategy for building your brand and reaching new audiences, there are some potential risks that you need to be aware of. 

One of the most significant risks is creating low-quality guest blogs that don’t provide value to the blog’s audience. A poor submission can damage your reputation and hurt your chances of being invited to be a guest again. Additionally, if you use guest blogging solely for link-building purposes, you may run afoul of Google’s guidelines and incur penalties that can hurt your website’s ranking in search results. 

To avoid these risks, make sure that your guest blogs are high-quality, informative, and provide value to the blog’s audience. Additionally, focus on building relationships with other bloggers in your niche rather than solely on link building. 

By following these guidelines, you can minimize the risks of guest blogging and reap the many benefits of this powerful strategy.

Summing It Up: Guest Posts Are Still Excellent for Building Your Audience

Guest blogging is a powerful tool for copywriters and bloggers who want to build their brands, reach new audiences, and generate traffic and leads. To make the most of your guest blogging efforts, you must have a solid strategy, create high-quality guest blogs, and build relationships with other bloggers in your niche.

Remember that guest posts are not a one-time activity but an ongoing process that requires consistency, patience, and perseverance. Don’t expect immediate results but keep refining your strategy based on your results and feedback. By providing value to the blog’s audience and building relationships with other bloggers, you can reap the many benefits of guest blogs and take your copywriting career to the next level.

If you hope to implement a guest posting strategy but don’t have the time or expertise to create high-quality guest blogs, we are here to help. As experienced copywriters specializing in sales copy and blog posts, the Word Innovations team can help you create guest blogs that provide value, engage your target audience, and drive traffic to your website.

Don’t let a lack of time or experience hold you back from reaping the benefits of guest blogging. Connect with Word Innovations today, and let’s discuss how we can help you take your guest articles to the next level. With our help, you can build your brand, reach new audiences, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. Let’s get started today!