If you’ve been blogging for longer than a couple of months, you should’ve heard by now how great guest blogging is when it comes down to building an audience.
Pretty much every blogger out there is aware of that fact.
The real problem is that most folks aren’t taking action.
For a while I was in the same boat.
I waited and waited for months…
There was the fear that my post wouldn’t be accepted.
Then I feared that if the post was accepted, I would receive very little social sharing.
However, the biggest reason why I waited so long was that I wasn’t sure whether I was going to make anything out of it.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to get people to convert into subscribers or even into followers.
After finally jumping into guest blogging, I realized that lots of things could’ve gone wrong had I started right away.
Below I covered four of the most important components you have to have in place if you want to maximize your guest blogging traffic, conversion rates, and SEO benefits.
Your Blog
You might start with saying content is king… yeah, we’ve all heard that phrase and I personally am fed up with it.
There is no denying - without solid content, readers won’t have a reason to visit your blog.
However…
We are all visual creatures and, as they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words.
The picture I am referring to is the design of your blog.
You might think no one cares about the design when the content is good.
Well, you’d be WRONG.
Say you click on a link in someone’s byline.
The first thing to load is the logo, but quite an ugly one.
A moment later you unintentionally notice the background - a very bad color choice that takes the focus away from the content…
Okay, big deal… you start reading anyway.
It turns out even though the design is bad, the content is actually intriguing.
But then there’s another problem.
Despite of the bad first impression, you decide to share that content.
So you look for the retweet button.
Whoops - there simply isn’t one. There is actually not a single share button in sight…
Oh well… You decide to sign up for the person’s list.
But wait a minute! Where’s the subscription form?
Yep, you guessed it - it doesn’t exist.
The Design
So all in all, yes, design plays a role.
There’s a big difference between something nice and neat like this:
And something that looks like a splash of random colors like this:
Need some inspiration?
Check out this list of quality blog designs!
The Share Buttons
The next important element are the share buttons.
The Really simple Facebook Twitter share buttons WordPress plugin is a great way to get them.
Another suggestion would be to use a plugin like Digg Digg - that’s the one that powers Ana’s social sharing buttons to the right.
The Opt-in Form
Then there’s the subscription form - make sure to both place it above the fold and under your blog posts.
The Social Media
Also, think about how people can reach out to you - the Social Media Widget WordPress plugin is all you need to add social buttons to your widget areas.
Your Social Profiles
You have to leave an impression on people.
Having your guest post appear on a highly-respected blog is, of course, step one.
Step two is the design of your blog as I talked about above.
And step three would be to have a blog that receives dozens of retweets, likes, and shares, PLUS has a big enough social following.
The social proof your new visitors see on your blog just might be what seals the deal for you to earn their trust and respect.
Don’t be the kind of blogger who talks about social media, yet has 500 followers, or talks about SEO, yet has no rankings to show for their “expertise”.
The tools
One great way to get more likes for your Facebook fan page is with Facebook Page Promoter Lightbox WordPress plugin.
That one is a pop-over that displays a like box for your fan page, giving readers an opportunity to like it.
Here’s what the lightbox looks like:
As for Twitter, Tweepi and ManageFlitter are the two great apps that can help you manage both your followers and the people you follow.
By leveraging the two properly you can get thousands of followers… the process takes months, but it’s effective.
I don’t believe in overnight success anyway, and I hope neither do you.
Additionally you can cross-promote your content.
For instance sometimes instead of retweeting an article directly from your blog, you can tweet the Google Plus story for the same article.
That will bring some of your Twitter followers to your Google Plus page and they might just decide to give you a follow.
Again perseverance is the key - as weeks go, you will slowly start getting more people under your belt.
In short, guest blogging can wait…
Not forever, but it can certainly wait a couple of months until you gain momentum in terms of social media.
That solid social proof is important because it will make you trustworthy in the eyes of visitors, readers and potential clients.
But of course that’s not all there is!
Your On-Site SEO
Yes, social media signals are extremely important for social proof, as well as search engine rankings.
However if people don’t link to you, you will hardly achieve the rankings you want.
