Many freelance writers and bloggers want to get as much exposure as they can. Guest blogging is one way you can increase web traffic and introduce your work to many readers. Is writing for other websites (usually for free) worth it? Yes, it is. Writing for the right websites is the key.
Before you guest blog for a website, research it and the personnel. Check out forums and what people are saying about the editors and publishers of the website. Make sure the staff is professional. There’s nothing worse than dealing with unprofessional people. Like it or not, one “rotten” apple can ruin the reputation of a website.
Make sure you have time to be a guest blogger. Are you already writing for five different websites? You want to take this into consideration before you decide to guest blog. You may think you have the time and endurance to write, but you could be taking on more work than you can handle.
Guest blogging can increase your credibility. Write for websites that add value to peoples’ lives, treat guest bloggers with respect, and publish pertinent content. Avoid writing for websites that copy your work and publish it somewhere else, have unprofessional “snippy” personnel, and disrespect you in anyway. Your time is valuable!
Before you agree to guest blog, understand the terms and conditions. Research and talk to other writers who currently write for the website or who wrote for the website in the past. You can save yourself time and aggravation by avoiding unethical publishers. The majority of time, you are writing for FREE and will receive link backs to your website. This is one way for you to increase traffic to your website or blog and find potential clients.
Make sure you write for legitimate websites that have your best interests at heart. There’s nothing worse than being excited about writing for a website and finding out the editor or manager is a real jerk. Do your due diligence before you commit to writing for any website. Good luck!
Rebecca
What has been your experience blogging for other websites? Share your experiences.
Good post. I use guest writers and they get links, no pay, maybe a bit of glory… I welcome them when I get decent material about freelance writing. Once and awhile someone will submit something I turn down… mostly not.
Thanks!
I’ve learned that it’s important to research websites and the publishers before you guest blog. Dealing with unprofessional people is not my cup of tea. When you decide not to guest blog there shouldn’t be any question about it, just a “thanks, maybe next time.” No sarcasm is necessary. I know people have “bad days,” but it’s no excuse.
I’ve recently learned another good reason to research a website before you write a guest blog on it: search engines consider backlinks when rating websites, and you’ll receive a higher rating for being linked to a website with similar content to yours. For example, a writer will receive a higher rating for a backlink on another writing-related site than they will for a backlink on blogs about technology or gardening, etc. If we’re going to write for free, with the purpose of driving up our own website’s SEO, then it’s best to write for sites that will help achieve this more efficiently.