How Guest Posting is More Than Just SEO

01 Jan 2010

This is a guest post by problogger Chris Garrett, co-author of the book: Problogger, and blogs at ChrisG.com. You can also find him on Twitter.

Nathan is not well today, so I thought I would step in and provide a guest post while he recuperates. As Nathan has already mentioned, guest posting can be very beneficial to any blogger, so this is not a purely altruistic move on my part!

Most people who talk about guest posting emphasize the search engine benefits as a reason to take up the tactic. In fact, when people buy my Guest Posting guide it is mostly high quality links that motivates people. The thing is, there are other benefits over and above the awesome search boost that you can get.

One of the things I still do as a blogger is write for clients, such as the Excel to PDF converter software people, Cogniview, and the Auto Dealer Social Media tool developer, GOSO. While I do not do this as much as I used to, due to time constraints more than anything, writing for these companies allows me to get far more exposure than by sticking to my own blog, chrisg.com. Attention is not just about getting links, it is being seen and read by new people who might want to check out what else you have done.

Take this guest post for example. Yes, I have managed to slip in a link to a product of mine (sneaky!) but also Nathan gets some fresh content while he recovers from the man-flu, and I get to put my name in front of his audience (you!) during a time when he is attracting a lot of attention due to his product launch.

In terms of networking, Nathan was already well aware of who I am due to me being featured in the Beyond Blogging book, but by me guest posting here we have a little more shared history to add to our networking relationship. Mike did the same by guest posting on a couple of my blogs too. Friendships are built on doing favors and reciprocation, ask not what contacts can do for you but what you can do for your contacts!

Getting Unstuck

Finally, as a blogger it is very easy to get stuck in ruts. You start “phoning it in”, and your audience can get bored and drift away. Just like your favorite television shows can become formulaic, so can our blogs. By allowing guest posts, or guest posting on other blogs, it helps mix things up and stay sharp, which is a win-win for everyone.

If you are not already guest posting then I recommend you start now. Begin with supplying articles for your friends then branch out, you do not need to start with the A-list to get the benefits.

Do you guest post already or have you not tried it yet? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments …

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TJ Corruthers

GUest posting on several blogs might be a good experience for a blogger for it is an honor if a blogger would let you write a blog for their site

Brothers Page | ME Web Design

Is there a directory for guest posters? I guess I'll go google it and report back if I find anything. Good post!

Laura Cococcia

Excellent point. A few of the guest posts I've done have helped me refine my writing voice quite a bit - and for the better. And I've definitely built a ton of friendships over the past year. Thanks for this!

Nathan Hangen

Guest posts work great for doing that. The audience is pre-built too, which really helps.

Chris H

Thanks for this Chris - I'm just starting to get my guest posting momentum going, but am already seeing the benefit of becoming known to a wider audience than those that visit my own blog.

I just wish I'd got into writing for others sooner!

SEOWebHelp

Smart post Chris! I'm sure there are many of us that can take something away from this. Laughed at your "man-flu". :)

Srinivas Rao

I'm a big fan of guest posting for several reasons. While the traffic benefits are obvious, I think the longer term benefit is the relationship you build with the blogger who runs your guest post. It also gives you credibility because somebody more well known than you are is willing to run your post on their blog.

jadecraven

I love guest posting - its always been more about promoting others than promoting myself. This morning I did a guest post on Mike CJ's blog because I knew he was busy with the launch. I woke up to a sale of my guest post mini guide. I've never made a sale as a direct response to a guest post so I'm thrilled. It means I dont have to necessarily stop doing them just because I get busy - which is something I've feared.

Thanks for an awesome post, Chris.

Patty Reiser

I have made a few guest appearances on blogs. My first one was quite a learning experience because my guest post had a few photos and it was not easy getting them to the blogger. But it was still a rewarding experience none the less.

remarkablogger

Guest posting is indeed much more about traffic than SEO. Sure, you're getting high-quality backlinks, but traffic is a more worthy goal. In the long run, high-traffic blogs rank better. Cross-pollinating the traffic between two blogs benefits both: it's an easy win-win.

Bob Bessette

Hi Chris,
I could not agree with you more! In fact I am sure that my recent bump in PR was definitely due to guest posting. In fact, I think that guest posting is probably more important than increasing a posting interval on my own blog because essentially I am doing just that with the guest posting. I am opening up my blog to completely different audiences which is a great thing.
What is also great about guest posting is that, at times, I also get paid for it. What could be sweeter? More exposure and money too...:-)

Best,
Bob

chrisgarrett

Yup - and my own readers who subscribe via email sometimes do not like daily emails

Tanner @ Life Destiny

I just started out around December 15th, but keep hearing the benefits of guest posts and actually have one written waiting to be published by a friend of mine. I have been really busy finishing up my free eBook I plan to release on my blog about Inspiration, but have a few people that offered me an opportunity to guest post for them and will defintiely take up that offer here soon.

I actually have a goal of 1 excellent guest post for someone else every 2 weeks. I might even crunch it down to 1 excellent guest post a week.

Thanks Chris

Nathan Hangen

I'd be nothing without guest posting...I try to do a minimum of 6 per month, and will try to get even more this year. Find the blogs that want your stuff, and pretend like you're a partner. Treat it like a 2nd blog and you'll find it pays off very well.

Tanner @ Life Destiny

Wow thanks for the excellent tip Nathan! Will definitely rethink my strategy to guest posting now. I think, I might ramp up guest posting early on and then maybe level out to a more doable guest posting strategy over the long term.

Ken Montville

This is certainly a great example of a good guest post and the reasons for it. Luckily, I was able to sneak a peak at some of your stuff by getting on the Beyond Blogging bandwagon. Now all I have to do is follow the plan!

My thoughts to Nathan to get over his man-flu. I hope it wasn't a result of too much partying on New Year's Eve. :-) Even so, that type of flu usually only lasts 24 hours.

Cindy King

Thanks for sharing, Chris. I did a fair bit of article marketing in 2008, submitting articles to EzineArticles. But I think guest posting offers better networking advantages. And after reading Liz Strauss recent post about the shift in how people engage on blogs, I think guest posting is a better tactic.
http://www.successful-blog.com/1/a-12-step-stra...

So I'm going to guest post regularly in 2010.

Dave Doolin

I can definitely feel the rut and the drift.

This is partly because I want to do more coding in 2010, and that's going to take it out of my blogging time. It will, however, return dividends with respect to material to blog about.

It's already noon. Time's a wastin'

Chris Garrett

Thanks folks :) Just in the last couple of weeks I have done 8 or more guest posts and I intend to do many more in 2010

Jordan Cooper

Chris, I agree with "no need to start with the A-list to get the benefits". This is especially true if you consider guests posts to be the ultimate showcase of your talents. Why not "warm up" your guest post writing chops by doing so on blogs within your relative status? Top blogs get tens of thousands ore more readers daily, so don't you want to make sure your guest post really is uniquely awesome and special?

Thanks for your insight, Chris... it's always a pleasure to hear thoughts from someone as respected as you are in this space.

Henri J

I think I've written around 15 guest posts since I started my blog and it has worked excellently. My subscribers are growing. My traffic is growing. I get awesome comments and I've made some very good connections. Guest posting is and will be my #1 strategy in promoting my blog this year and I am pretty sure it will turn out for the best.

Mike CJ

I love that: "Ask not what your contacts can do for you......" Classic!

I really need to do more guest posting. I started off OK, then fell into the trap of "saving" good posts for my own blog. It's something I plan to get right in 2010 - following Nathan's example - he's everywhere!