Guest blogging as a way to drive traffic

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   Paul Maplesdenposted 11 years ago

   Recently, I've been trying to diversify how I drive traffic to my hubs; I think a healthy link profile and different kinds of promotion are a great idea as so that we're not *just* reliant on search engines, other hubbers or social media to entice visitors.
   
   One of the best ways I have found to do this is guest blogging; this is essentially where you are a guest author on a popular blog and you write one or more articles for them that they publish. In return, you are normally able to include a link or two back to your own site and you get your name out there.
   
   The advantages of guest blogging are:
   
   - Experimenting with a different writing approach and style
   - Connecting with a new audience
   - Driving people to your own content
   - Building up your expertise, authority and authorship profile
   
   A couple of weeks ago, I started guest blogging for a site called Google Plus Daily. I'd written some articles on Google Plus that people seemed to like, and I wanted to expand my audience, so I approached the blog creators; this was my first experience with guest blogging.
   
   Since then, I have written two articles: 'Google Plus vs. Facebook' and '10 Things to do after joining Google Plus'. I stepped outside my writng comfort zone a little and adopted a more 'conversational' tone than my normal 'how to guide' writing style, since that suited the tone of the blog better. I spent around 2-3 hours on each article (drafting, researching, writing, creating graphical content etc.)
   
   So, what have the results been?
   
   In total, the two articles combined have had 800 +1's (similar to Facebook likes), 7,000 page views 200 reshares and about 150 comments. They have also driven a substantial number of people to my HubPages.
   
   The great thing about guest blogging is that it's a win-win situation. The blog publishers get some different content that they don't need to write and a fresh voice; I get visibility, the chance to try something new and build up my expertise. It's been a very worthwhile experience.
   
   I would strongly recommend guest blogging as part of your promotional strategy. You can find out more at: http://myblogguest.com/

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      Jane Holmesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      A great idea - I will have to try it. I have also wondered about the addition of an "Author Page", which I realize we already have, sort of. Our profile page does show all of our hubs w/ photograph, but I wonder how many people get to that page after reading a hub. One that was easier clicked on might be helpful there. Author Pages work well for me on other sites, but it may be redundant with that info already on our profile pages.

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         AMFredenburgposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Janie, this is a great idea! How about a little mini-bio blurb with a larger photo of the author somewhere on the Hub page? I wonder if we're allowed to create that ourselves?

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         Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         If you mean creating a Hub as an "author page", that's against HubPages TOS so can't be done.  It's also against TOS to have an "author blurb" at the end of every Hub, especially if you link to an author page on a site which isn't relevant to your topic.
         
         In the early days of HubPages, our profile page had more flexibility.  We could add obvious text links to our work on other sites and the "blurb" at the top was displayed full length.  There were prominent links inviting readers to contact us, sign up to our RSS feed etc.   We also had a large photo and a clear "about the author" link on every Hub.
         
         In the last year or so, HubPages has made several changes to the design, all of them designed to de-emphasize authors as individuals and to put the emphasis back on the site as a whole. The average reader doesn't even notice your tiny picture at the top of a Hub, so most readers will never visit your profile or think about who wrote the Hub.
         
         The readers who will notice you are other Hubbers, and they're more likely to "meet" you through the forums than through your Hubs.

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      Kathryn Stratfordposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for this suggestion, Paul. I haven't heard much on guest blogging, so it's nice to hear about it, and how a fellow writer benefited from it.

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      AMFredenburgposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      A welcome idea, Paul. I'll add this to my list of ideas to explore with my HubPages presence. Thanks!

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      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I've been trying to convince people to get into guest blogging, without much success.  I'm finding the average Hubber can't bear to "give away" an article.  The logic seems to be, why would I give you an article "for free" when I could post it on HubPages or Wizzley and earn money from it?   
      
      If only people could understand the benefits of guest blogging.  They're not to be under-estimated - let's face it, there are companies who pay blogs to accept guest posts, so that says something about how valuable they are for self-promotion. 
      
      I haven't done as much guest blogging as I should, purely through laziness - but I do have a blog which accepts guest posts (link on my profile).

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         Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa,
         
         There seems to be a vast number of people (new people come into internet marketing) whom have been exposed to sites like Wizzley, Infobarrel, Squidoo, Hubpages and similar sites over the last couple of years. These people may not know that there can be so much more than just only using these sites for marketing and for brand building.
         
         I surmise, 'those in the know' are already guest blogging and simply don't mention that feature and other SEO activities to the people here in the forums at large. I know one of the reasons is trying to explain strategies and tactics to newbies vs time spent to get real work done.

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            tiffanyzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I am a newbie-3 weeks--Some terms are very new to me.--what is SEO activities and how can use them to my advantage?

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               Paul Maplesdenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               SEO is 'Search Engine Optimization' - The art and science of creating web content that ranks well in search engines (Google, Bing etc.)

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         Paul Maplesdenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I couldn't agree more Marisa.
         
         With Google Authorship becoming more vital, being visible in more than one place online is only going to get mor eimportant. I think that the couple of hours it takes to create a good guest blog post is more than worth the backlink(s) and visibility you can get from it, especially if you're creating content for another 'authority' site.
         
         I think it's about having a philosophy of sharing writing and ideas first, and monetization second. I guess I see it as 'The karma of good business'.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Nice quote.  And if you can think of an article aimed at women in online business, I've got a blog that would love a post from you!

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               Paul Maplesdenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Hmmm, I'll give it some thought.

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         tiffanyzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         How would I start Guest Blogging? what do I need to do?

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            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Send me a private message and I'll be very happy to publish a post from you about 50+ women on my blog. That will get you started!

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   Shadow Jacksonposted 11 years ago

   Awesome tip. Thanks!

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   tiffanyzposted 11 years ago

   Thank you; great advice.

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      djohnsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      See?  This is why I follow you!  Great stuff!!  Thanks, DJ

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   Jane Holmesposted 11 years ago

   One thing I have not done yet is blogging. I have a lot to learn in this business! Where do we put guest blogs? Where do we go to write them? ARe we advertising our articles and listing links in them?  I just read the Guest blogging as a way to drive traffic.  .time to learn and do!

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      Paul Maplesdenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would suggest searching for 'Guest Blogging Opportunities' in your chosen field and going from there. There's also a guest blogging community you can join at: http://myblogguest.com/

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         sourabhranaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         YES, it is very good platform for new bloggers who are looking for more guest blogging opportunities. I also subscribed this website.

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         DreamerMegposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for that link. That's very interesting!

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