The world of blogging is a world of opportunity. Where else could you start a business for virtually a few dollars, and build it into a million dollar company? Sure, it’s unlikely to grow a site from nothing to a million dollars in a short period of time, but it’s definitely possible.
The secret to creating a quality content rich blog that makes everyone want to keep coming back for more, lies within your content. You need to provide value and engage with your audience. This is something that we are seeing less and less of as guest blog posting continues to grow rampant across the blogosphere.
At the end of the day, there are two different reasons why people are guest blogging.
- Other bloggers want to provide valuable content for other blogs, while also gaining exposure for their sites and name in the process.
- Guest bloggers want to make money by providing content articles to other blogs, which have a back link at the end of the article that they are getting paid for.
Is there anything wrong with either of these reasons for guest blogging, no. However, when you start to sacrifice the value of the content you are providing to other blogs just for a quick buck and to gain a back link for your advertiser or client, then it no longer is an ethical and valuable proposition for the sites you are trying to guest post for.
So what can blog owners do?
For any decent sized blog owners, I’m sure you’ve already had the request for guest blog posts coming through to your email. What you need to do is make sure that you are taking the time to read through all of these requests and make sure they are not duplicate content from another site, and that they are also written properly and not loaded up with back links.
One of the easiest way to tell if someone is sending you guest post that is purely for the link back and will end up making them money, is to simply look at the footer of the article and see what their name is and the link they are promoting.
Let’s break down a few clear flaws to look for.
Does the name in the email match the name at the end of the article?- Is the link at the end of the email focused on search terms they are trying to target?
(ie: “low cost hosting”, “free credit report” etc.) - Again, is the link at the end of the article not focused on blogging or writing at all?
(ie: debt consolidation, web hosting, etc.)
So what’s the take away here… for bloggers it should be to take the time to make sure all of the content you are accepting is of high quality and provides a purpose and value to your site. For guest bloggers, step up your game and make sure you are providing a value to the web sites and blogs you are submitting content too. There is no need to be so greedy and get sloppy in this process. Both sides can make money and benefit from new and original quality content, make sure you are going the high road and you will have a much more successful and longer revenue path ahead of you.
About Zac Johnson
Twitter: tuvantuyensinh247
says:
The best guest bloggers are ones who also share their posts with their social networks and bring in new traffic.
Yes guest bloggers should give conversation value. They should reply the comments in their guest post. As he can give better answers about that posts.
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Twitter: Edward
says:
Very beautiful post! I was eager to see an interesting stuff like that. I must appreciate this remarkable post.
Twitter: internetdreamof
says:
Tho Most important thing in Guest Post is the authenticness of the Post. There are various way to confirm it.
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Twitter: RiftHunter
says:
If you’re really serious about making money from blogging, you shouldn’t share what you like. In fact, you should share what your readers are actually looking for. Unless you provide something that simplifies the lives of your target audience, you can’t keep them coming back. Celebrity News and Gossip
Totally agree. Guest posts should not only be informative… they should also lend themselves to discussion. If all the writer does is just state facts, you lose on interactivity. And nowadays, it’s all about engaging with your readership, right?
Money Mike recently posted..Real Work From Home Jobs that Work
Twitter: edatahub
says:
thanks really nice article.
its very helpfull for me….
thank you …
piyush recently posted..Google Doodle Collection of Summer Olympic 2012
One should be careful while selecting guest bloggers. Guest blogging has become very popular in the present scenario and is a great source of traffic. You have given a wonderful insight into this topic. Thanks for this great share.
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Twitter: KontegoNetworks
says:
Hmm interesting. I’ve never had or done a guest post. Considering the results and effects of them
I’ll definitely start considering them; while keeping all those pointers in mind.
Twitter: bloggerspassion
says:
To get maximum out of guest blogging, we as a guest blogger should put our best work forward. If we are not writing guest posts out of our skills, there is every chance our guest post gets rejected. If we are producing great guest posts, that will give a great ROI to you and blog owner.
Anil Agarwal recently posted..Hostgator Coupon August 2012: 25% Discount on All Hostgator Hosting Plans
I personally don’t understand those bloggers who accept guest posts without checking them, because I have already seen many of them with serious mistakes or just without having not so much new or even interesting information, they were just written to get some backlinks or I don’t even know
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i’ve made it possible to my guests to post on my blog using wordpress . but i dont think it was helpful for me . no content quality and other conversation you mentioned . thanks for sharing anyway
milad recently posted..????????? ??? ???? ??? ? ???? ? ???? ?????
Allowing guest posts on your site can be a great strategy, but don’t think that it means that you will have much less work to do. Guest posts need to be up to a certain standard. Just allowing anything to get posted can ruin the reputation of your blog that you’ve worked hard to build.
