Why Guest Posting Is One of the Most Powerful Forms of Link Building

Link building has been riding high for quite a few years now, and there is no doubt it’s one of the most valuable skills in SEO.

Why is it so important?

Quite simply, backlinks impact Google ranks more than any other factors. This also the very reason why you can’t get away with dodgy backlinks like you used to. Google keeps tabs on the quality of the results it provides. So with all the rules and strict policing, quality guest posting rose to the peak of its popularity.

With all the options out there, what makes guest posting more powerful than all the other link building strategies?

1. Exposure

Helpful, high-quality pieces are the gold in the mighty empire of content marketing. The problem is that the Internet is flooded with an immense amount of content on daily bases and simply creating good content is not enough to succeed. You need exposure. You need to get out there.

Guest blogging allows you to share your ideas on websites with high authority and a huge follower base. This means you can reach the right eyes and ears way beyond your immediate circle of friends, acquaintances, and existing customers and get the exposure you could not (yet) achieve by yourself.

2. Growing Your Subscriber Base

If people like what you have to say, you are not only going to see an increase in your traffic but also a growth of your subscriber base. It’s not about random boosts in traffic without long term benefits. Guest blogging, if done right, doesn’t just get your name and ideas out there, it can help you win over new fans on your blog or social media.

For example, established blogger Felicia Spahr shared her experience on how her diligent guest blogging took her email subscription list from 200 to 700 subscribers overnight!

3. Credibility (Become an Expert)

Naturally, being published by the big authority sites such as Huffington Post, Business Insider, Forbes, Techcrunch or the Observer will make you more credible in the eyes of readers. After all, where do YOU go when you are looking for trustworthy information?

Exactly.

If a renown website trusts you, so will its readers. You can easily leverage this trust to establish yourself as an expert in the community. The more insightful and useful information you write, the stronger your name will become.

4. Increased Domain Authority

Of course, establishing quality backlinks that drive notable traffic is the best way to improve your blog search engine authority. Links to your blog from quality sites alert Google bots that the content on your site is worthwhile and thus, it gets pushed up the rankings next time someone is searching for the type of information you offer.

Also, most websites let blogger submit a short bio and/or the URLs of their social media profile to be published at the end of the post, which is another great source of referral traffic.

5. Networking & Business Opportunities

Besides the obvious promotional shares of your content, guest posts on authority sites are powerful conversation drivers be it on social media, comment section of the article or via email. It’s an excellent opportunity to network and engage with important people in your niche as well as encounter possible business opportunities.

Therefore, it’s smart to follow your guest and actively engage in the conversation, offering advice and guidance where possible. The more activity around the blog the longer the buzz is likely to last. In fact, networking is one of the key ingredients and benefits of successful guest blogging.

6. Feedback and Discussion

If you are a small and relatively unknown blogger or a brand, your content might be rich, but the engagement is probably stalling. Being published on a big platform exposes you to the “tough love” of a wider public and makes you face praise as well as critique.

There is much to be learned from the straightforward honesty of online comments. While not all opinions will be objective or relevant, it’s an excellent opportunity for reflection and improvement. Guest blogging means opening up to the critique but don’t be scared of it. If people are asking questions or criticizing, you are probably saying something worthwhile. From a business perspective, feedback is the philosopher’s stone that can turn words into pure gold.

7. Improve your Writing Style

While this might not seem that important or you believe you already know all there is to know about writing, guest blogging can help you grow as an (online content) writer. In other words, reputable sites will not publish your articles, no matter how compelling, if they fail to match their standards.

Whether it concerns the type of content, formatting, or writing style guest blogging offers you a unique opportunity to get an insight of how the big players get things done. Most blogs will provide you with guidelines specifying details such as tone of the article or level of optimization. Learn, observe and apply what’s relevant to your own blog.

Bottom Line

While guest blogging is not the easiest or the fastest way to becoming the sought-out expert that comes up on the first in Google search pages, it’s definitely worth the time and effort to make guest posts part of your online content strategy.

After all, nothing good and lasting can be built in a day.