Though the concept of guest blogging is not new, it has gained immense popularity among online marketers in the last couple of years, mostly because major search engines like Google have updated their algorithm to detect quality of the Backlinks pointing to a site.

Compared to any other link building tactics, guest posting, if done well; can get you not just few good backlinks, but traffic, brand awareness and thought leadership. Let’s look at the key benefits and advantages of guest posting in detail –

1. Build backlinks and improve search engine rankings

The primary benefit of guest posting is backlinks. Link building is a key aspect of search engine optimization  as it’s almost impossible to rank high without the help of Backlinks. Most blog owners will reward you with one or two backlinks to your site/blog/content for contributing good content to their blog.  This is a natural and highly effective way of building links, because in most cases you will be writing on topics related to your business or industry in general, on a blog relevant to the topic and these are the kinds of links you need to improve your search engine ranking. Guest blogging also helps you have a control over the anchor text used and build a diverse link profile. If your site has a number of links pointing to your site from a few dozens of blogs in your industry, that clearly sends a big signal to the search engines about your authority.

2. Brand awareness

It’s not just about backlinks and it should not be. When you contribute to other blogs, your brand name can be mentioned along with your name and those who are impressed with the article is going to check out the writer’s profile and what he or she does.  This give you an opportunity to expose your brand name to new markets and audience.

3. Relevant Traffic

Huge amount of traffic to a site means nothing, if the traffic is not relevant. You need to attract visitors who are likely to be interested in the topic. For example, if you sell an accounting software, your target audience comprises of accountants and other financial professionals. If you contribute an interesting article about an emerging trend in the accounting services or share some practical tips in a finance related blog, it’s likely to be accepted by the readers, who are in fact your target audience. The chances of them visiting your site and converting to sale are much higher in this case. Imagine what would be the relevance if you contribute the same article to say a gardening related blog!

4. Thought leadership and credibility

When you contribute quality content, you are projected as a thought leader in the industry which creates a good impression in the minds of your prospective customers as well as others in your industry and projects you and your business in a credible manner.

5. Build relationships and grow your network

Guest blogging is also about building relationships. When you contribute to a blog, you are establishing a good rapport with the blog owner, the readers, those who comment on your post etc. They might get in touch with you for offering new guest blogging opportunities, business opportunities, new client introductions, follow you on social media, share your posts and so on.

6. Social media exposure

Popular blogs usually have a huge and active social media following and they are likely to share your post across these channels, exposing your content and brand to a totally new audience.

Guest blogging is an inexpensive marketing strategy too. All you need to do is to spend time developing good content   and connect with other bloggers to get it published. Have you tried guest posting? Please share your experience in the comments.