I think it’s imperative to be very well prepared when guest blogging to generate the needed to keep a site on top of search engine lists. Thanks for sharing this informative post!
Twitter: antonrsa
says:
Hi Zac,
Yes – Again, I do agree. Guest bloggers should remember that the more exposure the website gets in return from your post the more exposure you will get – not to mention building credibility for establishing yourself as one of the experts or knowledgeable person in your niche or market. The more engagement you bring – the better for building relationships and authority online in various different communities and or channels.
Anton Koekemoer recently posted..Branding yourself on the social web
HELLO I will bookmark your blog now.
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Agree, sometimes we all need to be meticulous if we would allow some bloggers to guest post on our blog, also considering a quick research if the content they provided is not coming from content spin and its original.
conversations are very important in the world of blogging. conversation to create interaction between the visitor and the owner of the blog so that visitors will be pleased to come back to our blog
yes I agree with you that conversation is very important for any website. but for blog site? I dont think so..because its not a social networking site..although it has a option to give their comments on it..& thats enough..
Twitter: midgehand
says:
We get a lot of requests from people who want to guest blog on our site! Most of the time they are of very good quality so are rejected. We pride ourselves on writing posts of god quality and always try to give something of current value to our reader, so most of the time we refuse. Thanks for your informative post.
Twitter: collegeocontent
says:
conversation is everything on the World Wide Web, because it can actually help better your positions in search engine results pages, don’t you agree? :-)
CollegeofContent.com recently posted..The Process Of Learning How To Play A Guitar
conversation is everything on the World Wide Web, because it can actually help better your positions in search engine results pages, don’t you agree?
Bep ga Nam anh 78 Khâm Thiên
Twitter: wpoupon
says:
You simply can’t build anything of long term value without bringing value to the table. I like the way Anthony Robbins puts it – “If you meet other peoples needs quickly and easily, you will have no problem filling your own needs.”
I remember hearing about “providing real value” when I first got in the business years ago, however I was too busy trying to get traffic and didn’t see the bigger picture. Took awhile for me to get.
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Twitter: MauriceWLindsay
says:
Great Post Zac..I been following you for a while now and your content always stays relevant! And you are so right, adding value is key to guest blogging because both sides have to benefit.
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Twitter: TheInfoPreneur
says:
I remember seeing your site like…years ago..back when . Was never sure if the person every really existed. Apparently…he does! :) Nice post Zac.
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Twitter: moneyreign
says:
Haha, yes… I am real. Glad you liked the post.
Zac Johnson recently posted..How SEO PowerSuite Can Help Improve Your Search Rankings
I’m not so sure you should demonize people who include self-promotional links in their bylines of guest blogs. To me, this guest blogging process is a two way street. Ultimately, you want guest bloggers to increase the quantity and (hopefully) the quality of your blog to bring in more traffic and make more money. Why wouldn’t it be fair to allow your guest writers to do some self promotion of their own. You really cannot expect a boost for your site without giving something in return. That’s just not fair. If a guest blog is terribly written just for selfish promotional content, then by all means, reject it, but if the content is solid, it is ridiculous to want all the benefits, and offer nothing in return.
Twitter: moneyreign
says:
There is nothing wrong with providing links in your author section to your own sites. It’s more focused on the crap guest bloggers out there who are just selling text link placements with generic articles that are worthless.
Zac Johnson recently posted..How SEO PowerSuite Can Help Improve Your Search Rankings
Twitter: DAMGFLORIDA
says:
Guest blogging is something I really want to get into. Not only do I want to promote my web site, but I would really like to make a positive impact on the world. Thanks for the post
Peter Charles recently posted..Three Olympic Security Staff Members Arrested on Immigration Offenses in London
Guest posting is certainly a great way not only to attract targeted traffic in quick time but also a great way to start a new friendship from visitors by starting a good comment and conversation, however no one can ignore the power of social media but generally it takes huge efforts and time to generate result.
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Twitter: moneyreign
says:
The best guest bloggers are ones who also share their posts with their social networks and bring in new traffic.
Zac Johnson recently posted..How SEO PowerSuite Can Help Improve Your Search Rankings
Zac, You have said right, now almost every legit blogger gets an email about guest post request but the real scenario is that almost most of those contents requests are mainly for backlinks and promotional activities! I am not against Promotion but if on a health blog, there is an article which just brags about a particular product without giving the reasons to the people about the necessity of that Product ,will that kind of Guest Post really count in a legit way? Definitely Not(Atleast in my point of view) A guest post should be in such a way that the reader feels the actionable step after going through the post!
Thanks for sharing helpful information, I really like your all post. I will bookmark your blog for future updates.
Twitter: moneyreign
says:
Thanks, appreciate it!
Zac Johnson recently posted..How SEO PowerSuite Can Help Improve Your Search Rankings