And getting links can be a daunting task, especially for bloggers who need them most - those who are just starting out and need to build their brand and audience from scratch.
Here comes another benefits that guest blogging provides.
If you are able to get high-profile blogs to feature you, you get your hands on some solid links, pointing back to your site.
That is what can make a big difference to your search results.
But before you start, you should consider the content you already have and the one you are about to write…
To make the most out of the links you receive once your guest blogging quest begins, you will have to optimize your blog’s on-site SEO first.
You have to be the one directing the search bots - you have to be the one telling them how YOU want them to rank YOUR content.
There are things like keyword density, there are things like including the main keywords in specific areas of your posts and so on.
One awesome free WordPress plugin WordPress SEO by Yoast might just be what you need.
Aside from many other helpful features, you get a really neat scoring system that helps you to optimize your content.
Once you set the focus keyword, you are given tips as to where and how you should include it in your article.
Plus for each of the on-site SEO elements there’s a color indicator, telling you how well you are doing.
That simple solution makes optimization a piece of cake even for bloggers without much SEO experience.
Here’s what it all looks like in the WordPress post editor:
…And as far as finding the perfect keyword goes, Ana has written a great review about Market Samurai - THE software when it comes to keyword research.
It’s best to take care of that on-site SEO part before you get into guest blogging, since search engines can be quite quirky sometimes.
Optimizing your posts afterwards might not result in the same traffic as if when you’d done that before starting to guest blog and receiving all the quality backlinks.
Your Byline
The main way to benefit from guest articles is via the guest author box also know as the byline.
The author’s box basically consists of a couple of sentences about yourself, where you can include one or two links that point to your blog.
Since most of your potential click-throughs as well as SEO advantage you will gain hugely depends on your byline, you should consider spending a little more than five minutes on it.
There are several factors that you need to consider in order to create a bio that attracts the reader’s attention:
Length - You really need to find the balance.
Make it too short and most folks won’t notice it, but make it too long and you might end up boring the ones who read it.
I would suggest you include at least two sentences up to four or five.
Mine comes at exactly 32 words, but anything from 25 to 50 would be okay.
Call to action - One of the best ways to encourage clicks is to ask for them.
Don’t forget that the byline is not simply an introduction, but also your best bet at getting new people to check out your blog.
So instead of simply saying who you are and what you are fighting for, urge people to actually check out your blog.
Phrases like
- “Make sure to check out *blog’s name*”,
- “Don’t forget to check out my blog”,
- “Take a look at my blog for more social media and blogging (or any other topic) insights”…
…are a good way to make your links a focal point.
The right links - Obviously you want to link to your blog, but what most bloggers do is simply link back to their homepage.
Something else you could do is create a page for newbies and direct people there instead.
On that page you can tell first time visitors a bit about your blog - how long you’ve been running it along with the topics you write about.
Then you could create different subheadings for each category and supply two-three links to your best articles in each category.
At the end you could write a call to action of some sort and include a subscription form to convert those visitors straight away.
Take a look at one of Ana’s resource pages for an example of how you can structure yours:
Additionally you can link your name that directs traffic to your About page.
There you tell a little about yourself and include ways for newcomers to connect with you.
A third option would be to include a link back to an eBook that you’ve written or to any product that you find suitable as long as it doesn’t sound self-promotional.
Let Me Hear Your Thoughts
Those are pretty much the four most important steps I believe every soon-to-be guest blogger should take into consideration.
Getting them right would make your guest blogging efforts a little more effective.
Now I would like to hear what you think.
What in your opinion is the most crucial guest blogging element? I’d also be interested to know which one you’d choose and why - guest blogging or social media marketing?
Daniel Sharkov
Daniel Sharkov is an 18 year old student, marketer, blogger and a social media enthusiast. Make sure to check out Reviewz N Tips - the place, where he shares his insights and experience.
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Alexandra Coroian
Would love to read a post on how to choose the best blogs to write for. Not just general ideas which come easily to all, but specific data - where to start my search.
Take a look at this post, Alexandra: http://www.zenspill.com/guest-posts/ - I think you’ll find what you are looking for there.
