It is not a myth that Matt Cutts’ article back in 2014, about the “decay of guest blogging,” actually did on a number on so many people’s heads. Even though he was merely addressing the issue of guest blogging being abused as a link-building tactic at the time, many people thought he actually meant that guest blogging is no longer an effective digital marketing strategy. This then brings us to the question everyone’s been asking, is guest blogging really dead? And I say emphatically that the answer to that is NO. Far from it, guest blogging isn’t dead! The world of guest posting is far more alive in 2022 than it has ever been in recent years. The only difference between guest blogging in 2022 and in the times past is that the approach has evolved. So if you see anyone saying to you that guest blogging is dead, chances are they’ve been approaching it from a 2014 perspective, and as a result, they’ve not been getting their desired results. But with the few insider tips that I’m about to share with you now, you should find it relatively easier to make guest blogging work for you in 2021.
As far as old SEO goes, rankings are usually done based on ranking competitive keywords. These days, however, there is more to generating sales and getting leads via SEO than rankings. So, instead of going about wondering how long an SEO strategic approach will take to start working, the real question you should be asking is, “How long will it take for SEO to start generating leads and sales for me? After all, that’s the ultimate goal – for your website to experience more visitors and earn more revenue.
Find the right blog
As much as we don’t really see people conceding it, the fact still remains that not all blogs are equal, and as such, not all guest posts are equal. Yes, people do claim that guest blogging is dead, but when you check out the nature of guest posts being created by these people, you’ll find out that they’re sub-par posts. What do I mean by that? A guest post on a site with a million monthly readers has more potential to convert than a guest post on a site with a few hundred monthly readers. So when you see someone saying that guest blogging is dead, simply ask them this “What type of guest posts have you been creating?”
So in order to make guest blogging work for you in 2022, you need to find the right blogs, and that means getting your posts on very popular blogs and high-authority websites with strong DAs.
When you do this, not only will you enjoy the benefit of building links to highly reputable websites (a factor that can aid your search engine rankings), but your posts will also be read by tens of thousands, if not millions, of readers.
Ensure there is a correlation between your website and the target website
This is another inherent reason why many guest blogging efforts failed in the past. Once you’ve established your perfect posts, the next thing is to find those authority websites with relevancy to your industry niche and target audiences. It won’t really matter if you published your guest posts on platforms with millions of readers if the readerships on these platforms aren’t relevant to your industry niche. Just because a blog or high DA website has millions of visitors doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to get their readers to pay attention to you. Think about it; if you run a furniture blog and decide to buy high quality backlinks from a sports blog, your efforts are already doomed to fail no matter how big the readership of the sports blog is.
Go for resource articles
Yes, tips are awesome, but what people really crave is a solution to their pain points. Little wonder why resource articles get up to 1000% more clicks compared to an average article. Guest posts with resource articles work wonders because they give your readership the solution they desire instead of tips. Consequently, they get more likes, clicks, shares, links, and ultimately traffic. As a tip, resource articles can come in the form of Whitepapers, guides, well-detailed how-tos, eBooks, and lots more.
The promise of a content upgrade
Think about this, a gambler who’s skimming through a casino blog is more likely to click on a post that promises a content upgrade in the form of, say, a PDF file, than a post that comprises of just tips. With content upgrades, including a PDF version of your resource, checklist, or illustrations, readers know that they are getting an actual answer to what they need and not a resource to direct them elsewhere.
Title is king
Unfortunately, this is the biggest flaw in many guest blogging efforts. It is pretty logical that no one will feel the urge to click on your post if they aren’t fascinated enough by your choice of title. For example, a post that reads “7 best ways to burn fat fast in 7 days” is likely to attract more people than that which reads “science-backed tips for losing body fat.” Why is that so? Well, there is a greater sense of urgency and call to action in the former than in the latter.
“Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.”
-Henry Mintzberg
You can check out a proper investing plan for guest blogging. So, it will be a well-prepared SEO strategy before you start implementing and setting up a budget for it.