I discovered one huge guest posting mistake recently.
By accident.
I received a nudge to respond to comments from one of my old guest posts. After responding to a few readers I noted something funny; this post generated some 2200 views back to my blog.
Not bad at all. I noted something else. The post was fairly new, not even a few months old.
The post I wrote was a search engine success.
OK, maybe someone with serious Klout promoted the post but I felt the impulse to run a Google search for the phrase, “make money on Facebook.” Wow. I did not believe my eyes!
I was number 1 on Google. On page 1.
I ran a search for, “make money with facebook.” Wow. I was number 1 on page 1 of google again. Not bad at all.
I ran the search, “how to make money on facebook.” Guess who popped up at 23? On page 1 of google? Me. I outranked INC.com articles.
Rarified air here.
So, how did I identify a mistake amidst all this success? How did I see a grave guest posting error among the search engine domination for these competitive key phrases?
What is the Guest Posting Mistake?
I realized how many guest posts I wrote entirely UNRELATED to making money online. This one nailed it. This one sent me targeted prospects. This one sent me quality prospects.
I attracted people who wanted to make money online.
Excellent.
But I thought back to the 30 or more guest posts I churned out entirely unrelated to making money online. I covered a variety of topics. Great. I showed my range. But making money online focuses on hyper targeting prospects. I get no bonus points for displaying my range.
I do not build my list by covering topics outside of my niche. I find the spare opt in or 2 but rarely do these folks join my gifting team or ask for my consultation services. Nope. I screwed up. Big time.
The Main Issue
You write a guest post targeted to the blog author’s audience. The post should be popular with the blog’s regular readers. But you need to work in your niche too. Finding the balance might be a challenge.
No worries. Enter keywords. Cover a topic attractive to the readers yet add niche specific keywords to grow your list. Cover both bases. Make sure the keywords are relevant.
I write guest posts about blogging but tie in making money online with each post. I help people make money online.
Once I topped google for the above example, I was struck with an idea. Every guest post I write needs to contain niche specific keywords. Or I waste my time. I might help a fellow blogger, which is awesome, but I intend to establish my authority.
I intend to develop my expertise in a particular discipline. How do I grow my online businesses? By promoting my online businesses. I promote my businesses by sharing helpful, usable content peppered with keywords relevant to my niche.
I want to help bloggers. I enjoy blogging guest posts. I render the best service by growing my audience while growing the audience of my fellow blogger. Win win all the way around.
Actionable Example
You can write about social media, blogging, internet marketing or network marketing. Make sure to tie the topic into making money online if you teach people how to generate cash online. If you teach people how to blog you can write a guest post tying in social media with blogging.
The Ultimate
Write a guest post for a blog completely within your niche. You teach people how to blog. You write a guest post for a blogger who teaches people how to blog. Perfect match. But one problem exists. You find more opportunities by branching out into a more diverse audience.
Many bloggers focus on one particular discipline but cover sub topics, or niches, within the main topic. Many of these bloggers attract massive, targeted audiences. You need to speak to these folks.
I repeat. Speak to these folks. Write a post tailored to the audience but add your keywords. Excellent. Both bases covered. Grow your list. Provide value to a massive, targeted audience.
Your Turn
Did you ever make this guest posting mistake?
Do you write guest posts on niche specific blogs only?
Or do you write guest posts on blogs outside of your niche?
Hey Ryan,
Though I do not intend to guest post on blogs out side my niche, I think what you share here is crucial for those who do it. However, though I advice against writing on blogs completely off, guest posting on blogs in related niche is not a bad idea.
Excellent write up bro
Thanks!
Yep, posting on blogs in a similar niche can be prospering. Thanks Enstine!
I do not guest post on other blogs regularly but I do not think guest posting on blogs outside of your niche is a good idea.
I prefer to guest post on only those blogs which are related to mine.
Smart move here.
Good move Thejas, this is a business builder. Thanks!
Hey Ryan,
Nice post and I am totally agree with you that we have to write guest post only those blog which have same niche as we have. Guest blogging is the best way to promote our blog and if niche is same then guest posting drives traffic to our blog. Thanks Ryan for sharing these important tips with us.
Stay in that niche!
Thanks Sudipto!
Good topic Ryan,
Yes I have experienced a gust posting nightmare I wrote about it just to let people know what can happen if you send your guest post to the wrong blog.
As far as where to write I think the biggest factor for me is community.
If the blog is active and people readily share stuff then it’s good for guest posting.
