2013 Top Guide to Guest Blogging

In 2013 the main SEO tactic that will be used is Guest Blogging, you may see others who proclaim that social media is the new must have technique but with social media platforms getting wise to this free advertising expect to see it decline considerably. With Facebook offering advertising at cost to business and blogs this is sure to weed out those looking for free ways to help promote their content, and that in itself is the keyword, FREE. Interestingly you will find plenty of SEO companies and experts use this technique to create business, offering amazing quality content and links to businesses in exchange for sums of cash. So how do you navigate this often baffling world of Guest Blogging? Here is a guide to both posting Guest blogs and recieving.

Guest Blogging Offered

When you are a guest blogger the difficulty is in finding quality websites to submit your content to. Each has their own set of rules and often have such a long list of rules it puts you off even attempting an article. But if you follow the simple guide then you are sure to find plenty of quality websites willing to take your work. For opportunities in Guest blogging you should sign up to a Google+ Community in this niche and also sign up for regular updates from Blogger Linkup

Sourcing and Pitching

• Use social media to find websites offering Guest Posts
• Do not be tempted to contribute to article farms as these will harm whatever links you put into the articles.
• Do not automatically assume higher PR is the key to success. A new website may have lower page rank but will eventually be more profitable to you. 
• Always ensure the website is relevant to your back link. If you are promoting a Fashion blog do not think that writing on a finance blog will help you, although there are obvious cross over genres perhaps music and movies can be tied into fashion.
• Ensure your level of English is flawless, broken English and poor spelling will put off any blogs even if your facts and figures are great.
• Ask the offering party what there rules are for Guest posts, length, back links and images. Do not try to argue this point your in a crowded marketplace so to do so will likely have any offer withdrawn.

Writing

• Ensure your level of English is flawless, broken English and poor spelling will put off any blogs even if your facts and figures are great.
• Ensure your content is long enough, most website owners will ask for between 500 and 700 words but some have begun to ask for over 1000 words minimum.
• Proof read your own work, if you have finished your article read through it, or even get a friend to read over it for you. This means that the website owners will not have to spend time editing your work and more likely offer you future opportunities.
• Do not be tempted to spam link. One or two links in an article is adequate unless the article naturally dictates more. By adding more links you will find many web owners reject your blog offering.

Being Published

• Don't be put off by a rejection. Many sites differ in style and tone and it is not always the easiest task to match to their high standards, remember being a site owner you want to ensure quality is good. Spend time reading some articles on their site to judge the tone, many blogs are informal conversational tone but also you may find others want a much more informative and authoritative tone.
• Remember your articles on other blogs are not just their responsibility to promote, it is in your interests to share this socially and drive some traffic.
• Ensure you keep a record of your published work in a CV format for future pitches.

Guest Blogging Wanted

Offering

• Sign up to Blogger Linkup to find a good array of guest bloggers, also joining blogging communities in your niche will help attract other like minded individuals to your site.
• Offering guest posts to your site does not make you the owner of that individual.
• Ensure your rules are clear and concise. Do not be tempted to be too detailed this will put genuine guest bloggers off.
• Give direction as to what topics may be good, and always ensure you agree the title and brief description before work commences.

Editing

• Don't be afraid to reject guest posts, but ensure you do so politely, say no and offer constructive feedback, a simple no will likely be met by anger but if your explain why then it allows the individual to work on their skills.
• Changing some small elements to an article is fine, but if you are removing entire paragraphs make sure you agree with the Guest Poster first. You would not want to have to remove the content later should they complain.
• If you are also using the work to drive your own back links ensure you state this up front. As a guest blogger there is nothing worse than finding your article riddled with links you did not put there.
• Off topic blogs will not help your Ranking so by publishing work that is foreign to your target audience is not the smartest idea

Publishing

• Always stipulate timescales when agreeing a Guest Post, do not sit on articles for weeks before using them, had the writer known the timescales they may not have sent you it so early.
• Try to publish agreed articles within two weeks, if you cannot do this then simply do not commission any new work.
• Once it is published ensure you send a thank you note and URL to the author. Google loves authorship so it is in your interests to have an author bio on your site.
• Give the article some social media attention by promoting it on your own platforms, just because you didnt write it does not mean you should ignore it. Its your website after all.

If you follow this simple guide you will find the experience much more enjoyable. Not only will you find a huge wealth of talent out there you will also likely come across many not so talented individuals. If you filter out the rubbish with the rules above you should flourish as a well informed blog and blogger.