Semalt: Guest Posting To Amplify Your Brand And Build Links
Even after so many years of existing, we still notice a few slight coughs and head-scratching when guest posting is suggested as a branding option. The truth is you can speak to ten different digital marketing agencies and have ten different opinions on guest posting. While some support guest posting, others don't, and then you still have some others lingering in-between.
In this article, we will be discussing the benefits of guest posting, and frankly, those who fail to recognize the value of guest posting feel that way mostly because they've done it to build links only. Now, if you guest post to build your brand, it is almost certain that you would have a more pleasant opinion on the subject.
Here are some of our guest posting tips that provide SEO value but also build your brand.
Stick to what you know best and exploit that knowledge
If you're a brand that focuses on forex markets, your stand better chances when you focus and write about Forex markets. It is true that real experts have a narrow focus, and they've understood that it's best to stay in their lane.
The key to becoming successful in guest posting is by showing beyond any reasonable doubt that you are an expert in whatever you're writing about. If you get distracted by other things, you can blur your brand and confuse the search engine's evaluation of your content.
In general, it is best that you stick to your area of expertise when guest posting.
Create as many evergreen contents as possible
To stay relevant as long as possible, you will require evergreen contents. Experts are usually approached for their take on newsworthy items. These are the opportunities you should keep your ears open for. Remember that guest posting is different. Rather than seeking a splash, your content is looking for longevity. Before creating the content, it is important to see if it will be as relevant in the next ten years as it does the day of its publication.
Now do not beat yourself up; having content that stays relevant for up to 10 years is rare and difficult to come by depending on your industry of expertise. For experts on the tech industry, for example, achieving this can be particularly impossible. However, it would help if you did what you can to create evergreen content. One recipe we employ is 90% evergreen, 10% newsworthy. This strikes an almost perfect balance of both areas of writing a quality guest post.
Target relevant and strong websites
Focusing on the domain authority of a website doesn't tell a completely accurate story of that website's strength. There are many websites with high domain authorities but a relatively thin copy. These domains may already be loaded with external links that are irrelevant to the core objective of the website.
Mistaking a high domain authority as your basis for choosing a relevant website may damage your guest posting efforts. Chasing just a domain authority won't cut it; you need to also find websites with high-quality, which is loaded with reputable content posted by professionals.
Two key things we always ask for are the traffic metrics and if the target website is fond of buying links (if they exchange links for money). We check in their link profile before we even pitch a publication on behalf of our client. If we discover that the website links to irrelevant domains with unworthy content, we disqualify it and focus our efforts on finding the right website for the right content.
Remember, our focus is not building links but developing the brand. Once it doesn't match up to the standard of the brand, we move on to the next website. This saves us a great deal of worry as we continue our search for the best online outlet to display our content to a wider audience.
Once we suspect any foul play or anything suspicious, we pack up and leave. We do not want to face the repercussions of being associated with a scandal.
Build a good relationship with quality publications
Once we are able to find a great website to partner with and our guest posts naturally resonates with its audience, we do everything in our power to live up to the hype. Some SEO professionals aren't too keen on the idea because it diminishes the value of more links. Many times, guest posts only carry one link in the bio to the contributors' home page.
This means that the first link is the most impactful. Any other link that follows diminishes in value as each one is followed by another. However, when you have a strong publication, you influence the audience, so you can as well forget about the link value, especially because you're developing your brand, not links.
Having such a mentality is the reason why we are able to provide valuable content that resonated well with the audience.
Search Engine Optimization
Even experts sometimes forget about SEO when developing guest posts. On our website, Semalt has published several articles about how we go about our SEO writing if you want to get a complete understanding of the subject. However, the basics include:
- Target not more than two primary keywords per guest post.
- At least one of your primary keywords should appear in your 55 character title.
- Use numbers in your headlines.
- Use brackets or parentheses in the title of your post.
- Use your keyword(s) in the meta description of about 150 characters. Have a clear message and have a good call to action.
- Keywords should be naturally infused into the content.
- Heading tags and keywords should be properly used.
- Varying font styles should be used to make reading easier, increase UX, and on-page reading time. This includes bold, italics, and bullet points.
- Offer internal and external linking options.
You want to try your best to make that guest post as discoverable as possible.
Refer to your other published guest post
Though linking is not your sole focus, there is no harm in linking when necessary. If you have more than one guest post published in the same niche, try to create a network of links between the other articles. Sometimes, publications won't allow links most, especially when they are directed towards a competitor, but most times, we can get them linked.
This creates a nice synergy between all of your guest posts across the web, and it makes it easier for the search engine to take note of your guest posting efforts.
Protect your guest posts
Guest posting is a PR strategy which can complement other methods of brand exposure. It is important you remember that although you have contributed to creating that post, you do not own it. Publications can fold or even change their content strategy at any time, and you discover that your post has been taken offline.
There are two solutions to this:
The first is that you always keep a final copy of the publication you send somewhere. Before reusing your publications after they have been taken down, ensure that they haven't been scraped or duplicated anywhere on the Internet.
The second solution is that you put in more effort into developing your home-based content. Home-based contents are the contents you own and have published on your website. They include books, ebooks, and blogs.
Keep Google happy
One way to do this is by staying on the right side of Google's guidelines. Google has a set of rules you use when contributing content to other online publications.
Here are some rules you should watch out for:
- Stuffing rich keyword links to your site into your articles.
- Using the same or similar contents across articles.
- Lifting articles from your website and publishing them as guest posts.
- When you use writers who aren't knowledgeable enough on the subject.
Conclusion
Guest posting can offer you link building and brand developing opportunities. It is indeed a great way to get more inbound traffic to your site, but it is also a way to develop your industry's authority. With the help of quality articles on your website, you may not have to worry about finding the right website but watch great websites come to you.
It seems pretty straight forward, but we would like to remind you to focus on brand building, not link building. It is very easy to get sidetracked once things start moving. You can also ask Semalt for help whenever you're stuck.
Our services cover everything website and SEO related so you can count on us for all your needs. Our resources and knowledge give us an edge in making the right decisions, which will prove beneficial to your website.
In the end, you need to be patient. Success sometimes takes time.