Many websites use guest blogging as a way to establish their business. This tactic involves writing new content for another platform, hoping to build links and get ranked higher on Google and other search engines. Actually, guest posting is one of the most popular and effective practices for building trust and generating more traffic.
But there’s more to guest blogging than just writing content. There are a few things you must pay attention to in order to make it work. Otherwise, all your efforts could go down the drain in an instant.
So, what are the mistakes you should avoid when guest posting? Here is everything you need to know so you can stay out of trouble while guest blogging for your business.
Not Writing for the Right Blogs
Everyone wants to spread the word about their business with every opportunity they have. So, even if you stumble upon a blog that isn’t as high-authority or relevant, you may not see it as an issue. After all, it’s simply another chance to get your voice heard, isn’t it?
But this can prove to be a terrible mistake. When the sites you write to are low authority, you’ll simply do more work without Google even acknowledging you. Your goal should be writing for high-authority platforms, not irrelevant ones. So, make sure you do your research and don’t settle for blogs that aren’t relevant.
Writing Poor Pitches
Let’s be honest, no blog will consider accepting your guest posts if your pitch is badly written. First impressions matter, even when it comes to emails. That being said, don’t be surprised when you get no response if your pitch is full of grammatical errors or inconsistent information.
Before sending your emails, do some proofreading. Make sure that any fact you include is correct and that you do not leave grammatical and spelling mistakes in the text. What can help you is a grammar-checking tool, with Grammarly being one of the most popular options.
Don’t Brag About Yourself
Guest posting for a relevant blog gives you the amazing opportunity to form a relationship with the owner. So, this may seem like the perfect chance to introduce yourself and talk about your business as a way to get to know each other.
However, don’t make the mistake of talking about your business too much, whether it’s in your email or your guest post. Nobody wants to read a promotional post. It might sound like you’re bragging or like you’re only doing this as a way to gain some popularity for your business.
Besides, even if your promotional post gets posted on the blog, it’s highly unlikely for it to be read by too many people. That’s because readers are looking for valuable information and solutions to their problems, not content that just promotes a certain business/service.
Not Considering the Blog’s Audience
One of the main things you should consider when guest posting is the blog’s audience. With guest blogging, you are writing for a platform with a different audience from yours. It has to be a website in the same niche, but it will likely feature users that do not know about you yet.
For this reason, when you are writing, you should think about what the audience wants. Provide valuable information that interests them and that would help them in certain scenarios. For instance, if you’re writing for a health-related blog, you can provide more information about certain conditions or offer tips on how someone can handle a particular medical issue.
Besides this, you must also be aware of the level of knowledge they possess, as well as their interest in the topic. It may be difficult to learn all of this from the get-go, but browsing the blog you’re writing for is a great way to find out more. You can also ask the owner of the platform for more information.
Creating a Bad Bio
The bio section matters almost as much as the content you write. You will fail in achieving your goals if you do not include anything in the “About the Author” section. After all, how will the readers know who wrote the post in the first place?
Saying something about yourself can give readers more reasons to be interested in your site. Tell people more about who you are, what your experience in the niche is, and what your core skills are. Also, mention your blog and the content available on it, so they will be interested in visiting to discover more.
Not Maintaining the Quality of Your Content on Your Website
It’s important to write high-quality content for a guest post, but that doesn’t mean your own site should be lacking in good articles. When people visit your site, they should be mesmerized by your content and be convinced to become loyal readers. If they find a complete disaster, they will certainly not stick around, and it’ll be hard to win their trust even if you improve your content later.
Not Following the Guidelines
Any platform that accepts guest posts will have strict guidelines in place regarding what the content should look like. They will be listed as instructions, and it’s your responsibility to follow them.
You would be surprised to find out how many people end up breaking the rules and this is a sure way to have your proposal denied.
The guidelines are there for a reason, so always make sure you follow them as closely as possible. Not only will you meet the blog owner’s requirements, but you will also make a good impression as someone who respects their business partner and their demands.
Final Thoughts
Guest blogging has to be done right in order to provide you with the desired results. Unfortunately, too many people make terrible mistakes that lead to their content not being published or their pitch being ignored. If you avoid the mistakes listed here, you will create a successful link-building strategy that will surely help you grow as a business.