4 Guest Blogging Hacks

Guest posting is a great link building strategy, but beyond the surface-level SEO benefits, it can also serve as a vehicle for boosting brand visibility and attracting highly targeted referral traffic.

If you are looking for a way to quickly increase visibility with your audience while establishing trust, guest posting can be a great strategy. Today, we are going to look at a few hacks that will help you get the best results.

1. Study the Style Before the Pitch

One of the most common mistakes made when guest posting is failing to understand the "style" of the site you are writing for. If every post on a site is 3,000 words and rich with videos and images, your post should follow a similar format. Likewise, if the site you are pitching focuses on short, concise content, your post should follow that format.

Aside from post length, look at the quality of the writing on the site. If English is your second language and the content on a site is pristine, hiring a professional copywriter to edit your content before you submit it can greatly increase the likelihood of it getting approved.

In 2017 and moving forward, video content, visual content and mobile optimized information will continue to gain favor, so don't be shy to pitch unique content that isn't just text.

2. Leverage Your Local Knowledge

If you are a local business and you want to guest post on another local site, be sure to use your knowledge of the area to set yourself apart from writers who aren't local. Let's say for example you are a local landscaper and you are creating a landscaping tips post for a real estate blog. In writing your post, use specific towns, subdivision, communities, local landmarks, etc., as they naturally fit. Also, be sure to talk about plants commonly found in that area, the climate and the other small details that make your location unique. This will add authenticity to your post and it will give good local signals to Google as well, helping you and the site hosting the content.

3. Use an Honest or Controversial Pitch (Or Both)

Take just 5 seconds to click the link and skim the post, if you think your readers will love it, let us know.

4. Keep it Real - Write What You Know

In the realm of internet marketing, blog posts are prim and proper. Step outside of this realm and you will see there a hundred of thousands of blogs that are jammed packed with awesome information, but these sites are often ugly and the person writing is an expert in their field, not a writer. These sites are incredible resources though. Imagine reading a blog written by someone who has been doing drywall for 20 years. They are going to have so many incredible tips to share, the kind of information that saves a newbie hours of trial and error - regardless of what the site appears.

If you have a passion for what you do and great tips to share, don't be afraid to put that on paper and share it. If you are pitching a big site, hire a copywriter to fine tune your work, if not, there are numerous other local and niche blogs that will share great tips. It is a great way to gain credibility in your industry and make yourself visible to people who need what you offer.

If you are looking for a way to promote yourself or your business, guest posting is still a great option. To stand out, don't be afraid to do what others aren't. If you know that the mainstream belief isn't true, don't be afraid to challenge it and if you are wrong, don't be afraid to admit it.

About the Author

Travis Bliffen is the founder of Stellar SEO, a Web design and marketing firm located in Franklin, TN. Travis and his team are equipped to handle any size SEO project and have helped numerous businesses to date build a rock solid online presence. When you are ready for more leads and sales, it is time to get #stellarized. Connect on Facebook or Twitter @theseoproz.