Daily SEO Tip

This article was by Christopher Holland who works for nbat Digital - a multimedia design agency based in Kent.

If you plan to start guest blogging, do join My Blog Guest: the forum that connects bloggers to guest posters.

As the Internet has grown so much in the last decade, it has become vital for small and large businesses to gain an online presence. This can be achieved by search engine optimisation, with the key part being to obtain relevant backlinks.

With social media (Twitter, Facebook etc…) being the latest trend, it has become a lot easier to publish and share your articles. However, I have found that one of best strategies to get your articles seen is not to go around and post thousands upon thousands of links, it’s actually a lot easier than that – guest blogging.

Guest blogging is where another website / blog will allow you to post your article on their website. This benefits both parties, as you would obtain a relevant backlink, and they would gain more visitors and some great content!

Guest blogging is one of the most powerful ways to build your brand and increase your website’s popularity. It allows you to expose your company to a much wider audience and is a great way to build contacts.

Not only will guest blogging increase your company’s awareness but will play an important role within search engine optimisation. If your content is unique and worthy of sharing, then you could soon see hundreds if not thousands of deep links starting to point to you.

How to contribute

Now you know the basics about guest blogging, its now time to find suitable websites.

Finding relevant blogs / websites that may allow you to post your articles is easy once you know what you’re looking for. Using some simple search phrases in Google should bring up a long list for you to then go and contact.

Use the below search phrases, changing the keyword to something relevant.
[Keyword] “guest blogger” OR “guest post” OR “guest article”
[Keyword] “contribute to this site” “write for us” OR “write for me”
When contacting the webmasters, I find it best to include some sample writing and state some topics that you may write about.

What not to do

When guest blogging, I would keep in mind the following:

1) Guest posting is meant to be a win-win situation. You are the guest, making demands or a fuss to the host will not endear you and can cause more harm than good.

2) Do not ignore the audience. Your articles should take into account the style of the blog and the audience it attracts. You should also check back regularly to respond to any comments or feedback.

3) Don’t over advertise. Sure, one of the main reasons you have posted the article is to advertise yourself or your business, but filling your content with links or affiliate codes will more than likely backfire.

After you have gained permission, you’re ready to go! Write some great content, with a link back to your website at the bottom and hopefully watch your company grow.