7 Ways Guest Posting Can Help Your Business (And How To Do It Right)

Author: Team WH

Published On: 19-05-22

Last Updated on: 02-11-23

Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

Whether you’re a newbie in the online marketing space or you’ve got an established digital presence, guest blogging is a powerful online marketing tool.  

From driving more traffic to your website to enhancing your brand’s awareness or generating new leads, guest posting helps businesses in more ways than you can imagine. By publishing content on other websites and blogs within your niche, you can ensure brand awareness and develop helpful relationships with other businesses.  

Though you might be curious about how submitting content to another site helps your businesses, well surprisingly it does in major ways. We will get into it all by breaking down the benefits of guest posting for your businesses.   

Keep on reading to uncover a detailed framework for guest blogging the right way. 

Even Google and other search engines reward guest post backlinks from websites with high domain authority. This is probably why 65.5% of websites try to incorporate at least a few guest posts in their blogs. Now that’s a shocking number. Isn’t it?

Take Buffer, for example. When everyone was bothered about getting more website traffic, the social media scheduling app focused mostly on writing guest posts.

Shocking enough, in less than a year, Buffer was able to attain 100k loyal customers.

You, too, can achieve this success with a bulletproof guest posting strategy for your business. If you’re unsure of where to start, this blog will take you through each step about how to plan guest blogging the right way.

What are guest posts?

When you write and post an article on a website other than your own, it’s called a guest post. Writing as a high DA third-party website contributor works excellent for your SEO. But it also helps build relationships as much with the editors as with other bloggers and subject-matter experts.

Establishing efficient link-building to gain authority is mutually beneficial for the guest posting sites and your site. Finding such guest posting sites might take some time, but it is worth the effort. When you provide good content, the guest blogging sites too will appreciate it.

If you need a heads up, you can seek help from various tools, like BuzzSumo, to find the leading authors in your niche. Or, you can search for them using relevant queries and terms.

Once you have created a list of guest posting sites and authors where you want to guest post, use the Web Content Analyzer report on the BuzzSumo tool. This will let you search the author’s posts more intricately.

Benefits of Guest Posting in 2023

Let’s be honest— generating leads and sales is important for many businesses. However, almost 61% of businesses find this to be the most challenging task.  You need to understand that you cannot achieve this by ignoring the value of qualified traffic and relevant links that boost your domain authority.

When you constantly post on authoritative websites, you get the exposure to cultivate better SEO authority for your business. The result is better leads and more sales!

Of course, guest posting is not the only method of inbound marketing. Nonetheless, it’s one of the most effective and easiest methods. The best part? It works for all kinds of blogs, irrespective of the traffic they draw.

Let’s take a detailed look at some guest posting benefits!

1. Drives traffic to your website

What is guest posting if it does not build backlinks that bring traffic from other websites to your own site? This is known as referral traffic. That’s why backlinks are also termed incoming links or inbound links.

The best way to explain how guest posting helps businesses is to understand what they can do for your website. Good backlinks can:

• Drive more referral traffic
• Allow better crawling for search engines
• Improve your organic ranking

Take Bryan Harris, for example. He created a full-time business from a single guest post on Okdork.

Bryan is the mind behind the online video-making company Videofruit. Surprisingly enough, before his guest post was published at Okdork, his own blog received only 285 visitors daily. It was a different story once his guest post became live, though! It received 1,086 visits on the same day and 686 visits the day after—73% of which consisted of new audiences.

Once readers found his post on Okdork.com, they wanted to know more. Naturally, huge traffic poured into his own website within just 2 days and resulted in a 12% conversion rate.

2. Boosts your SEO and Organic ranking

Other than referral traffic, proper guest posting helps businesses to boost their SEO when done within Google’s guidelines.

How so?

When you publish high-quality content useful to readers on high-authority platforms, it automatically affects your ranking in the search engine.

Since search engines prefer quality over quantity, a good guest posting for SEO works toward building your SEO score. By producing content for trustworthy websites, you gain the trust of search engines.

Google tackles it in three different ways when it comes to backlinks. It can:

• Boost your ranking
• Be neutral about it
• Penalize your ranking

However, Google’s decision to boost your rankings will depend a lot on the relevance of your guest post and the website where you posted it. You can expect a growth curve after approximately 10 weeks for each link in the best-case scenario.

Google usually identifies a backlink in two ways:

• Do-follow backlinks: A do-follow backlink is a standard backlink that lets search engines revert to your website, fortifying your authority. Since Google uses links as a key ranking signal, do-follow links hold immense value to the algorithm. 
• Nofollow backlinks: Nofollow backlinks do not pass authority onto your site. In terms of SEO, do-follow links perform better in the eyes of Google than no-follow ones, with a few exceptions. However, the user may not see much difference between the two.

