Guest Posting Expands your Authority
In addition to the challenge of driving traffic to your site is the challenge of making yourself the authority on any given subject. You understand how good you are at what you do, but who agrees?
Guest posting is a tremendous asset for this purpose. Acquiring spots on established blogs gives you credibility, proving you’re worthy of writing for them. It’s instant verification of your understanding of your niche; high quality blogs wouldn’t have you writing for them unless you were up to their standards.
As far as search engine rank goes, bots look for sites with authentic, quality information to share. So, if you’re posting on sites with authentic information, provided to niche readers, you’re sure to establish your authority.
Relevant Traffic is Created through Guest Posting
Just like having a storefront, with your online presence you have to figure out how to attract quality traffic to your site. Sure, it’s nice to get your number of visits to increase, but it’s even nicer to get that traffic to stick. Through guest posting, you’re increasing your traffic by developing channels through which relevant visitors will come to you for answers about something they’re genuinely interested in, which is what you have to offer.
Every time you guest blog, you’ll get some link juice back to your site. Regardless of whether this is within the blog posting itself of in your bio, if people appreciate what you have to say, they’re sure to check into you further.
Guest Blogging Builds Your Publisher Network
Guest blogging increases your worth by introducing you to an entirely new audience, providing you more people with whom to connect and build relationships. Through these relationships, you’re developing a new writing community; while you’re giving someone else a chance to take a break from their blog, providing a new “voice” or perspective, at some point they may be likely to return the favor.
Plus, the better the response is to your posts, the more your host will promote you, the more traffic they’ll drive to your site, etc. Through these connections, your posts will be shared with that site’s subscribers, providing you a tremendous opportunity to spread your message, and build your own social media following as well.
Guest Posting Provides Link Juice
You wouldn’t put an ad in the newspaper without providing your business name, address, phone number…likewise, you’re not going to be guest posting without providing backlinks to your site. Even with higher quality blogs which don’t allow backlinks within your content, there are going to be one or two in your bio, providing readers the chance to check you out; to quickly and easily link back to your site.
Those backlinks, especially the ones from more reputable sites, are of tremendous assistance to you. Keep in mind that the quality of links is more important than the quantity; the more relevant links directing traffic to your site, the better your chances are of increasing your page rank in search results.
Guest Posting Provides More Social Signals, Increasing Google Rankings
As you would connect with others when moving to a new neighborhood, you have to connect on the web. As you increase your quantity of guest posts, your point/perspective will be shared and discussed on a variety of social media platforms.
Sure, that may open up the possibility of people challenging you in the process, though not only will this process increase your rank, but also expand your perspective while making you a better writer.
Guest Posting Provides New Business Opportunities
Virtually every time you guest post, your writing will be shared with that blog’s followers – both by subscriber list and/or through social media. By choosing quality blogs on which to post and writing your message clearly (and well), guest blogging will inevitably develop more business opportunities for you – either through other guest posting offers and/or through new relationships with subscribers.
Guest Posting Improves Your Writing
No musician ever performed at Carnegie Hall after one lesson. They practiced, and practiced…and painstakingly practiced. The same goes for writing. One of the best ways to improve your writing is to simply do it. A lot. Along with that, is putting yourself in a position where you’ll be challenged to get out of your comfort zone. Guest posting helps with both.
Obviously, to get published on the best of the best blogs, your writing needs to be top-notch. They often have submission guidelines as well which, though they may not be how you’d like to write, will expand your horizons as a writer – and that, even in and of itself, is a benefit.
Increase Your Exposure and Brand Awareness through Guest Posting
Simply put, the more you get your name out there and the more reputable links you have pointing back to your site, the more you brand yourself as an expert in your niche. Figure out who your target market is, and develop relationships with relevant established blogs through guest posting. By so doing, you’ll be introducing yourself, and your brand, while convincing potential clients/customers to learn more about you, which is exactly the point.