Also, I just went through an excellent guest blogging course by Danny Iny: https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/loves/write-like-freddy/
Salman Ahmad
Hello Ana,
This is really a great Article indeed, But I have heard that Google is coming up with an update in which dofollow blogs, and the the blogs that accept guest articles will be penalized. There is also a chance that Guest Article Submitters will also get attached by the update.
I don’t know if it is true or not.
I’m horrified.
Waiting For Your Reply.!
Are you getting that much Google traffic that you are terrified to loose it, Salman? Or are you terrified just in case?
Hi great read, I have been running my Car Detailing website for round 7 months and a related blog for the same amount of time. I have been lucky enough to write one guest post. But finding other sites interested in me writing on their blog hasnt been easy
Nidhan
Hi Anna , English is not my first language but Guest posting is a dream for me . I have a newly setup blog with pretty good Alexa ranking due to SEO efforts and organic traffic but my heart says that guest posting can build the best online reputation for my blog in a couple of days . I had submitted 3 guest posts last week on the same niche blogs similar to mine . I got 2 posts published and one got rejected . Those two published articles as Guest Posting had driven tons of visitors to my site . Now I am pretty straight forward and working hard to put more efforts in guest posting day in and day out .
GK Adams
I have to say that I just love your site. I have learned so much about SEO and other necessary evils for obtaining and maintaining a successful blog. Thanks to you, my SEO has gotten better. I’m not quite perfect, but I know I will get there. It’s amazing to think that blogging to actually a lot of work. It’s not simply throwing up a post and calling it a day. I spend so much time creating a post and then making sure everything (i.e. SEO, etc) is perfect. The next thing I know, half the day is gone. However, following your advice is helping to make this a easier process. Thank you!
Glad to hear it.
I think a good design is really important. When visitors coming from your guest posts see your website, they will quickly determine whether this site is trustworthy.
The design plays a killer role in this process. If it sucks, no ones read your blog. It has to be pleasant to browse through and provide solid user experience
Hey Daniel,
I have to admit this pst veered off a bit for me. The title gives the impression of finding four reasons not to guest post but the tips all give reasons on how to prepare for guest posting. Se la vie!
I still get your points…
See, I agree that these components are important but I don’t see them as a reason not to guest post if everything isn’t “perfect”. There are some opportunities that even if you have all these components just right you won’t get surges of traffis from your guest posts.
I think, to prepare for guest posting, but most importantly to see results from guest posting, is knowing the host blogs audience and delivering content that actually drives an action beyond social sharing.
the readers have to believe you and trust you. They should be nodding “hell yes!” to your content by the time they get to the end. So for my money, know your strategy (build relationships, make a sale, increase awareness/traffic/engagement).
My 3 cents…Glad to have yet another interesting read on Ana’s blog. Thanks to you both!
If I may step in, Mys - I actually titled the post and it was suppose to reflect the idea that before you start guest posting, you need to have your ducks in a row at your own blog.
No, it doesn’t need to be perfect, that it HAS to the perfect last bite to whatever you wrote in your guest post.
Your guest post can be tremendous, but if your blog disappoints your new potential readers and they don’t stick around, then what’s the point, right?
Gotcha!
I think it’s always important to prepare. But it can also often be the reason one may actually stall. It can take a bit more than available to some to get everything just so, but having things presentable is paramount. I definitely agree with that! Did you enjoy your weekend?
There definitely has to be a balance.
My weekend was fabulous; too short as it always happens to be when we are having fun… Thanks for asking!
Thanks for elaborating. I was on the same boat with Mys - title and content were different. Great points on preparing for guest blogging
Great points you have made here Daniel,
the Author bio is one important thing most of us don’t utilize well, am still experimenting various ways to utilize the bio well.
Good design too is also important, one should prepare the home for the coming visitors.
Pranesh
I’m just a little confused by the topic and actual content of this post.. Nice points you make about being a better blogger..Ok, am I right that these are the things to looks out for in a site before doing a guest post there?
I’m just testing CommentLuv plugin in a blog and it’d be nice if you could just drop by and share your thoughts..
Thanks.
Larry James
I am one of those people who know the importance of guest blogging, but i have not taken action. I have only written 1 guest post so far and I know I should write more. I just have not done it. Too busy I guess.