WHY?
Because of what I call “cross marketing niches” people are interested in so many differing things.
Have you noticed cable TV channels advertise on OTHER cable channels.
Godaddy, Google and Facebook run television commercials to bring people in from outside the internet.
There’s a big opportunity OUTSIDE of your niche.
For example I’d bet there’s ton’s of people at the monster truck rally that would love to learn about online marketing but how many bloggers do you think market there?
Cool share Darnell thanks!
This is true Darnell, going outside of your niche can be prospering if you select the proper. I also dig the idea of community. Thanks!
Exactly, I’m totally agree with your this point Finding the balance might be a challenge.
Earlier this year, I had done some guest posting. From now I’ll try to focus on the things that you mentioned above.
Will let you know how it goes 😉
Awesome, please do Ammar.
Wow that’s great Ryan, No dude I never concentrated on this thing, I most of the time wrote guest posts on blogs outside my niche. But thanks for sharing this post, I’ll definitely follow you instruction.
Cool, thanks Mitch.
Yes Ryan, I do write guest posts on niche specific blogs only. You presented a very interesting post dude.
Smart move Mitch.
Great Ryan you have shared an helpful article, the topic while making mistake during guest posting. Thanks dude.
thanks Raj
Hi Ryan, I also do many guest posting and I always keep in mind all the points you have mentioned in this post. You are absolutely correct that we should write guest posts on niche specific blogs. Great work!
Thanks Mohd
It is rightly advised that from your total monthly guest posts at least 70 per cent must be published on blogs of the same niche your blog has. Otherwise writing guest post on blogs of irrelevant niches will not make your get loyal readers. It is observed that many bloggers try to write on blogs with blogging niche though their niches are quite different. As a result they get a few newbie bloggers on their blog and they never comeback because they dont find any stuff of their use. So we should keep this fact in mind while publishing our guest posts.
Smart stuff Edson
Hi Ryan
I was looking out for some info on mistakes on guest blogging ,its great to read all that you have mentioned . i am have learnt that i should guest post on blogs of the same niche as my blog. well i did guest post on different niche in the past and did not work on my favor thanks for all the information
Cool Gladston!
Great Post. I have not done any guest posting yet but have been considering doing this for about a month. Glad I found this post before I started as this would save me some time.
Thank you again!
Thanks Stephen!
I have noticed the same thing while approaching different blogs with my guest blogs. Maintaining a good balance within niche is very important, we should all focus on the balance to get more output. By the way, I love to learn about your high klout reader 😛
Great story Ryan. It can be hard to guest post within your certain niche if they are your competitors and they are weary of your efforts. Keeping that in mind I have had success reaching out to other niches and guest posting. Sometimes other niches are a lot more receptive to guest posts and it means you can add value to another audience.
Hey Ryan,
You have me thinking. Well, you and Darnell (in the comments). Never thought outside the box on this one. It seems basic when you think about it. Reach a wide audience as some of them are going to be interested. Using keywords as links makes it more targeted. Love that idea.
~Daota
Hy Ryan,
I’ve never did a guest posting before, But i’ll start it and focus on the points you’ve mentioned above.
Sarah
I’d like to give it a go with guest blogging but I still haven’t got it done yet. There are actually quite a few things concerning about the effectiveness of guest blogging. Your article gives me one more angle to consider
I’m sure guest posting is effective..but I’ve read somewhere it’s counterproductive or just a hype..so it is effective..but for whom..is it worth my time? i still have all these questions and i keep on reading to know the answers but I’m still confused..
Very interesting angle to look at as far as guest posting. Making money online is quite a catchy phrase, so a lot of people (bloggers) will definitely check it out. The difficult part is blogging about something not relevant to money or other catchy subjects and get a great audience as well…
i have failed many times in the start while submiting guest posts but as you go the more confidence you will build and more less mistakes you will make. If you try to learn from your mistakes.
I have never had the courage to write a guest post but I think the message can also be applied to people(like me) who accept guest post that have nothing to do with thier overall topic.I am not sure it has the same effect but I have a feeling it does also give the wrong message
Hi Ryan , we understand that blogging is learning everyday and the way you could , we also learn a lot from you too. This article is self explanatory about targeting audience in your niche. Many bloggers these days are running behind top bloggers in their niche to do a guest post. A broad approach and ability to tie up topics to create engaging content is a must have skill for guest bloggers. Thank for sharing this with us.
