Guest Blogging

Guest bloggers write articles for other blogs. It's a Web 2.0 method that benefits the owner (the blogger), the author (the guest blogger), and, most importantly, the reader (you). Here's how:

The owner gets a break. One of the most difficult aspects of owning a Web site is providing fresh content for the readers. You must post on a regular basis in order to grow your readership, keep your readers happy and interested, and to maintain your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings.

Guest bloggers give the owners a break. It allows the owner of the site to take a day or two off. By adding a new post, the owner gets the advantage of maintaining the blog, and its followers, but allowing the guest blogger to do the work.

Guest bloggers get exposure. Many guest bloggers do so for several reasons. Guest blogging allows the author to expand their network by increasing his/her own exposure. Guest bloggers expose themselves to a new audience when writing on someone else’s blog.

Most guest bloggers are also site owners themselves. Guest blogging is a credible way to increase the traffic to your own site. This works in two ways.

I own RetinaEyeDoctor.com. When I guest blog on other sites, I do so hoping to attract new readers to my own site. Readers might be interested in what I have to say (e.g. information about retinal disease) or may share similar interests (docs hoping to change the world by providing credible health information on the Web).

While this sounds like I’m trying to steal viewers, I am not. Usually guest bloggers are not competing for the same audience. For instance, my Web site is about retinal disease, yet I might write a noncompetitive article on diabetic retinopathy for a women’s health site.

Guest blogging allows a great way to establish external links to your own site. Most blog owners will allow the guest blogger to include a few links in the article back to the authors own Web site (remember we are not competing Web sites).

These so-called “backlinks” can be a powerful way to improve your SEO rankings. Backlinks are a kind of endorsement from one site to another. Creating links between pages is a valuable way to improve your page rankings, but only if the two sites are related. For instance, writing an article on retinal detachments would probably have no impact coming from a Web site focused on auto parts.

The readers like guest bloggers. Guest bloggers, most of all, share their own expertise to the readership. They may provide a fresh perspective, new ideas, or share their authority with a new audience. The key is to share and not to compete with the readers.

 What does this mean? Guest blogging is a win for everyone: the author, the owner, and the reader. Guest blogging can be an excellent way to improve your own page ranking (via SEO) and improve your exposure on the Web!