If you are in the process of starting a small business online, then you’ve likely followed all the advice you’ve been given. You’ve set up a fancy, well-designed, user-friendly website, you’ve used social media to get the word out about your business, and perhaps you’ve optimized your site for the major search engines. While basic SEO can go a long way to bring in more customers, there’s another method that both helps optimize your site in search rankings while also spreading the word about your business. And that’s guest posting. Many of you may think that writing guest posts are too time-consuming to be worth it. But consider the following ways that guest posting can benefit your small business:
1.Getting quality links out in the blogosphere improves your search ranking on Google.
Whether you used basic SEO to optimize your site, or if you hired someone else to do it, chances are that your SEO strategy hasn’t gone beyond inputting keywords and messing with tags, coding, etc. Google rewards sites who have many “outbound” links on other quality sites. In other words, if people are linking to you, then you become more visible in search rankings. When you have guest post published on quality blogs and sites, you’ll be doing your business’ website a favor.
2.You can tap into a large market by presenting your expertise on other industry blogs.
If you’re writing guest posts, you’re likely approaching blogs that are in your specific industry or niche. When you write stellar guest posts with lots of informative advice, readers will naturally flock to your site. The curiosity from wondering just who this intelligent guest poster is may have potential customers clicking the link in your byline to find out more. In my personal experience, writing guest posts has been one of the most effective ways in drawing in new customers.
3.You’ll connect with other bloggers who can prove useful as you embark on your journey of starting a business.
On my favorite parts about guest posting is that it builds relationships and a greater community. When you offer to guest post on someone’s blog, it’s just like introducing yourself to a future friend. Once you’ve given the target blogger content, the conversation doesn’t stop there. You may be asked to write guest posts in the future, and perhaps the blogger would like to write a guest post on your site. As these relationships develop, you’ll start building a community of like-minded entrepreneurs in your industry who can help you as your business grows.
4.You’ll become more knowledgeable about your business the more you research and write about it.
They say that the best sign of having truly learned something is to be able to explain or teach it to someone else. When you offer advice on a guest post, you’re doing just that. The more you write about your industry for the general public, the more you’ll think about your business, research the ins and outs, while figuring out new ways to present this information. Writing guest posts is good writing practice in general, and great way to get to know yourself, others, and your business.
Of course, churning out guest posts one after the other only to get a quick link is the wrong way to go about it. Write guest posts for interesting, targeted blogs, and you’ll see how quickly the strategy can help your business grow. Good luck!
Carol Wilson is a freelance writer and blogger who specializes in topics related to the business world, including marketing, entrepreneurship, small business ownership, and even business insurance.
I have been approached about writing for other sites. It’s definitely something I would like to do. Many thanks for the great advice.