And also that we appreciate you making online empire from 4 cents but the places you have been to have all the potential of spending possibilities for the money you earned.
yes i had made such mistakes on guest posts too. from now on ill try playing safe..:)
Hello Ryan
As truly ,I never write a guest post .This is because I am only 2 months old in blogging.But I surely go for guest posting.I want to do the same mistake you do :-).I will remember the points you mention here for sure.Thanks for these.
Although i have not write any guest post yet(thinking to write),but i think the idea of niche related guest posting will bring you more.Because it will focus the intention of search engines towards you and alternatively your Google PR will boost up.
Hi,
The post is written in a nice style and the guest posting mistakes are something really worth point out. Anyway, great article in less words.
Hi Ryan,
What a neat story! I am sure going to remember this one. Darnell Jackson in the comments above summarized it quite well and I agree that cross marketing can do really well.
Dita
Hello!
I committed that mistake before but now I learn how to create a good guest post. The first thing a blogger must identify is his/her target audience and the website owner’s audience too. This will make his/her article valuable for both types of audience.
This is a unique post that makes good points. It is easy to lose focus with all the messages that are being sent. That ‘s smart to keep the target keywords mixed in with the topic.
Writing guest posts and relating to your main niche is great idea, however, I don’t think that was your blogging mistake. It is rather pretty good that you have natural links back to your blog. If your backlinks are very focused and for a couple of targeted keywords only, it would again alert the mighty search engine.
We’ve started to hear the voices against using the targeted keywords as exact anchor text. People who advocate this view prefer the links like “Click Here”, or the name of blog to linking. It may sound strange, but I’m scared if Google is ready with its another update to hit guest blogging practices.
so what you have made it clear in this post, Ryan is that whenever we have an opportunity to write a guest post, we should take care of our niche?
If the niche is different than should we completely drop the idea of guest posting?
Nice write-up Ryan!
Guest blogging is a smart way build relationship and more. Find related niche is one of crucial things we should concern because while there are many benefits of good guest blogging, bad writing or poor execution can be detrimental and have a bad effect. When looking to guest blog, be sure to find the right type of blogs to approach. For instance, don’t accept an invitation to write on a blog about dog grooming if your specialty is childcare.
Guest posting is a nice option for getting targeted traffic to our blog. But we have to take care that the blog we are going to guest post must be on the same niche as we have.
No, I’ve not guest posted like you’ve done Ryan. Though it was interesting to read about your experience. I try to stay close to the core topics of my blog with the reader in mind. What did they arrive there for? How can I assist them? By always aiming for quality and giving visitors what they want has worked fine for me so far. I also use many pictures, which I of course take by myself. When visitors notice that the writer puts effort in his published article, it also helps in making people recommend your site to others.
I am lookign to get into guest posts and this article just saved me from making the mistake of going out of my niche thank you very much.
Hey Ryan, i don’t usually do guest posting but i do believe in what you said. that we should always focus on a niche. I believe that this will also help build a strong authority within it.
Thanks for sharing
@yogesh: I believe Ryan is saying that if you post outside of your niche to somehow (with keywords) tie your guest post back into your niche.
In regards to keywords, I try to focus on content. If I’m writing with the idea of relating the guest post to my main theme or niche, the keywords should come naturally. This way, I don’t end up writing for search engines but instead write for humans.
Ryan,
What I like even slightly more than your incredible name, is your writing style. Awesome. Easy to read. Simple sentences. So many people drag on. And on. Et cetera.
You make points, and move on.
Sentence fragments. Are so preferable. To me. Than fraggin’ run-on sentences that keep going and going and you just want somebody to poke your eye out with a pen before having to read one more dang word of their sentence, I mean, are you even really reading this anymore–because I sure wouldn’t.
Do I make my point?
I would only do guest posting within my niche. Most of my backlinks also would be within my niche.
Hi Ryan,
Congrats on that, but let me know if you`ve also done link building other than guest posting for site with same keyword.
~@khajamoin1
great post ryan,
it feels really great when you open google, type your keywords and find that you are dominating the results. no one can understand that feeling other than a blogger. thanks for sharing these post with us
Now THAT is some good information. Many thanks.
I guess I will have to be far more focused in my guest-blogging from now on.
Again, great post!
Ryan, so true.
You do make perfect sense.
This gives me an idea to branch over to more “targeted” blog about a topic I can write about.
This give me an even more targeted advantage of gaining subscribers.
