Note: This is a guest post written by Isabella Castro – Are you guest blogging often but not seeing any boost in your site’s ranking or traffic? You might be making guest posting mistakes! Writing guest blogs is a great technique for growing your business and attracting more traffic to your site. However, you’ll only see results when you get it right!
The good news is that these pitfalls are very easy to fix. In this article, we will discuss the 10 common guest posting mistakes to avoid.
Important Guest Post Rules
Before we start with guest post mistakes, let’s learn about the rules. The first step is to get your basics right. Once you know how it works, the execution becomes easy.
Here are some important rules you need to follow in order to avoid guest posting mistakes.
Follow guidelines
Follow the site’s formatting and content rules to prevent rejection or removal. Adjust your post to the site’s audience by following the length and formatting requirements.
Avoid spamming
Don’t bombard sites with multiple posts in a short time or duplicate content across various platforms. Doing so can harm your reputation and lead to removal.
Stay relevant
Make sure your guest posts match the site’s content and audience preferences. Research the site’s popular topics and tailor your content accordingly to avoid rejection.
Avoid offensiveness
Review your guest post for offensive content, as it can lead to site bans and reputational damage. Make sure your content is respectful and appropriate for the site’s audience to avoid trouble.
Find balance in promotion
While it’s essential to mention your business, avoid excessive self-promotion. Create a balance by integrating your business links naturally into the content without being pushy.
Common Guest Posting Mistakes to Avoid
Here are the 10 most common guest blogging mistakes that website owners make.
1. Not having good content on your own website
Before you start guest posting and linking back to your site, consider what visitors will find there. Is your site filled with valuable content that establishes you as an expert in your field?
This is the most common link building mistakes to avoid. If you don’t have a proper blog page or good-quality content on your own site, you will not get prospects. These people often check your site to see how well you write and how good your content is.
SEO experts suggest having a minimum of 10 high-quality posts on your blog before reaching out for guest posting opportunities. These posts not only show your writing capabilities and expertise but also provide content you can reference in your guest posts.
2. Forgetting to include your link
Although the main goal of guest blogging isn’t solely SEO, it’s important to include a link back to your site. Without it, readers won’t have a way to explore more of your content.
While some sites might restrict links within the body of your post, most allow at least one link in your author bio. This link is essential for driving referral traffic and leads.
If you have permission, adding links within your content can offer additional valuable resources to your audience. While it’s important to link to external sources, using a few links to your own relevant content is generally acceptable and beneficial.
3. Targeting website with the wrong audience
While writing for a popular, high-traffic site may seem tempting, it’s important to consider the quality and relevance of the traffic it attracts. Don’t assume that all traffic is equal – this is one of the biggest guest posting mistakes.
A smaller, niche site with a dedicated audience often yields better results than a larger site covering diverse topics. Niche visitors are more likely to engage with your content and show genuine interest in your offerings.
Link-building services can significantly boost a website’s visibility and search engine rankings by acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. These links act as endorsements, signaling to search engines the credibility and relevance of the site.
For example –
You’re launching eco-friendly gardening tools and have options to write guest blogs on two sites – a big website covering many different topics and a smaller gardening blog. Although the smaller blog has fewer visitors, they’re all passionate about gardening, leading to more attention and potential sales. It’s about reaching the right audience, not just the most people.
4. Writing about your own business
If you’re fortunate enough to land a guest posting opportunity on a reputable site, avoid writing solely about your business or products. Self-promotion is not acceptable when it comes to guest posts.
Chances are, the blog owner won’t accept your post as readers aren’t interested in ads or promotions. Even if it does get published, a promotional piece is unlikely to get shares, views, or backlinks—the primary goal of guest blogging.
Even when adding a link to your website, add it in a strategic way that it doesn’t seem promotional. Add it naturally to maintain the flow of the content.
5. Not pitching properly
Before writing your guest post, you must effectively pitch the blog owner. If your pitch is not good, you won’t get to write for their site. To increase your chances of acceptance, consider these key tips:
- Research to get proper contact details
- Personalize your pitch by addressing them by name
- Check the site’s content
- Keep your pitch brief
- Provide a link to your blog for the editor to assess your writing style
6. Submitting low-quality guest posts
It is one of the most common guest blogging mistakes people make. While it might seem like a shortcut to drive traffic to your site, it’s the wrong approach.
Firstly, it damages your reputation with the blog owner, who may not invite you to contribute again. Secondly, they’re unlikely to promote poor content to their audience. Lastly, readers won’t be motivated to visit your site if the post doesn’t offer value.
7. Using guest blogging only for links
Using guest blogging solely for acquiring inbound links is not advisable, as it goes against Google’s guidelines and can harm your business reputation.
Besides, this approach often leads to low-quality content, which isn’t beneficial for anyone, including your business. Instead, focus on creating valuable content that engages readers and raises awareness of your business.
8. Not keeping the audience in mind while writing
When writing a guest post, it’s necessary to consider the blog’s audience. While aiming for alignment with your own blog’s audience is ideal, there might be variations in demographics or interests.
Stay true to your voice and style, but also understand the audience’s interests, needs, and knowledge level regarding the topic. If unsure, ask the blog owner for audience details.
9. Only focusing on one-off posts
Relying solely on one-off guest posts can limit your ability to build meaningful relationships. While contributing to a site once or twice is fine, focusing solely on this approach may not yield the desired results in terms of connections.
A better strategy involves identifying sites that consistently drive targeted traffic and leads and then becoming a regular contributor. This allows for repeated exposure, helping you establish your reputation and build quality relationships over time.
10. Choosing the wrong guest posting company/ marketplace
Another one of the common guest posting mistake is choosing the wrong provider. There are many companies promising quality backlinks, but not all deliver on their promises.
Some use unethical tactics, risking penalties from search engines. Others use low-quality sites that don’t contribute much to SEO efforts. So, it’s important to thoroughly check all the factors and choose the right guest blogging marketplace or company.
Conclusion
Guest posting, when done right, is a valuable SEO strategy for growing your business. By avoiding these common guest posting mistakes, you can create engaging content beneficial for both you and your host blog. Remember to follow the rules and best practices to reap the benefits of this link-building technique.
You can also partner with a reliable guest post service to save time and effort. But make sure you choose an agency that provides genuine services.
FAQs
Does guest posting still work?
Yes, guest blogging is still effective in driving traffic, increasing ranking, and boosting authority and credibility.
How long should my guest post be?
Guest posts usually vary between 800 to 2,000 words, based on the host blog’s specifications and your topic’s complexity.
How can I find guest posting opportunities?
Search for blogs in your niche that welcome guest contributions. You can also try using search terms like ‘your niche + write for us’ to find suitable platforms.
Which category is best for guest posting?
The best category for guest posting depends on your niche and target audience.
Author Bio:
Het Balar
Het Balar is a super pro at SEO, helping businesses get noticed on Google for over seven years.
He’s the founder of Link Publishers, where you can put your articles on other websites. They’re not just about that; they also rock at getting more links, making your website super easy to find, and even creating and promoting cool content.
He loves talking about the latest trends in SEO and the best ways to do digital marketing. It’s like having a friendly guide to help you out in the online world!
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/het-balar/
