Guest posting can be an excellent way to build your brand, increase your online presence, and generate traffic to your website. It is a potent link-building strategy that gets your brand before the target audience and develops niche authority.
The key to effective blogging as a guest is to do it right or else it is totally ineffective and can damage your brand reputation.
However, there are some common mistakes people make when they engage in publishing guest posts that you need to avoid.
Common guest blogging errors to avoid
- Not researching the target website: Many people make the mistake of not researching the website they want to submit their guest posts to. This can lead to submitting posts that are not a good fit for the website or that have already been covered.
All traffic is not equal – it is a belief that a platform with tons of traffic is better than a small website with few visitors. It is crucial to consider traffic quality and relevance. The traffic from a small niche website with a responsive audience is better than a vast platform that covers an extensive range of irrelevant topics.
Solution – To avoid this, take time to research the website’s content, target audience, and writing style before submitting your post.
- Not following submission guidelines: Many websites have specific submission guidelines that they require guest posters to follow. Not following these guidelines can result in your post being rejected or delayed.
Solution – Be sure to read and follow the submission guidelines carefully.
- Not proofreading: Making grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or typos in your guest post can reflect poorly on you and your brand. It disturbs the reading flow and turns readers off.
Solution – Always double or triple proofread your post before submitting it.
- Writing a generic post: A guest post that doesn’t offer any unique insights or perspectives is unlikely to be accepted by a website. It is tempting because you feel that driving traffic to your website doesn’t mean you need to post quality content, it is a tool! Remember, blog owners will never allow posting poor quality blogs and even if they do audiences will never click on them.
Solution – The rule here is to always create the best content. To stand out, write a post that offers something new or provides a fresh take on a topic.
- Being overly promotional: A guest post that reads like an advertisement is likely to be rejected by a website. Readers identify ads and it turns them off. Therefore never talk a lot regarding your business. You can mention it but not make the entire thing about your business.
Solution – Focus on providing value to the readers and include a subtle call to action that directs readers to your website or social media profiles.
- Not including bio or author information: Including bio or author information can help you build your brand and drive traffic to your website or social media profiles. It also needs to have something encouraging to make readers click on your homepage link.
Solution – Be sure to include a brief bio and link to your website or social media profiles in your post. Ensure to make an alluring offer in your bio. It can be anything like downloadable resources or free e-books.
- Not engaging with the audience: Guest blogging is not just about promoting your brand, it’s also about engaging with the readers of the website.
Solution – Be sure to respond to comments and engage with readers who comment on your post.
- Submitting low-quality content: A guest post that is poorly written or doesn’t offer any value to readers is unlikely to be accepted. Blogs are about their followers and focused to serve them the content they need, so if you tap into this nothing can go wrong.
Solution – Be sure to put time and effort into creating a quality guest post that provides value to readers. Browse their past posts to get an idea, of what their followers need and use it strategically within a similar content piece.
You can even take help from a reliable guest posting service – Zoom Wings to avoid these common guest posting mistakes. In this way, you can increase your chances of having your guest post accepted, building your brand, and driving traffic to your website.