Industry guru Dave Taylor offers tech support on technical and business topics, including iPhone, iPod, Microsoft Windows, Sony PSP, cellphones, online advertising, CSS, Web design, business, Unix, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, and shell script programming.     


Is writing guest blog posts a smart strategy for building traffic?

Dave, I have heard that writing guest posts for other people's blogs is a good way to get more readers to my blog. Sounds good to me, but I am finding that it isn't easy to find bloggers who are willing to publish my stuff. Got any ideas that can help me?


Dave's Answer:

Yes.

That was easy.

More seriously, I am always happy to write guest posts and have run a variety of guest entries on both this and my other weblogs too. In fact, to get a more informative answer to this question, I invited my friend Cathy Stucker to write a guest answer to your question! Disclaimer up front, though: she's an ideal person to ask because she's started a free service to match up bloggers and guest posters. Here is what she suggests:

The first step is identifying the right blogs. You want to find blogs that have an audience as much like yours as possible. For example, if your blog is about frugal living, then blogs about parenting, finances, travel and many other topics may be a good fit. You can find these blogs by doing searches for your keywords and related terms on Google Blog Search, Technorati and other blog directories. It can also be useful to subscribe to Google Alerts for your top keywords. And subscribing to Blogger LinkUp can help you find bloggers in your market who are actively looking for guest posts.

Read several posts to get a feel for topics they cover and the style of the blog. Do a search on the blog for "guest post" to see if they publish guest posts. Sometimes there will be a page outlining the requirements for guest posters. If you don't find anything, send a brief email to the blogger offering to do a guest post and suggesting a topic you would like to cover. Include a link to your blog, so they can see what you have written.

The biggest, most popular blogs have a lot of writers submitting guest posts. Breaking in there can be difficult, but it is great when you succeed. Do not overlook smaller niche blogs, though. They may have loyal readers who will become your fans.

blogger linkup logoMost bloggers want unique content. They do not want something that has already appeared on your blog, and they expect that you will not use it anywhere else after they publish it.

Keep the self promotion to a minimum. Write quality, informative and entertaining content, not an ad. Most bloggers are fine with you having a couple of lines, usually at the end of your post, promoting you and linking to your blog.

When your post is published, promote it. You might write a short post on your blog announcing the guest post. At the very least, send a link out on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, or include a link in your email newsletter.

Say thank you. Yes, you gave the blogger free content, but they gave you exposure. Sending a brief thank you email is polite. (Of course, the blogger should also thank you for your contribution, but we're talking about you here.) You may be able to build a relationship with the blogger that will benefit both of you for a long time to come.

Thanks for those tips, Cathy! You can get a head start on finding blogs that want your guest posts by signing up for Blogger LinkUp.


More Useful Blogs and Blogging Articles:
✔   Get my shopping cart plugin to work with WordPress?
We've put in a shopping cart for a client that's not working, and we need some help! The cart is currently using the...
✔   Embed an audio player on a blog or web page?
I have some mp3 audio files I've recorded and would like to have people who visit my site be able to listen to...
✔   Can I write a guest review for AskDaveTaylor.com?
Hi Dave. I'm a big fan of your site and love that you're doing so many reviews now. I've noticed, however, that there...
✔   Change author on WordPress blog post?
I have two accounts set up for my WordPress blog and I'd like to be able to have all my posts from a...
✔   How do I restructure my Wordpress blog without losing SEO?
I have a wordpress blog that was using categories in the url structure like this: /category_name/post_name/ Then I had read somewhere that if...

Let's stay in touch!
Sign up for my weekly AskDaveTaylor Newsletter and you'll receive even more tech and gadget help right to your inbox, along with exclusive news and industry updates. It's good stuff. I promise!
    Enter your name: and your email addr:  





Categorized: Blogs and Blogging , Building Web Site Traffic   (Article 8999, Written by )
Tagged: blogger linkup, blogging, google alerts, google blogsearch, technorati, traffic
Previous: How do I cancel or delete a Twitter account?
Next: How can I find or create a free, open wifi network?




Reader Comments To Date: 3

Andy Piper said, on July 24, 2009 8:06 AM:

Thanks - this seems like a powerful way to build links and traffic back to your websites. Also, helps extend your reach to other venues. Good clear article.

Gravity said, on August 5, 2009 2:00 PM:

Thanks alot. That really help clearing out my mind on whether i should go for guest posting.

David Moore said, on August 13, 2009 2:09 PM:

Great Stuff Dave,

Just found your site today through Chitika kind of interesting how just a few hours ago I had my first guest post published on my site.

I haven't gone the other way yet, but have found that posting valuable more in depth if you can content as a comment that's beneficial to everyone and directly related to the post then promoting the post it self through the normal channels can get you bring you consistent traffic.

As far as guest writers I like the free source idea I found one that's free to get unique content but costs a little to post unique content.

I'm sure there's an affiliate program to this, but this is is the direct link to their site Not an affiliate link.

my article network dot come

I'm starting to use to help me keep up with my post a day philosophy since I like to do video and video pod casts which tends to add a lot of time to the creation process.

The first article I got was great so It may be worth it to write a few of my own just for that network.

See what you think .... Maybe another great answer to question for you in the future.


Thanks
Dave

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











I will never send you any unsolicited email. Ever.






Check This Out Too...

 
Look for Answers
Need Help? Ask Dave Taylor!


Follow Me on Pinterest

Find Me on Google+
ADT on G+
© 2002 - 2013 by Dave Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

Note: This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this web site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to my terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. My lawyer says "Thanks".
"Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.