Why Guest Posting Is A Great Backlink Strategy

Given that backlinks are SEO gold and that guest posting is a proven way of accumulating quality backlinks, is there any reason not to make guest posting part of your SEO toolkit?

Guest posting has long been one of my favourite SEO tools – and not only because it creates opportunities for backlinks.  Done properly, guest posting delivers a range of benefits for businesses of all shapes and sizes and while it takes a bit of time and effort, the rewards are real.

The benefits of guest posting include:

• Raised brand awareness and visibility
• Opening up of new markets
• Heightened brand credibility
• Higher brand expertise, authority and trust (E-A-T)
• Improved Domain Authority (DA)
• Increased social media following
• Increased referral traffic
• Opportunity to include your author profile/biography in the search engines

Before I go into more detail about why guest posting is a great backlink strategy, here’s a quick reminder of the main ‘rules’ when creating content for third party websites.

Key Pointers for Writing Guest Posts

Essentially guest posting is about creating content and sharing it on external websites that your audience or target market are likely to visit.  That means the information you serve up must be written specifically for them on topics that interest them.  In other words, it must be relevant, informative, helpful and above all, original!  It must also be written for the reader not the search engines.  The trick is content that’s authentic and engaging – not PR fluff that’s stuffed with keywords!  

Also, the better your relationship with the external website, the greater the likelihood that they’ll accept your content for publication.  Working on your relationships with the owners of authoritative, respected websites can be very beneficial.  For example, take a look at these recent blogs posts that I have managed to place. I am an advisor for the Business Station so they are also happy for me to add content to their website  and I’m a member of the Stirling Business Association.

A backlink in a guest post also builds your credibility as an author.  As your sphere of influence in your industry widens and your profile grows as an industry authority, the better for your website’s authority and for your search engine rankings.

Find New Markets With Guest Posts

A guest post can also introduce your brand or business to new markets and prospective customers with the potential to drive traffic to your website as readers click through using the hyperlink.  The more helpful or useful the information, the greater the longevity of your post and the greater the likelihood of continuing traffic – even for years.

With a guest post, you are in command of the subject matter and can control how your brand is presented.  If new readers enjoy what you offer – or if they find it helpful or useful – they’re more likely to seek out more content from you by visiting your site at other times.  That brand recognition and visibility alone makes guest posting worth the effort.

As with all things SEO though (learn more in my free SEO Starter Kit), it’s vital to keep a close eye on any algorithm updates from the search engines as well as comments and recommendations from the powers-that-be at Google.  I also recommend keeping an eye on the performance of your guest posts so that you can see what works best for you.

Why Backlinks in Guest Posts Benefit Your SEO. 

1. 1. When your backlink appears in an article on a good-quality website, it gets noticed by Google’s crawlers.  The more domains linking to your site, the higher you’ll rank on Google for your target keywords.
   2. If you manage to get a post published on a good quality website that attracts lots of visitors, it can lead to increased traffic to your website via the hyperlink which sends a positive signal to the search engines. Make sure you share your guest post on social media, it can really add credibility to your business.
   3. The more backlinks you have, the more chance you have of building the authority of your website.  While Domain Authority (DA) isn’t an official ranking factor used by Google, generally a website with a higher domain authority will rank better in Google. 

Last Word on Why Guest Posting is a Great Backlink Strategy

A solid backlink strategy is a mainstay of any SEO campaign and guest blogging can play a key role here.  However, with SEO, it’s vital to work within the framework of a strategy which involves setting goals, tracking and measuring performance and making adjustments where and when necessary.  It’s a dynamic environment and to keep ahead in the competitive online space, you need to stay on the ball.

If you’re interested in learning more about establishing a successful backlink strategy or discovering how you can take charge of your own SEO, check out The SEO School.  It’s a fully supported online course which takes you through the key aspects of SEO and you implement your own business strategy to get found online as you progress through the modules.  Visit The SEO School for more info or to book your spot. 

Karen Dauncey

Karen Dauncey has been working in SEO since 2003. She specialises in helping businesses get found online through Google using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) She is the founder and creator of The SEO School an online SEO Course to help teach business owners how to do their own SEO. She regularly delivers educational programs for both Local, State and Federal Government and is an advisor for the ASBAS Digital Solutions Program. Karen’s passion and commitment to help small business owners get found online is the driving force behind her online school, making SEO advice accessible to all with free resources and online courses.

Karen's wealth of SEO knowledge and practical digital marketing experience comes from running her own SEO and Google Ads agency, Blue Cherry Online Marketing since 2008. Karen has optimised over 1000 websites, managed millions of dollars' worth of spend on Google Ads and has a solid understanding of the constantly shifting industry of digital marketing and SEO. This gives her a unique advantage when it comes to being able to recommend the right online marketing strategies for your business.

Karen has attended search engine conferences in London, Stockholm, Adelaide and Sydney, and was also invited to attend a pilot Business Coaching Course at Google’s Head Office. She has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.

She is also the co-owner of the Digital Experts Directory, an online directory for female serviced-based businesses to promote their business (with a great backlink for SEO).

To keep up to date with the latest in SEO, join her Facebook group The SEO School Community or follow her on Facebook or LinkedIn.