An example of a no-follow backlink performing well for SEO is the two maps shared by Moz that eventually got a shoutout by @Amazing_Maps. It even got featured on the front page of the Huffington Post.

Now that’s a lot of traffic from a simple no-follow link!

Another thing to remember here is that sites with lower domain authority will see a more significant boost in their ranking in the initial days. 

3. Builds better brand awareness

If you are planning to build brand awareness, using guest blogging can benefit you in several ways. For example,

You do not need to solely rely on website traffic to target your brand for a niche audience.

Also, one of the greatest benefits of guest blogging is that you can establish your brand as a trusted expert on relevant topics.

A good amount of website traffic and SEO ranking is just the cherry on the top since search engines prioritize renowned brands. In fact, direct traffic from search engines is one of the key influential factors for better ranking.

With guest blogging done right, this becomes quick and easy as it caters to an audience unaware of your existence before.

If you take a look at Tidio, you’ll find a bunch of logos from famous brands, like Forbes and Fox News. This shows that the site was featured on the websites of these top brands which ultimately built Tidio’s trustworthiness as a company.

Also, guest posting helps businesses by creating awareness around an idea or a brand easily. Let’s take another example!

The team of Autodesk utilized guest posting while working relentlessly on promoting sustainable design.

They ran a contributing column at Fast Company, a leading monthly business magazine in America. Along with that, they constantly worked on posting guest blogs at renowned websites, like Forbes.

4. Boosts your domain authority

Another way guest posting helps businesses is by enhancing domain authority. Domain authority is a way to determine the chances of your website getting good traffic and a high ranking on search engines. This metric directly impacts search engine ranking, and improving it can benefit your website.

High-quality guest blogs on sites with high to average authority can probably get you a 60+ DA, according to SEMrush. On the other hand, spammy, average guest posts will score around 40. Low-quality articles will likely score under 40 and will definitely damage your brand’s ranking.

Therefore, you should aim to write really great to moderately good blogs for mid-tier and high-authority guest posting sites only. This way, some of your best works get published along with some good (but not so great) content.

Even a decent quality guest post on a high-authority site allows you to increase your brand identity and reputation. This is a gold mine for your organic traffic. The only trick here is to stay relevant to the niche topics of these high-DA websites to get approved.

Silvio Porcellana, the CEO and founder of Mob.is.it had published a significant amount of guest posts before seeing any visible difference—44 guest blog posts within just 5 months. While the referral traffic growth was not as promising, the direct traffic from search engines showed a 20% increase. As a result, the domain authority also went from 29 to 34/100.

5. Develops new relationships

Guest posting is a symbiotic marketing tactic that benefits both parties (the origin and the destination website). It also further extends your reach and helps you build a connection with other bloggers as you collaborate. Moreover, your new readers might find your article intriguing and decide to engage in the comments section.

These are great in terms of SEO and other metrics, but one overlooked factor is the connection that they build.

Author and marketing consultant John Jantsch used this tactic surprisingly well to promote his book, Duct Tape Selling. Jantsch wrote just 7 guest posts and used his connections with a few of the major marketing blogs to promote the book. Brian Solis and Copyblogger were a few of the prominent names on that list.

After that, John just mentioned the book’s name in his author bio in the guest posts. It worked like a charm!

6. It helps your email list grow

Email marketing boosts brand awareness among your target audience with a personalized approach. The best part about it is the real-time connection, with 42% of emails being opened from mobile devices.

The problem is that the email marketing database naturally degrades over time at around 22.5% rate annually. Inevitably, your list is going to get smaller unless you continue generating leads.

Guest blog posting on high-authority websites can be a lifesaver in this situation. Not only do you get to connect with a larger audience, but you also get to expand your email contact list.

A sure-fire way to ensure this is to engage your audience with a CTA, asking them to subscribe to your email newsletter or blog.

Founder of Small Business Ideas Blog, Brian Liang, is a regular contributor to global media company Foundr. He puts all his credibility in growing his email list to guest posting.

Even Foundr itself has used guest posting to drastically grow its email list to 250,000 subscribers within just two years.

Ask content marketer Gregory Ciotti, and he will give the credit for gaining 36,000 new subscribers for his email newsletter to guest blogging.

7. It helps your social media grow

Social media is one of the biggest sources of traffic you can have, second to only search engines. So how do guest posts affect it?

Well, it works in two ways.

Firstly, the platforms where you guest post will have a huge social media following of their own. You can use this to multiply your own social media following. The readers on the guest posting platforms find your post, and they share it with their followers who share it further.

Sounds crazy, right? Before you know it, your social media numbers will soar through the sky.

The second way is similar to sharing your email contact. You can mention your social media URL in your guest post author bio. When readers click on it, it will boost your brand’s online presence. Take a cue from digital strategist Erin Everhart who boosted her Twitter engagement by 22% in less than 48 hours with this tactic.  

