“Someone who posts an article on a blog that is not their own. Their incentive for doing so is getting backlinks to increase their own site’s search engine ranking.”
While links are undeniably the primary goal for the majority of guest bloggers, there are a number of other benefits which are often overlooked:
Authority
Regular guest posting can do wonders for boosting your brand authority, or affirming your ‘expertise’ in a certain area. Whether you’re blogging as a business or an individual, there are few better ways to promote yourself than regularly demonstrating your knowledge in front of a wide and diverse online audience.
New audiences
Many guest bloggers refine their efforts to a single subject or sector. For example, a technology company may look to guest post on technology-related blogs only, which makes perfect sense for building ‘relevant’ links and increasing brand authority within the online technology community.
The problem with this approach is that after a while you may find yourself ‘preaching to the converted’, as there’s a good chance you’ll be competing for space with competitors and other industry leaders.
For this reason it can pay to – dare I say it – ‘think outside the box’, and explore blogs in new sectors, such as those of your clients, or niche areas in which you’re able to apply helpful advice.
By broadening your horizons you can make yourself known to previously untapped audiences, diversify your link profile and potentially gain the attention of new customers.
Start relationships
Despite what we’re all led to believe, building professional relationships online is not easy. Nothing is free. Everyone is busy.
However, guest blogging is a natural opportunity to start developing new relationships, as essentially both parties are helping each other out: free content = win; free links etc. = win.
If you look after your blog managers well, there’s every chance they’ll look after you too. More wins for everyone.
Social interaction
Popular blogs often have lively social networks and active comment/discussion boards, which can present additional benefits to you, the guest blogger.
Having your content shared on social networks further increases exposure, while interacting with readers’ comments is a great way of reaffirming your expertise on any given subject.
Next time you’re reviewing potential guest blogging opportunities, think about the benefits beyond the links.
Image via flickr.com/photos/futureshape