Larry,
I believe lots of folks are in the same boat. And indeed when you think about it it’s a lot of work, so you have to be sure it will be worth it. As for my experience - I definitely do see the benefits - not only in terms fo SEO, but also in terms of traffic, egagement and subscribers. Way better than social media if you ask me.
Daniel
vishal verma
I am thinking to add a forum and guest posting plugin to my wordpress website.
Can you suggest some guest posting plugins
Great post Daniel.
I haven’t written that many guest posts myself, but I said to myself in December 2012, that I was going to change that in 2013. So far, I haven’t written one guest post
The reason is simple, I don’t feel that I have the time. On the other hand, it might be a lot more important to write guest posts than posts on your own blog. Most people don’t get that, and I am one of them, even though I understand that I really should be focusing on building relationships outside of my blog and get backlinks to my blog etc..
One thing I have thought a lot about lately, and you mention that too, are pop-ups. They are highly effective, but at the same time, they are frustrating and many people get really mad when they see them. I don’t get mad, but I must admit that I don’t really enjoy them. And, especially as I am surfing the web with my mobile phone. It’s getting hard to visit some of the blogs I am reading on a regular basis because of the pop-ups that are not working right on mobile phones. But, since the pop-ups are highly effective, I am still thinking about whether I should start using them again or not.
Main Uddin
I am not a great fond of guest post but this article gives a little inspiration to be in near future.
Hey Jens,
I think you should seriously consider guest blogging my friend. The benefits are there! I was like you an year ago. Thought I should start guest blogging, but didn’t really do anything in the end. It turns out though, writing a guest post doesn’t take THAT much time.
As for the pop-ups - well I believe everyone has their points of view on the subject. What I know for a fact is that it works and I’ve never gotten any negative reactions.
Thank you for stopping by!
Daniel
“You don’t need more time in your day. You need to decide.” ~ Seth Godin
That’s what I am trying to stick with this year.
That’s the truth Ana!
Doesn’t anyone know what social media widget Content Marketing Institute or Convince and Convert use?
I can’t figure it out. It’s driving me crazy.
Great post Daniel!
Hanley
Have you noticed how they are almost a carbon copy of each other?
It might be custom-coded; shouldn’t be that difficult for a designer.
Why do you want it anyway? Too many ways to lead people off your site.
Hi Ana and Daniel,
Daniel, I didn’t realize you’d written a guest post here. I hopped over here from one of Ana’s comments on another blog and was pleasantly surprised!
Anyways, great list here. I think that’s one of the reasons I haven’t put much consideration into guest posting yet. I just started actively posting on my blog after changing it’s focus in mid-January and I just don’t have everything quite in place yet.
Right now I’m working on building up some content for people to consume and getting a few of the other details in place to try and convert some of the guest posting traffic.
But, it’s on my list of things to get to and I suspect in the next month or two I’m going to start actively looking for places to guest post.
Thanks for sharing your list. At least I know the minimums I need to have in place before I start looking.
I hope you both have an outstanding weekend!
~Barry
Hey Barry,
Thanks man, glad you liked the points.
And yeah, you should take care of content for your own blog first and then move on to guest blogging. That’s the way it should be done.
It ain’t worth jumping into it if you haven’t done your homework on the rest of the components.
Cheers mate!
Daniel
Suresh Khanal
It is really weird not to have any sharing button and another I’ve often noticed is that the tweet message composed on the button does not contain any twitter username. When I tweet the post, I’d like to let the blogger know. I wonder how they track and analyze the performance of twitter performance.
Hey Suresh,
I agree about the retweet buttons not having a username. That is really frustrating, since you not only want to let the blogger know, but you need to make it clear the post is written by someone else.
So, please anyone who doesn’t have their username on, add it! It’ll make the lives of the ones sharing easier.
Daniel
Very interesting Daniel about what’s happening with guest blogging and the Google penquin. They really are playing games with us aren’t they? First it’s good and now it’s not
As for pop ups - I feel they are a nuisance - especially on mobile! Sometimes I can’t get to the x to get rid of it and I then leave the blog.
