The Power of Guest Posting: Boosting Your SEO and Building a Network

The-Power-of-Guest-Posting-Boosting-Your-SEO-and-Building-a-Network
The Power of Guest Posting: Boosting Your SEO and Building a Network

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In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, guest posting has emerged as a powerful tool for both enhancing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and fostering valuable connections within your industry.

I have been doing SEO consulting since 2014 and still guest posting works well to boost SEO ranks by building a brand with connections on the web.

In this article, we (me and the digital PR strategist at ClickDo, Manuela Willbold) will explore what guest posting entails and how it can significantly impact your online presence.

Understanding Guest Posting

Guest posting is the practice of contributing a piece of content, typically an article or a blog post, to another guest posting website or blog. This content is authored by an individual who is not affiliated with the hosting site but has relevant expertise or insights to share with its audience.

Manuela and I explain this in more detail here:

The Dynamics of Guest Posting

1. Quality Content Creation

Guest posting necessitates the creation of high-quality, original, and tailored content. This content should be well-researched, informative, and engaging, offering real value to the readers of the particular publication one is guest blogging for. Many publishers will have strict guidelines to be followed to get guest content approved for publication.

2. Author Bio and Backlinks

In exchange for your contribution, you usually get a byline or author bio added where you can provide a brief introduction about yourself along with a link back to your own website or blog. This is where the SEO magic happens.

For example, on the London Business News website you can see what Manuela’s author bio looks like containing links to her channels: https://www.londonbusinessnews.com/author/manuela-willbold/. When you Google “Manuela Willbold” you will see many of her guest author profiles pop up and her LBN profile ranks on the first page after her author profile with SeekaHost.

manuela-willbold-google-knowledge-panel-results

This provides credibility and trust as expert showcases their knowledge via different platforms and content, also including video content as in Manuela’s case. Even for the Google Knowledge Panel can this be very beneficial, and you can learn more about it in this clip I recorded:

3. SEO Benefits

a. Backlinks:

Backlinks are the cornerstone of SEO. When reputable websites link back to your content, search engines view this as a vote of confidence in your site’s credibility and relevance. Guest posting provides you with a legitimate and natural way to acquire these valuable backlinks.

b. Diversification of Anchor Texts:

When you guest post on different platforms, you have control over the anchor text used in your backlinks. This diversity of anchor texts helps in creating a natural link profile, a crucial aspect of effective SEO.

Some platforms will not allow certain anchors such as branded or keyword heavy anchors. Be sure to consider their terms when submitting your post for approval. It’s vital to always add contextual links to the anchor text that provide readers with valuable additional information that adds to the topic covered. Even if they are promotional, they should help the readers grasp the content and subject better.

c. Exposure and Traffic:

By contributing to established platforms, you tap into their existing audience. This exposure can drive additional traffic to your website, potentially converting visitors into leads or customers and even new followers. This is a wonderful side effect of guest posting, which cannot be underestimated.

Entrepreneur interviews or stories are often helpful to discuss a trending topic in your niche that refers to your business and the solutions you offer. Check out Manuela’s guest publications case study analysis on such formats published on the londonbusinessnews.com website.

guest-publication-case-studies-london-business-news

d. Authority and Trustworthiness:

Guest posting on reputable sites signals to search engines that your website is associated with credible sources. This helps in establishing your own site’s authority and trustworthiness, key factors in search rankings.

However, it is worth noting that any guest content published in your author’s name should be in line with your expertise and branding. Developing your own unique voice, style and adding your own images can set you apart in the online world.

4. Building Relationships and Networking

Guest posting also offers the opportunity to connect with influencers and experts in your field. These relationships can lead to further collaboration, partnerships, or other mutually beneficial ventures. They can also open doors for new business opportunities.

Effective Guest Posting Strategiesguest-posting-strategies-for-seo

To make the most of guest posting or guest blogging and SEO, consider these effective strategies:

1. Target Reputable Websites:

Focus on platforms that have a strong online presence and a relevant audience for you. Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to backlinks so be selective and opt for websites with good SEO metrics such as a low spam score and higher domain rating. If you don’t have access to SEO tools to check these, you can get in touch with the ClickDo team, and they can help with the guest posting websites research.

2. Tailor Your Content:

Customize your content to fit the style, tone, and interests of the hosting site’s audience. This ensures that your post resonates with their readers, that it is most likely to get accepted and that it will become one of their top performing posts, ranking well on search engines too.

Relevancy in fact plays a huge role with guest media placements, if strategically placed. Depending on the keywords you’d like to rank for, this requires concrete planning also of the content and the added hyperlinks. Many publications have strict guidelines, so not only the pitch matters, but also the content that is being submitted, from the title to the main message.

See the Entrepreneur.com article by Fernando for example, the topic focused on the keyword “online portfolio” as this is something many people search for with regards to websites, so the chances of this ranking well are higher and it helps establish Fernando’s personal brand as well as the SeekaHost business brand in connection with this search term.

3. Prioritize Relevance over Keywords:

While including keywords is important, it should not come at the expense of the quality or natural flow of your content. It is advisable to incorporate less competitive keywords with a low keyword difficulty to increase the chances of it ranking higher on search engines.

4. Maintain Consistency:

Regular guest posting establishes you as a trusted contributor within your niche. It takes time and effort, but it pays off when people find your content on other platforms than just yours. Picking up current trends and combining them with your core topics can often really boost your brand, especially on social media or streaming channels.

In Conclusion

Guest posting is not only a potent SEO strategy but also a means of building meaningful relationships and connections within your industry and niche.

By consistently creating high-quality content and leveraging the opportunities guest posting provides, you can significantly enhance your online presence, ultimately driving more traffic and achieving higher search engine rankings.

At ClickDo we advise on guest posting as well as digital PR, which is closely interlinked. Manuela and I elaborate on guest posting in digital marketing further in the below clip, where you’ll see how these disciplines are interconnected and how you can best utilise these connections:

At ClickDo we want you to remember that it’s not just about the quantity of backlinks, but the quality and relevance of the sites they come from. So, get out there, start connecting, and watch your SEO and branding efforts flourish!

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