Guest blogging has begun to get a bad reputation in certain circles, with it being labeled a ‘spammy practice’, and ‘if you’re doing a lot of guest blogging, you’re hanging out with really bad company’. If you are using guest blogging purely as an SEO technique, then shame on you.

Instead, you should be guest blogging to get your content in front of a bigger or different audience than your have on your own site or blog, to create long lasting relationships, build your credibility, open up new business opportunities, and not to mention improve your blogging skills.

As a small business, these are the three best reasons you should be guest blogging:

1. It gets your name out there, in front of an audience thats not yours.

Guest blogging opens up a whole new audience for your business. The audiences of the sites you guest blog for to be exact, not only their traffic, but you will get exposure on their social media and possibly even their newsletter (if your posts are good enough). If you are a new business, this is a great way to tell your target audience you exist!

Not just this, the traffic attracted through guest blogging is more likely to take action on your site than traffic on any other source.

Not just this, but having your content hosted on trusted sites in your industry builds your credibility. The endorsement from these sites not only help establish you as an expert in your industry, but also as someone who understands the technical aspects of your niche. It also helps boost you in the eyes of your potential customers.

2. Forget link building, its all about relationship building

Perhaps the most important and long term benefit of guest blogging are the relationships you build and the connections you make with the most influential people in your industry, the owners of your host sites, other small businesses in your shoes, and your potential and existing customers.

We have already talked about building relationships with those in your industry, but guest blogging is much more than that. Its a great opportunity to build a network of small businesses like yourself. Or even small businesses unlike yourself. You are in a unique position, so why not tell your story and offer your advice? You never know, this could lead to some great partnerships…

3. So many new opportunities

Guest blogging doesn’t just have the potential to increase traffic and sales, it also opens up doors for new partnerships. If you are blogging for a site that offers complementary services to yours, it makes it easier to approach them to offer customers a package deal.

It also opens up new guest blogging opportunities, each post bringing with it similar opportunities as the last. Not to mention, it improves your blogging skills, which you can then show off on your own blog!

This being said, one guest blog will not catapult your business to success, but as any marketing strategy, it takes time, effort, and GOOD QUALITY CONTENT!

by Sadie