And by the time I’m back on my laptop I’m off somewhere else. I have read they drive traffic for some but I think with more of us using mobile they will go by the wayside.
I’ve done some guest blogs and have had others guest post on mine. I will have to re-consider going forward. Thanks for the tips here again Daniel and Ana!
Hey Lisa,
Mobile is really great for the user, but definitely a big pain for the developer. I honestly didn’t really consider that but I do agree that on some mobile devices such pop-ups might not be ideal. But then again, they can be disabled via media queries for instance.
Glad you enjoyed the post Lisa!
Have a great weekend ahead!
Daniel
Ambika Choudhary Mahajan
I have been reading about the benefits of guest posting for as long as I’ve been into blogging. The weird (:D ) & catchy title immediately made me want to read it immediately.
What you are pointing out here is perhaps ONLY guest posting will not help any blogger. They need to get lots of other things right to be able to get the maximum out of their guest posts as well.
I also agree with Jane as regards to timing of pop-ups. Facebook LIKE floating bar should appear after the visitor has been on the blog for at least 30-60 seconds.
Ambika Choudhary Mahajan @ Best shoes for back pain
Hey Ana !
Really interesting post. Guest posting can be fruitful if it is done with techniques. Well i enjoyed the whole article.
Thanks.
Matt
Darnit Ana! You basically stole my idea for a new post 😉
And hey! You totally missed that I mentioned you on ProBlogger. You owe me a late…
Greg, Greg, Greg… If you were here, I’d kiss you. But then again, my husband would probably need an explanation…
I saw some referral traffic from Problogger and was surprised. I figured I was somehow mentioned there. Last night I was digging through Icerocket mentions and saw Problogger flash in there, but haven’t had a chance to click through there to see who I should send flowers to.
MUCH appreciated!
I can’t comment there because my comments go into spam (darn that Akismet!!!), and so glad you gave me the opportunity to say thank you.
You’re welcome Ana!
I’m sure we could think one up 😉
Robert Weller
Hey Daniel,
this is a situation I cannot miss to comment on. One of my favorite bloggers on one of my favorite blogs - hell yeah what a mix!
Great article, I so totally agree with you. There’s no real point in guest posting if people have nowhere to go to get more information about you than a poorly fed Fanpage Stream or a nasty looking website. Would turn me off, too, I guess…
Robert,
Hehe, thanks for the kind words mate! Ana’s place is on the top of my list as well!
Really glad to hear you liked the post and definitely agree to what you said!
Have a good one!
Daniel
I really appreciate this post, especially the last section about how to write a good bio at the end of your guest posts. I haven’t been getting much traffic from my guest posts and have even stopped doing them because I feel I’m wasting my time.
I’ll try again using these tips on writing a bio well. Thank you.
John
hey Daniel,
here are my 2 cents
your design are the clothes for your blog, how come it’s not important?
your social media profiles are your accessories… when you get out there, don’t tell me you’re not wearing a watch, bracelet, bandana, purse (if you’re a lady) or whatever…
both design and social media is important. more important is how you use them. test, tweak, track, and re-test. don’t just believe what others say (that guest posting doesn’t work, or FB is not good, and so on)
figure it out for yourself.
Now, SEO and byline are the fundamentals of your content, never get out of home without ’em
Hey Philip,
The right preparations are pretty much as equally important as the blogs where you will decide to guest post.
Good to hear you liked the post!
Have an awesome day ahead!
Daniel
Hi Daniel and Ana,
Those are really the things that should be rightfully put in place in order to succeed with guest blogging and i can’t agree more.
The ones i really like is the issue of author bio and blog design, if your author bio is not precise and attention blabbing enough, it wont convert.
And if the design of your blog is not eye catching enough your visitors will not stick longer because first impression matters a lot.
Thanks Daniel and Ana for sharing.
BTW: Happy Valentine Ana.
Hey Theodore,
That’s exactly how it is mate. Seemingly distant factors end up playing a very important role in terms of how well you are going to convert the visitors you get from your guest blogging efforts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Daniel
Anna
Loved the content! Quantity & Quality
always tends to ‘work’ for some strange
reason!