Hi Ryan,
Glad to see your guest post here! I have been guest posting since I’ve started blogging, four years ago. You know, guest posting, is a very unique process for a “few” people that know how to do it, the right way!
I see guest post requests for my blog that are completely unrelated! I don’t have the time always to explain but I try to help them out.
Guest posting is not just about writing an article, or bridge topics. It needs research, evaluation, quality control, communication, contribution, SEO optimization and response!
You see if I can’t do all the above, I can’t just send you a guest post. And Google knows how and why you guest post. So I will do it, not only for the benefit of me and my website, but for the benefit of you, your website, the community, for Google, so it gains top rankings…
Have a great day!
John Mak
Ryan, glad to see your another worthy guest post on Ileane’s blog.
You have mentioned an interesting point, I think it’s rarely discussed. Most people write guest-posts only for a back-link and I feel that selfish!
Related topic + related host blog + related guest link = perfect guest blog: which is great for both guest blog and host blog. Great point, Ryan.
Thanks again, for frankly sharing your mistake, err… worthy experience.
Hi Ryan,
This is wonderful post. I’ve not concentrated on this thing, plus I’ve not started yet guest posting but this month I’ll start it for sure.
Thanks for sharing this post, I’ll definitely follow you instruction.
Hey Ryan,
Thanks for bringing this topic. It is truly informative and helpful. I don’t really guest blog that much so I am not an expert of this area but after reading your post, I just came to a realization. In my opinion, why would I guest blog without even linking my niche key words in it right? What’s the use of it? If I need to be competitive with my niche, I should always stuck in it even if the blogs I make are for my site or being posted within other sites or guess blogging. I really hope I got the right realization of things. Either way, its just my own understanding on things. Thanks for sharing this very helpful and informative post.
Hi Ryan,
This is a good idea to guest post related to your niche. Its nice to hear that you rank number 1 in Google and the techniques worked for you. I will also start guest blogging on related niche. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I’ve never tried guest blogging out of my niche, but I care about every posts to be exclusive and informative to readers of the blog.
Thanks.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this post! We have to guest blog on the blogs that have same niche as ours. 🙂
Guest Blogging is not only for back-links. I believe it is the best way to increase our online presence as a blogger/author. 🙂
You’ve written a very interesting article 🙂
Keep Posting 😀
I think guest posting for websites just outside your niche makes sense. This is for many reasons. My website is a digital media agnecy specialising in web design and online marketing. I guest post for Ms Ileane on subjects that link my niche with blogging. Titles such as “5 free google tools for everyone”. By writing this article i am providing Ms Ileanes readers with valuable content that some in the blogging niche may not be so aware of, this helps to establish my authority in my areas of expertise whilst raising awareness in my own brand and improving the authority of my website.
I wouldn’t however guest post on a website radically outside my niche, as there is less likely to be a cross-over topic. Theres becoming less and less value in anchor text links too so the theme of the post needs to be on topic, and yes, as you pointed out here it MUST contain keywords related to your niche.
(it helps if you can get them in the URL too).
Great thought provoking article Ryan.
A very nice article Ryan,
sticking to niche while writing a guest article brings a huge amount of targeted visitors, one is making mistake if he not following this golden rule then he is missing a lot.
thanks for coming with these useful tips.. 🙂
I have a photography blog. I don’t profit from writing blogs but I had the impression that if I wrote guest comments on do follow blogs, my google page ranking would improve (backlinks and all that).
Forgive me for any silly question that I am about to ask. Should I not write comments on blogs not in my niche (wedding photography)?
Please straighten me out.
Its important to be diverse Ramy, but relevancy is the new PR, so try to focus on photography blogs but its fine to step outside of your niche now and again.
BTW, you would garner much more authority by writing your own articles, rather than just locating and commenting on “do follow” blogs. I have a feeling that blog comment spam will be something Google addresses very soon, and it could be by ignoring comment links altogether. If you are diverse in your link structure, you would have more of a safety net against this happening.
Thank you! I didn’t think someone would respond. I also started writing articles.
Instead of just posting photos of weddings and engagements that I have done, I am also writing a narrative that’s more than 500 words about the couples.
Thanks for this post Ryan. I should start guest posting more often.
I would say my number one mistake when I 1st starting guest posting was I sent pp to my home page.
Mistake #2 I didn’t make my BIO compelling enough.. it was just kinda generic instead of giving peeps a reason to click.
~ darlene 🙂
Guest posting is good for site promotion and traffic generation to website. but always post unique content in blog.