The only problem is that social media trends keep changing, and you need to stay updated along with them. Also, people tend to overpost, which does more harm than good. Having a dedicated social media expert and content provider, like WrittenlyHub, on your side can take a load off your feet.  

Ways to Find Guest Posting Opportunities

Guest blogging is not a magic pill that will solve all your problems overnight. Consistent content creation is one of the key factors at play here. You also need to know how to write, how to find guest posting opportunities and post guest blogs the right way.

Here’s a tried-and-tested framework to help you create your guest posting framework.

1. Define your goals

This may sound cliché, but you cannot begin the process of guest posting unless you have a set of goals in mind. These goals can be regarding the performance of your website, such as improving your rank on search engine results. Or, it can be business-related, like getting more leads or reaching more potential clients. Whatever it is, you would need a clear picture of all the goals to construct a plan to execute and achieve them. 

Now, your goals could vary from the most common ones. However, if you don’t know where to start, understanding these common goals that most businesses have can give you a blueprint to design your own.

Usually, the goals of guest blogging include:

• Getting more traffic from particular landing pages for increased leads and sales
• Building more brand awareness with respect to your products or services
• Getting more inbound links or backlinks for better SEO optimization
• Growing the number of email subscribers and social media followers
• Being able to put yourself in a position of authority in your particular niche

Ultimately, you will be needing more quality content on the guest post sites on your brand’s behalf that will do all of this for you. So, having a specific one or two goals in mind will help you design the content better.

2. Find guest posting opportunities

The art and science of guest blogging begin with finding the right guest posting sites. Now, no matter where you post, you might be able to generate some traffic from it. That is the beauty of guest blogging, and of course, some traffic is better than no traffic, right? Wrong.

Without referrals from high-authority sites, you might have difficulty catering to your niche or building your own brand authority. Also, many blogs that accept guest posts will have stringent guidelines for quality. So, it is important to knock on the right doors if you want to drive some substantial results.

• Locate guest post sites

Now, websites may always be on the lookout for free content, but that does not mean they will post anything. A site with a higher domain authority will be even pickier about the quality of content and want you to adhere to its content guidelines. You may find this a difficult hurdle at times.

Nonetheless, you will still be able to find good websites that want guest contributions. When a website lets another business or social media influencer post on its blog, it boosts their traffic. So, it’s a win-win for all.

• Search from Google and research the site

The best way to do this is by searching for blogs in your niche that interest you on Google. The reason behind this is that Google is the biggest search engine, even today. It is also the no.1 search engine, according to SEMrush.  Once you find them, check how established their guest post system is.

If the website has a history of guest posts, you can approach them. That does not mean you cannot approach them if they did not have guest posts before. Seek the opportunity and connect to build a relationship first to sound less opportunistic, and the result just might surprise you.

• Search on social media

Social media offers you the opportunity to seek and approach guest post opportunities head-on.

Sending cold emails to unknown people is not everyone’s cup of tea.

However, social media makes it easy to approach and is much more direct.

Therefore, you can reach out to your friends and other websites through conversations to tie a bond.

• Participate in online communities

Blogger directories and forum communities offer a similar benefit to social media platforms, except that you will find people with similar goals here. 

Other guest post authors looking for the same opportunities can be a great platform for discussing and finding new scopes.

In addition, you will get leads on free guest posting websites and networks too.

• Advertise on your old guest blog

You can even create opportunities for yourself by posting about your availability for guest post service.

Instead of putting up links or emails, you can directly mention that you are available to oblige any guest post service in the future.

This can generate leads for future guest blogging opportunities.

3. Research and prepare pitches

This is a step between finding a guest posting opportunity and contacting the website. With most editors getting at least 10 pitches daily, you need to stand out from the crowd if you want to submit a guest post successfully.

There are a few ways to achieve this.

• Build relationships with the editor by searching about who they are and what they do (their social media might help).
• Talk about the value you can provide to the audience instead of explaining your own goals like Alex from Groove.

• Go through the guidelines before approaching. Websites like ConvinceandConvert test the guest bloggers with this method since their regular followers know what works with them.
• Having a strong subject line not only helps in email marketing but can boost your guest post pitches. Also, many editors usually prefer replying after a follow-up, so make sure to do that.

• Respect the editors’ time if you want to build a good rapport with them. You need to understand that reading and reviewing articles take time. So, do not sound impatient in your pitch or follow-ups.

• Eliminate errors as editors will likely reject your post if they find any spelling or grammatical errors.  Do not give the editors the idea that you were not attentive to your pitch.

• Be short and precise in your approach. Give the editors a proper introduction about yourself, explaining the reason behind your writing. Moreover, mention your posts’ relevance to the audience and provide a shortlist of creative ideas.

4. Create the perfect blog

Now comes the process of actually writing the guest post. This requires proper structuring and you can maintain it with the following tips.