Guess I’ll need to get up early tomorrow
and ‘gut’ my blogs! After reading this post
it appears I got my work cut out for me!
Thanks for your effort & enlightenment!
TJ
Shahzad
Guest posting is great. But you should have a strategy for that.
Here are my 2 strategies while guest posting…
#1. The link on the author bio should be related to your article.
For e.g. these days my guest post articles are related to “buying and selling websites”. Because I provide a link on the author bio to the page where I giveaway my free ebook titled “How to buy sell websites”, more people tend to click on the link.
#2. Talk about your experience on the guest post
If you share your experience on the post, readers would be interested in knowing more about you. So you’ll get more click on the author bio and thereby more traffic.
Shahzad,
The two principles you are following are good indeed. Although I myself wouldn’t do it, it might be worth adding direct link to a relevant article. If the blogger allows it, it’d be best if that’s done within the post’s content itself though.
As for the second points, that’s for sure! Personal opinions are a must. I really hate articles that simply overview a topic without giving any point of view.
Thanks for the comment!
Have a good one!
Daniel
Jon Wade
These problems are not so much with guest blogging, as problems on the site itself surely? Same as with advertising. You can burn a lot of money with advertising if you have not planned why you want people to arrive at your website.
Jon,
Yes, not directly related to guest blogging, but without doubt factors that play a role if you want to see solid results.
Daniel
Ana,
Thank you so much!
I am devouring your info right now.
More to come!
thank you,
Peter
And of course Daniel, the “Guest Blogger” today!
Good to se you posting here.
cheers,
Pete
lol, Peter - you are welcome.
Glad you are finding the information useful mate! And thanks - it’s really an honor being featured on Ana’s blog.
Sian Phillips
A great extensive post covering guest blogging. I am a guest writer on a few sites but also managing editor on a site which people contribute too. The advantages are huge because those type of sites get a lot more traffic than maybe a stand alone blog. It isn’t necessarily the compensation but the recognition that leads to networking opportunities and possible future clients. It certainly worked that way for me. I’d also suggest you use Author Rank. Thanks for sharing on Bizsugar.com
Hi Daniel!
You make some great points in this post.
However there is one thing here that I think you might want to consider. First I need to say that over my years of blogging I have grown to dislike pop-ups on blogs. But in my opinion the Facebook pop-up is the worst. Here’s how I look at it, you do all the hard work of creating great content, researching your keywords, finding the right images and finally you get a new visitor on your blog. Why waste that golden opportunity to show off what you have on your site by stopping people dead in their tracks to like your Facebook page. I think it should be the other way around - drive people from Facebook to your blog.
I think if you ARE going to use a pop-up it should be one that will grow your email list which is far more important than a Facebook fan following.
Well I just wanted to give you some food for thought - but of course the beauty of blogging is that it’s totally up to you and what you are trying to achieve.
Keep up the good work your doing with your content. I always enjoy reading your posts because you’re such a great writer.
I second Ileane with this. I see that the blogs using this Facebook Like plugin is increasing! I see an intriguing title in one of my blogging networks and when I click on it, I am taken to a well designed blog… oh wait, before I can realize that the design is so good, I’m interrupted asking for a Like.
I immediately leave such a blog - no matter how GREAT the content is. In my honest opinion, asking for anything (a sale, a like, an email subscription etc.) the moment I land on a website is absurd. I don’t even know you. How can you ask me to take action in favor of you?
Give me a moment or two. Let me read your blog post, let me see what your site is about and so on. Using pop ups is fine - but it should be a lot less aggressive!
Is it just the timing of it or the very idea of a popup, Jane?
The timing Ana. Popups work great and I’ve been sold to many of them :). But when they’re on my face as soon as I land on a page that’s annoying and a bit too much to ask from me. But when the pop up appears after I read a blog post (like the Pippity ones) or after I’ve been on the site for a while, that’s perfect!
Hey Jane,
That specific pop-up actually allows you to choose when it is displayed. You can set it to activate a minute after the visitor has opened the page for instance. That way they will have probably read some of the points in an article, which might be a good moment to let them know you have a fan page, where they can stay connected.
