One of the quickest ways to drive targeted traffic and build your reputation on the internet is to post an article or blog post on other, more authoritative websites within your industry or niche. This is known as "guest posting", and I've mentioned it a few time in past blog posts and more so in my free Internet Marketing eCourse.
Writing a Guest Post for another blog has many benefits.
- It builds your credibility
- It taps into another traffic resource
- It creates valuable backlinks to your blog
- It can increase your search engine ranking
- It helps establish trust
- It can make you an authority figure
The list goes on and on.
The bottom line... Guest Posting is an extremely effective way to increase your overall well-being on the internet by driving targeted traffic and providing valuable SEO features to boost your search engine ranking and make you more money!
With the right knowledge and know how, you can become a Super Hero Guest Poster and build a loyal following.
Here are 10 rules to follow to help you become a super hero Guest Poster. Follow these rules religiously and you will be receiving comments like this one which I recently received after submitting a Guest Post:
"Hi Sean,
You're awesome. I wish everyone submitted a Guest Post like you do, and was as prepared as you are!"
Read on to become a super hero Guest Poster.
1. Read Their Blog
Before you can even consider writing a Guest Post for another blog, you should become a frequent reader of their posts. This will help you gain an understanding of the type of content they write and what their readers may expect from the articles on the site.
As a reader of the blog you want to Guest Post on, you become familiar with the content and other readers. Comment frequently on post and add value to posts. Respond to others who comment and build relationships. This will help you build up a reputation and following so that when you do post a Guest Post, it will have a greater impact and receive great response.
2. Write for Their Audience
If you've been reading the blog you intend to Guest Post on, then you should be familiar with the type of content and subject matter the author of the blog is posting. This is an extremely important rule! There is nothing worse as a blogger than receiving a Guest Post from someone who has never read your blog and provides content that does not meet the expectations of your readers.
Make sure to write your Guest Post for the readers. Failing to do so can get you blacklisted from a blog and you will be ignored. Try not to insult the author of the blog or their readers by providing content that is not in line with the main topic or topics of the blog you intent to post on. Meet the readers expectations and fill their need for the main topic of the blog.
3. Follow Their Guidelines
Many blogs and authority websites have guidelines they expect you to follow when submitting content to their website. It is a good idea to follow those guidelines to ensure your submission is successful.
If no guidelines are provided, then it is a good idea to follow the rules in this post to ensure your Guest Post is accepted.
4. Write Compelling Content
If you really want to have an impact, then make sure what you write as your Guest Post is your best stuff! Write compelling content that causes readers to have an "Ah Ha!" moment.
The more compelling and better your content is, the more likely it will be accepted and the more likely you'll be able to provide more Guest Posts to the same blog.
5. Search Engine Optimize Your Post
Many bloggers don't know a thing about SEO. So if you provide them with a Guest Post that is search engine optimized and has a great chance of getting indexed by the major search engines, the more they'll love you and the more likely your content will be accepted. Not to mention, your SEO Guest Post will also help to increase the host blogs search engine page ranking.
Internal Links
One SEO technique that will get you more points is to include links within the body of your Guest Post to other articles on the blog you are posting too. Search engines love links because it helps them find and index new content. Doing this will also allow you to promote and share previous posts that were written by the blogs author.
Meta Title & Meta Description
Always suggest a "meta title" and "meta description" for your Guest Post. The host blog, if their smart, may be using an SEO WordPress theme such as Thesis or Headway, or the All in One SEO Pack WordPress Plugin. Providing them with a suggested Meta Title and Meta Description that is optimized for search engines will help get the post ranked.
I always make sure to optimize my Guest Post and check it using Scribe for SEO. It'll help you ensure you Guest Post is the best it can be for search engines to index it.
6. Include Your Bio
Always include a brief bio about yourself at the bottom of your Guest Post. Who better to write about yourself than you? It should only be 4 -5 lines and should include a link back to your blog. This is a good place to put a link because it allows you to promote whatever yourself and your blog and provides a valuable backlink to your website.
7. Proof Read Your Work
Take the time to proof read your work before submitting it as a Guest Post. No one wants to receive Guest Posts that are riddled with errors and don't flow very well. Always proof read your content to ensure it meets the highest standards possible for success.
8. Submit 2 Forms of Content
Always submit 2 forms of content when submitting your Guest Post. You should include a version as a Word doc for easy reading and review by the blogs author or approval process, and then an HTML version for easy copy and paste inclusion into their blog.
9. Provide A Supporting Image
Many blogs provide supporting images along with their posts to provide a visual reference for their readers. This may or may not be the case for the blog you are writing for, but none the less, it is always a good practice to find and include an image that supports or is relevant to your Guest Post. I usually look for my images on Flickr and provide a link to the image in the word doc I submit for review.
10. Monitor and Respond to Comments
Once your Guest Post has been accepted and posted on the blog you submitted it too, you should always monitor it closely and respond to any comments the post may receive. This helps you answer questions and gain feedback from the blogs readers which can go a long way to help you establish yourself as an expert and build credibility. Make sure to thank those you comment for reading and commenting on your post.
This comes down to simple etiquette and good will towards man/woman 
Summarizing
Apply what you've learned here to your next Guest Post and create a strong, seamless Guest Posting process. You'll find that doing so will serve you well and provide great benefit in the way of targeted traffic and higher search engine rankings for your blog.
Please comment below with any comments, feedback or questions you may have, and don't forget to retweet this post to share with others!
