What is guest blogging?

Guest blogging, or guest posting, is when you write a blog post for someone else’s website. The host gets a useful article for their readers, and you, the guest blogger, reach an audience that isn't yours yet. In return, you can add a short bio with a link to your own site, so some of those readers come to visit you.

A link from another website to yours is called a backlink, and it's one of the reasons to write guest posts. Readers who follow it need somewhere to land. If you haven't got a site of your own yet, you can set one up with our AI website builder.

What you get from guest blogging

A guest post puts your name in front of readers who already trust the blog they're reading. For a small business or a new blogger, it's a way to be found without waiting for people to come across you on their own.

• New readers: a guest post introduces your name and your business to the host's audience.
• Visitors and links: readers who like your post can follow the link in your bio back to your own site.
• A name in your field: posts on blogs your industry reads show that you know your subject.
• Contacts: each post helps you get to know editors and blog owners.

Guest blogging is worth the time when the blog's readers could become your customers or readers. So it's better to write for blogs your field reads. What it costs you is mostly time, for reading the blog, pitching your idea and writing. If a blog asks for money as well, read what Google says about paid links below before you agree.

Guest blogging and SEO

Guest posts can help your site in Google Search, as long as their links follow Google's rules. Google's ranking systems look at how pages link to each other. This helps them work out what a page is about and which pages might be most helpful for a search. Links made mainly to push up rankings break Google's rules, though. The words you click on in a link are called its anchor text. Google's spam policies count links with optimised anchor text in guest posts published on other sites as link spam. Optimised anchor text means link words packed with the keywords you want to rank for, such as cheap wedding flowers Leeds. For the basics, see how search engine optimisation (SEO) works.

Paying for a guest post, or trading one for a product or service, counts as buying a link. Google says links like these don't break its policies as long as they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Each is a small label the blog adds to the link in the page's code. sponsored tells Google the link is paid for. nofollow tells Google the blog would rather not be associated with the page it links to. Google prefers sponsored for paid placements. If a blog asks for money, ask whether they add one of these labels before you agree. If they won't, don't pay for the post.

Keep your link where it helps readers, such as your bio, with your name or your site's name as the link text. A post people want to read brings you visitors, whatever the link does for your rankings.

How to find guest blogging opportunities

A pitch is the short email in which you offer a blog owner your idea for a post. Before you send one, publish a few good posts on your own blog, because a host will want to see how you write. If you haven't got one yet, here's how to start a blog, and our tips for writing blog posts help you fill it.

Then look for blogs your own customers read. If your website is about flowers, for example, a wedding or gardening blog suits you better than a fashion blog.

• Start with blogs you already read. You know their style and their readers, so you can see quickly what would suit them.
• Search Google for your topic together with "write for us" or "submit a guest post" to find blogs that ask for guest posts.
• See where others in your field write. Search for the names of people in your industry together with "guest post".
• Get to know the blog owner. Comment on a few of their posts or send them a short email before you pitch.

How to pitch a guest post

Start by reading the blog properly. Look at the topics it covers and how long its posts are. If it has guest post guidelines, follow them, because a pitch that ignores them is easy for an editor to turn down.

A good pitch is short. It says who you are and describes the guest blog post you'd like to write, with its main points. It also explains why the post suits their readers right now and how it helps the blog. The right person to send it to is the one the guidelines name, or otherwise the editor. Unless the guidelines ask for a full draft, you don't need to write the whole post before you pitch. An outline is enough, and writing the post once the blog owner says yes lets you shape it to what they ask for. Spelling and grammar matter here, since you're asking them to trust you with their readers.

If you hear nothing after a few days, one short follow-up is fine. Whatever the answer, reply politely. The blog owner took the time to read your email, and a topic they turn down today might suit them later.

How to write a guest post that gets accepted

Write for the host's readers, not about yourself. A post that teaches them something useful gets published and read, while one that reads like an advert for your business rarely does. Match the blog's style, length and formatting, so your post fits in with the rest of the site.

Give readers a reason to visit your site. You could offer something they collect from your website, such as a checklist, a discount, a free guide or a webinar. Link to it in the post with words that say what it is, such as free wedding flower checklist. Use them instead of keywords you want to rank for.

End the post with a short author bio: your name, what you do and a link to your website. The bio tells readers the post is by a guest and shows them where to find more of your work. It's also a good place to thank the blog owner for having you. If you'd like to publish the post on your own blog later, ask the host first.

With Aida AI Website Builder, you build and manage your website without coding or design experience, with a blog for your own posts.

After your guest post goes live

Share the post with your own followers on social media. It sends the host some extra visitors, and it shows your audience where your writing appears.

Keep an eye on the comments and answer them. Readers notice when the writer replies, and a helpful answer gives them one more reason to follow you to your own blog.

Check your website statistics to see how many visitors the post sent to your site, so you know which blogs are worth pitching again. Each guest post brings in readers and links one at a time. For the rest of your site's search visibility, our SEO Services work on everything from your texts and headings to link building, with a monthly report on the results.