Guest posting has become very popular in the last years because it offers a lot of benefits for both parties; the host website gets fresh content, and the guest blogger acquires new readers. But how do you find the perfect site for guest posting?
Clean up your side
Before you start searching for a host website, you have to make sure that everything on your side is in order. Start with your blog; what niche is it related to, is it done professionally, is your content rich and unique? You need to understand, that most popular blogs, that allow guest posting, receive numerous pitches every day, and they will check out your site. If they find your blog incoherent, unprofessional, or unoriginal, they will turn you down.
Once you are confident about your blog, re-evaluate your social media profiles; this is the second place a potential host will check on you when you send them your pitch. Is your bio filled properly, did you include a link to your website? And use an actual picture, not a generic one that may make the profile look fake. You do not have to worry about how many followers you have, just make sure your profile is authentic.
Make a list of blogs relevant to your niche
The easiest way to find authoritative blogs that are within your niche is to simply google relevant keywords and write down websites that come up in the first results. Do not put down just five websites, you do not know whether or not they will accept your pitch, the more sites you have in store, the bigger chance is to find one that will allow you to guest post.
Another way is to search for a high-profile blogger directly by their name, find out where they guest post. If you can get to post on the same host website as an established blogger, you have a great chance to obtain some of their followers.
You can also try contacting bloggers through social media. Establishing a relationship can only be beneficial for you in the long run.
Determine which websites on your list accept guest posting
Now that you have a list of relevant websites, you have to check which ones actually accept guest posts. Visit them one by one, and check the obvious places first (the ‘’About Us’’ and ‘’Contact Us’’ pages might mention something about allowing guest posting, and their guidelines). Some websites use different labels, like ‘’Write for Us’’ or ‘’Guest Posts’’ but there is a chance the link is not right there in the header, so also check the footer and the sidebar for any details.
After you research all the sites you have written down, it is time to focus on the ones that are indeed accepting guest posts.
Evaluate the blogs
You want your content posted on sites that will do more for you than the benefit of backlinking. Yes, it is a great opportunity to obtain more traffic to your website but you also want SEO benefit, meaning, you want the search engine to know about everything you have to offer. Finding a host website that fits this profile is not as complicated as it might sound:
• check the site’s inbound links, you want Dofollow links and if they turn out to be Nofollow, scratch that blog off your list.
• check the domain authority; how strong is the ranking of the domain? If the score is low, it cannot offer you SEO benefits.
• click on a few recent posts and check if they have been shared multiple times; anyone can buy fake Twitter followers, and Facebook likes, but when content is truly potent, it gets shared among the crowd consistently.
Prepare and submit your pitch
You have your list of blogs, so it is time to make that pitch. Some websites have specific guidelines you need to follow in order to get accepted. They probably get dozens of pitches every day and if you do not respect their rules, you will get rejected right away. Guidelines or not, your pitch always has to be personalized; you are reaching out to a high-quality website, and they will appreciate your pitch more if you don’t start with ‘’Hello’’ or ‘’Mr. Webmaster’’. Use actual names, check your spelling, and do not flatter them on everything; emails like this come across as generic, you will not get very far with this approach. Be natural, modest, give them a little insight into your background when you introduce yourself. After the short introduction, tell them, briefly, why your posts should be accepted; mention some of your previous work, include a few links so they can see your work for themselves. When you have given them all the important information on yourself, mention your idea for the article, pitch three or four titles (pitch as many as the guidelines allow), and give the editor of the site the right to choose which one would they like to review.
When you get the green light to submit an article for review, stick to the deadline, do not make any mistakes that could make the editor regret their decision of picking you. And if you want to add somethingmore to your article, send along pictures, charts, graphs, whatever seems appropriate, just don’t forgetto re-size them. Guest blogging is one of the best Link Building methods out of all..
Conclusion
Some people think guest posting is dead or dying but this is not true. It is very much alive and present, and it can help you a great deal when you want to extend your outreach. Follow these tips and you should be able to find a host website that is open to post your content.
