Are you thinking of publishing an article on a blog other than your own (guest blogging)?
You're right: it's a real opportunity to showcase yourself and gain visibility without spending a penny. It's also a great way to get backlinks to your own site, which is very good for SEO.
Rest assured: by following these 5 steps, you'll have everything you need to succeed at guest blogging.
1. What is guest blogging?
It's very simple: guest blogging is contributing content to another person's or company's website or blog. In short, you'll have to write and publish an article on someone else's site.
It may seem strange… Why spend time writing articles for other sites (potentially your competitors) when you could use that time to write for your own site?
But guest blogging has many advantages for both parties!
2. What are the benefits of guest blogging for you?
Publishing an article on a different site will allow you to broaden your audience and bring new visitors to your own blog.
It will also improve the trust of your prospects and customers and the awareness of your brand. This positions you as a true expert on your specific topics.
A small SEO bonus: guest blogging will bring you many backlinks, which are vital for good site ranking.
3. What are the benefits of guest blogging for your "host"?
For the host, the main benefit is, of course, having content on their site; if guests are well chosen, publishing relevant, high-quality content will increase the blog's trust and reputation. This external content adds freshness and novelty.
By bringing in experts in a given field, brands position themselves as experts.
And again, the blog's SEO will be boosted by this new content, provided it is written in accordance with SEO best practices, of course.
In short, as you have understood, guest blogging is truly a win-win exchange between a host and a guest. But how should you go about it?
4. Clearly define your objectives
The first question to ask when launching a guest blogging campaign is "why?"
Your motivations can be varied:
- You want to attract traffic and grow your sales on your website;
- You want to build a reputation as an expert in your field;
- You want improve your SEO while earning backlinks to your site…
In any case, always keep this in mind: your goal is not to generously give views to another blogNo—your guest blogging must above all benefit YOU.
5. Choose your target blog carefully
The blog you write an article for should not be chosen lightly: its theme must be coherent aligned with your own topic or your business.
It can be a blog whose topic is complementary to yours (for example: a gardening blog is well suited for guest blogging if you sell seeds or gardening tools). In any case, the blog's readership must correspond to your typical customer.
Furthermore, the blog in question must be of a certain quality so as not to damage your image and must have a sufficiently large and engaged readership. Otherwise, guest blogging is pointless.
6. Choose your topic carefully
Once you have found a quality, relevant host blog, you still need to choose a good article topic.
Again, it must be in consistency with the editorial line line with the blog; otherwise readers won't find it relevant and the views may not materialize.
At the same time, it must be compelling enough original and unique to make readers want to learn more about you and visit your site.
7. Polish your calls-to-action
That's why you need to use calls-to-action (CTAs) skillfully in your article. You can simply encourage them to visit your blog/site, but you can also be more creative and have more impact :
- Invite them to sign up for your newsletter
- Invite them to try your service for free
- Offer them a special discount on your products
- Give them access to exclusive content on your site
Bad example: “Many web writers are available on Redacteur.com ”
Good example: “ Find the ideal web writer on Redacteur.com”
8. Polish your landing pages
There you go — your call-to-action worked and readers clicked the link redirecting to your site. That's a very good thing, but the most important part is still to come.
Indeed, the page where readers land after clicking the link is crucial: what's the point of getting them to click if they leave your site immediately?
To avoid this pitfall, the page your call-to-action directs to should be:
- Coherent : for example, if your CTA said “Take advantage of a free trial”, imagine your reader's reaction if they land on a page asking them to sign up for your newsletter…
- Pleasant : this is probably your reader's first visit to your site and, as you know, first impressions matter a lot. Make sure the landing page is attractive, smooth and pleasant or your visitors may disappear.
- Persuasive : on the landing page, highlight the benefits and selling points of your offer. The page should also include a prominent call-to-action to encourage the visitor to take the next step.
Our tip
Guest blogging is therefore relevant for both the host and the guest. By following these 5 simple steps, you'll be sure your guest blogging campaign is relevant and will really pay off.
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