• Write with a clear goal in mind: Without this step, you will be unable to design your content the right way for better outreach. Also, you run the risk of pushing the audience from the guest post site to an irrelevant page on your website. This is why you need to plan to funnel the audience towards a specific goal.

For instance, you can provide free giveaways, like a free eBook. Now, you can either create a landing page where the email subscription and link for the download option for the eBook will be given.

Or, you can write guest posts on topics that are relevant to what you have written in your eBook. Then linking the downloading landing page of the eBook in those posts can funnel the audience to your eBook.

However, it should not be random, as nobody is going to click on posts that are unrelated to them. So, you should have an intention and the right audience in mind when creating the content.

• Choose evergreen topics: Writing guest posts does not derive instant results, but you can reap the guest posting benefits for years to come. This is why you write posts on topics that will remain relevant for years to come. Think of it as a long-term investment and forget about it once published. You do not need to spend hours monitoring the progress as it will seem very little on a daily basis.

The best strategy for writing a blog post is to ensure it matures well. You can achieve this in various ways. First of all, you need to ensure that the right keyword phrases have been used throughout the guest post to better rank on search engines.

Secondly, while writing, ask yourself how this post helps build your brand reputation. Also, always leave room for discussion so that more people can comment on your guest post. This is not only good for SEO but also helps build your brand authority.

• Stand out among the crowd: With almost 7 million blog posts being published daily, getting lost in the crowd is very easy. Now, this number includes both on-page blogs and guest posts. However, the number is still intimidating. The question is, what makes your blog post so unique?

As a guest blogger, your goal is to solve a problem or answer a query that benefits the reader. Only then can you establish yourself as an expert in the field? For this, you will have to conduct a lot of research, but you should also come up with your own unique angle on the topic.

Besides that, using exciting and powerful headlines, having a well-structured professional blog format, and writing on evergreen, relevant topics are great ways to gain visibility. You should also make your content easily skimmable and use visuals to authenticate the piece with lucrative images and videos.

5. Track results and iterate

Tools like SEMrush and Google Analytics allow you to analyze the key metrics of your guest post. This way, you get insights into the reach, backlinks, engagement, and the number of referral traffic to determine your blog posts’ performance.

This data-driven approach is crucial for improving your future content creation since you’ll know which works best when comparing the referral traffic for different posts.

This also works best if you aim to increase inbound traffic on your own website.

The success of any blog post depends on a few factors, like

• The total number of visits to the blog post and the bounce rate
• Average session duration that tells how long readers stay on your blog post
• How many times the post has been shared on social media
• The number of page views per visit
• The increase or decrease in the number of subscribers establishes the efficiency of the blog post

Once you find out about all these results, you can analyze the backlinks, the number of post shares, and historical data to learn more about your best guest posts. 

Summing up

Believe it or not, guest posting helps businesses and is an indispensable aspect of content marketing that you must not ignore. You can bring in more traffic, create more brand awareness, and even increase your site’s domain authority with the right approach. In this, having a set of experienced writers will be a great help if you want to focus more on leads and sales rather than content creation alone.

You should also pay attention to the content of your own website, though. Often it can be overwhelming to handle this with your guest posting ventures, and your brand website is left unsupervised.

An easy way to avoid this is to collaborate with a content marketing company, like WrittenlyHub. They can take care of both the content strategy of your website and your guest posting on your behalf so you can focus more on the core aspects of your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is guest posting worth it?

Absolutely! Guest posting is a strategic ace for building authority and enhancing your SEO. It gets your brand in front of a new audience, boosts domain authority through high-quality backlinks, and drives targeted traffic to your site. Consider it an investment in your brand’s digital growth.

2. How to write a guest post?

Writing a guest post starts with understanding the host blog’s audience. Offer unique insights, maintain high quality, and align with their content style. Address the audience’s pain points, enrich the narrative with data, and include a compelling call-to-action to leave a lasting impact.

3. How many guest posts per month?

Quality trumps quantity. Aim for 2-4 guest posts a month on reputable sites for a balanced approach. This maintains a consistent presence without compromising the content quality, allowing for ample time to research and craft valuable articles that resonate with readers.

4. What are the different types of guest posting?

There’s the thought leadership type, which establishes authority, the SEO-focused type that boosts rankings with strategic keyword placement, and the promotional type that hypes a product or service. Mix it up to align with your marketing goals and the host site’s style.

5. What are guest post backlinks?

Guest post backlinks are like digital nods of approval. They’re links within your guest content that point back to your website, signaling to search engines that your site has valuable content, which can improve your site’s search rankings and drive organic traffic.

6. Is guest posting free or paid?

It’s a mix. Many sites accept guest posts for free if the content adds value to their readers. However, premium sites might charge a fee. Paid opportunities often offer greater reach and domain authority, a consideration for your backlink strategy.