What Are Guest Post Links and Why Should They Matter to You?

If you want your site to get found in search engines, you need backlinks. But how can you get backlinks if your site is new or not very well-known? One way around this conundrum is to build links through guest posting on other people's blogs. This is a winwin: the other bloggers gets free content for their site, and you get a link to boost your SEO. Here's what you need to know about building links through guest posting.

Why Backlinks Matter on the Internet

On the internet, backlinks are the currency of trust. The more times a site is linked to by other sites, the more trustworthy it probably is. Search engines take notice of this. Goo gle and Bing want to provide their searchers with the best results possible, so they favor established, trustworthy sites with lots of backlinks around the web over sites with fewer links.

Because your backlink profile (or lack thereof) factors heavily into how search engines rank your site, building links is considered one of the important parts of SEO. Some site owners unwisely opt to buy backlinks. This is a bad idea because search engines penalize websites that try to game the system, and paid backlinks are usually low-quality anyway. A much better strategy is to build your links naturally through guest posting and outreach. 

How Guest Posting Builds Your Backlink Profile

Majority of the time, when you write a post for someone else's site, the site owner will allow you to include at least one link back to your own site. Over time, if you create a consistent guest blogging campaign, you can amass a nice collection of links, and you'll start to notice a difference in your site's rankings. 

Guest posting can also indirectly upgrade your backlink profile by increasing your visibility and establishing your reputation. If you write and publish frequently on sites in your industry, people will start to recognize your work and even regard you as an expert. When this happens, other bloggers and site owners will be more likely to start linking to your site of their own accord.

Tips for Building a Strong Backlink Profile Through Guest Posting

Guest posting can be very effective if you do it right. However, it's important to avoid a few common pitfalls, or your efforts might not move the needle much. Here's how to get started if you want to write guest posts for other sites.

Come up with ideas first

Come up with ideas first. What do you want to guest post about? Think up some possible topics for posts and write a few sentences about each one to flesh them out.

Do your research

Do your research. You don't want to publish on just any site. Look for high-quality blogs that are already full of strong content similar to what you write.

Pitch your ideas

Pitch your ideas. Don't just ask site owners if you can write a guest post for them. Give them several ideas, and ask if they're interested.

Edit, edit, edit

Edit, edit, edit. Polish your guest post before you submit it. Make it as good as you possibly can.

The Takeaway

Guest posting is a good way to build a healthy backlink profile, upgrade your SEO, and increase your authority in your field. Why not reach out to your favorite blog and pitch a guest post idea today?

View more information at SEOlutions.