In the month of January this year 2014, I got a pleasant email from Harleena Singh, the brain behind Aha-now, to guest post on aha-now. That was a huge opportunity at the beginning of the year. I know posting content to a site like this will not be easy – why? The reason simply is that this site features exceptional content so if my post has to go through the screening wall, it has to have a lot of meat 😉
Of course, from the feedback I constantly get from my readers, I knew I was up to the task. I finally cooked a unique and meaty article that got published on the 17th of January 2014. Here is the guest post.
There are 4 main things I have gotten from this post since it went live I want to share with you. These 4 points are also the reasons you should start guest posting. You have to submit top quality articles to top blogs in your niche.
I know with the recent update from Google, there is been a lot of mixed understanding about guest posting. Yes! While guest posting purely for SEO is facing a downward move, there are other attractive reasons this activity will not die.
In one of my posts, I made a bold statement that ‘guest posting for SEO is dead’. Quite a good number of my readers have reacted with different views. You may want to check out the article and share your own views too.
4 reasons guest posting is still important
My practical experience on Aha-now
1 -> Referral Traffic
This is traffic that comes to your site from other sites. People read your guest article and click on links to your blog. In most cases, you will be allowed one link within the guest article and 2 links within your bio area. For the maximum use of these resources, link from within your guest article to another related article on your blog. While in your bio zone, link directly to your home page.
Below is Google Analytics showing direct traffic to my blog from Aha-now in the second week after the post went live. Take note of how targeted this traffic is – from the average number of minutes spent on my blog which is 5.45 minutes.
2 -> Networking
Networking (hooking up with other bloggers) is fast becoming the backbone of blogging. One of the ways to have solid bloggers in your network is to submit excellent articles to their blogs. While you will be building long lasting relationship with blog owners, you also go beyond their blogs and connect with their readers.
On aha-now, I got quite handsome exposure. As a result of that guest article and the interaction I had with readers there, I had to do a follow-up post about writing business letters on this blog. Some of the visitors that linked to my blog from aha-now have become loyal readers, commentators, sharers, list subscribers, etc.
3 -> Business
The truth is if you do it the right way, you get business. In that guest article, I explained how to create irresistible packages and make money with your blogging. As a follow up, here is screenshot of a mail I got from one of the readers on Feb. 18 2014, that’s one month after the post went live. That tells me that article can keep bringing me business for a long time;
4 -> Branding
In the blogging industry, a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify your blog and differentiate it from other blogs. Branding is the image you create within the hearts and minds of customers or readers.
To promote your brand through guest posting, you don’t just submit articles. You must come out with serious ‘concoction’ that will impress your readers and leave an image within their minds. If your guest articles are unique, you will be succeeding in promoting your brand.
Conclusion
If you are invited to guest post on a blog, don’t be in a hurry to submit traditional content. Do something out of the box and create a positive image.
While I still continue to benefit from the article on aha-now, I thought it will be good thing to dish out some reports 1 month after the post went live.
So what results have you had from guest posting? Let me hear you out in the comment box below.
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