And Ileane, yes, lots of people seem to dislike pop-ups, but the fact is they work. And whether it is going to be a subscription form or a call to action, aiming to get you more fans, using a pop-up of that kind does dramatically improve results. And I do agree with you - getting subscribers is more important. However taking care of your social profiles does play its role as well. I mean it just makes your brand stand out. One doesn’t have to use the plugin constantly for months and months. It can be used for some time, then disabled and maybe replaced with a subscription form. The blog doesn’t have to be static. That’s how I see it.
Daniel
Really great discussion about pop-ups.
I don’t like any instant pop-ups either it’s for email subscription, facebook like or whatever. But yes once I start reading an article and finding it useful, at that time if I see any subscription option. I would love to do that. So I think for any visitor it’s important to give him some to spend on your blog and then ask for any kind of action.
That’s exactly the point Pankaj! You first give the visitor an idea of the value you provide and then offer them to subscribe.
Daniel
Ok Daniel, I just wanted to express my point of view. I feel like the best place to increase your social footprint is on the site itself. In other words, you can get likes on Facebook - while people are on Facebook. Of course you need to invest in some promotions, but at least you know those people are more willing to engage with you there if they are already hanging out there.
I have a strong following on Facebook with just a small icon at the top of my blog.
Come to think of it I’m going to invite you to join a Facebook group that I think you’ll enjoy and possibly you can gain some new followers there too.
Chat soon!
If I may step into this discussion…
Some people hate popups of any kind, some are OK with them. But either way, there’s no denying that they do work for conversions.
So do we choose to use them for the bigger picture and accept the fact that some people might be annoyed by them?
I don’t have the answer, of course. In the end, every blogger will have to decide for themselves whether the end justifies the means.
I absolutely agree with you Ana. Some like them, others don’t - the reality is that they work rather well.
Ileane - as for Facebook, you have a good following but the fact is you’ve been there for quite a while plus your blog has some really solid rankings. That is not something all bloggers can say for their blogs. So the role of a pop-up of that kind is more to help those newbies get the initial fans that will spin the wheel so to say. And Ileane, I am looking forwardto an invite to the Facebook group you mentioned.
Daniel
Makes sense, Jane.
Guest Blogging became the way for people to get backlinks without buying links in post content and being penalized by Google, it became a more organic way to avoid being penalized. It is still primarily used to get the backlink benefit in the author bio, only a handful use it for it’s true benefit where you are trying to raise awareness for your content, specialty rather than simply for the backlink and could care less about the guest article itself and what it represents.
Like you already mentioned, guest blogging on sites that allow you to showcase your profile, sites that use Fanciest Author Box and other ways to provide professional looking author bio’s is more valuable to those who want to showcase themselves, but this really isn’t considered for those who guest post just for the author bio link and most write under an assumed name, paid for the article from some service in the first place so care less about the presentation.
It is relatively easy to spot the type of guest poster approaching you, you can tell by bland style articles without personality and more bland author bylines with no social media connections and a very generic logo or pic for author profile logo.
Unfortunately even guest blogging could get you penalized from Google if you aren’t careful and targeting properly, having backlinks on quality sites that match your niche is better than shotgun put a guest post with backlink on any site you can get your hands on. I have numerous guest bloggers from the past request removing links from their former guest post from 2 years ago as Google revealed they were penalizing them for linking from one or more sites. Also you shouldn’t use the same keyword in your author bio on every site you guest blog for, you have to vary it up, Google does not take kind to the same link outbound to a site from so many different sites, you need to have some organic keyword variance as well.
My prediction is that guest posting will diminish as quickly as it came once a future Penguin or animal update is pushed that penalizes all those guest bio backlinks from those who just left guest articles to get a backlink. It is already starting to happen like it did for commenting the last few updates.
I do understand the kind of guest blogging you are talking about, Justin; even many blogs that used to publish good content have now succumbed to the temptation of having easy content and publish garbage as a result.
I do guest blogging to establish my authority and expertise and to borrow the audience I otherwise might not have access to.
Hey Justin,
That is true. As Ana said there are lots of high-profile blogs that are starting to care more about publishing content frequently than about whether those articles are actually worth the read. And the guest bloggers you mentioned… yeah, I believe we’ve seen them all in action. But that’s really not the point of guest blogging. The SEO advantage is surely a reason, but as you said one should also use their guest contribution as a proof to expertise in their respective niche.
As for guest blogging being penalized in the future, I really don’t know. In the end however that is the most legitimate way to show Google that you should be trusted. The problem comes with identifying the spammers, who are all about the links and about the content. That would probably be a reason why a next update might end up blocking the juice from the links in the author bio boxes.
And unfortunately sharing a post on Facebook is more straightforward than linking to it, which is why small blogs struggle to get organic traffic and have to rely on guest blogging.
Just my two cents.
Daniel
Guest blogging had became a big game in 2013, that might be the reason the top blogs like Problogger and Daily Blog Tips are going to stop guest post submissions.
Thanks for sharing the reasons Daniel, helpful for guest bloggers like me.
Ehsan, that’s interesting. I didn’t know that those blogs aren’t accepting guest posts anymore. Is that official or something that will happen in the future?
Hi Ileane,
It is official, DBT and Problogger no longer accept guest posts. Daniel at DBT published a post to this effect to announce it to his readers.
I don’t really like the idea, but it is better not to accept guest posts than to be publishing crappy contents.
Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who thought they published crappy content…
Are they actually going to write the content themselves??? (do they still remember how?
)
Good one Ana lol. I do believe they will be hiring staff as it is on Copyblogger for instance. That way they get the benefit of not writing themselves (funny, yeah) and at the same time being sure the content fits their needs. Plus they eliminate the need for useless links to other blogs.
Hey Ana! lol!
They should still remember how to write, and if they can’t remember, i guess they will have to learn again 😀
Hi Ehsan, Matt Cutts from Google has recently released a video about guest blogging and what Google is thinking about it now. This could be the reason behind the close down of guest posting on Problogger and DBT.
Is it my browser or are the images not showing up in this post?
It’s funny that you mentioned the RT button. I was just reading a blog post this morning and the author didn’t have any social sharing buttons. What a missed opportunity.
Great post. Sometimes the basics are overlooked and can make a big difference.
Can’t view the design example images too, what’s the problem Ana?
My bad - fixed the images!
Exactly Lisa. The small details are often times the most overlooked ones. It doesn’t cease to amaze how there are still blogs that haven’t incorporated something as simple as a sharing button. It’s the age of social media. How do you expect people to spread the word if you don’t allow them to? No way!
Daniel
I planned on avoiding guest posting as long as possible, but telling me why I should avoid it makes me feel like I have what it takes and should get on it pronto!
Funny how that works…
I’ve guest posted once before by request and it was a good experience. I’m still getting traffic and subscribers from that post months later. Call me selfish, but I don’t like giving up content.
Heck, if it weren’t for blogging communities and social media, I’d keep all my content to my newsletter only! 😉
Great post and that byline tip can make or break your guest posting success!
Thanks a bunch,
-Gabe Johansson
Hey Gabe,
Sometimes namely giving up content in the form of guest blogging can prove to be your ticket to blogging success. Yes, I know it’s really hard not to publish a great article on your blog and share it on someone else’s instead. And although I believe that a frequent posting schedule can make a big difference, it’s worth reducing that number in favor of guest blogging.
Thank you for sharing your two cents!
Daniel
When guest posting, I add a link to my newsletter squeeze page in my author by line. I didn’t really take advantage of guest blogging in the first two years of my blog as I should have.
This year though I have already written 15 guest posts and it really helped my blog to grow in all aspects.
15 posts in 2013? You are on a writing streak, Justin!
I am in the same bout as you Justin. I am running my blog for more than two years and didn’t really put effort towards guest blogging all that time until now. That’s definitely a lot of time wasted, but better late than never as they say!
Daniel
Good pointers. I have only guest blogged once and I have a few in the works now…I have the same fear as you about the appreciating of the content. I am worried my writing will not be “up to snuff”. I guess like anything it takes time and experience to build the confidence to show your work around!
It definitely does take time Ed! I’ve been blogging for more than two years and just now decided that is finally time to get more seriously involved with guest blogging.
Daniel