5 Things to Consider Before Publishing a Guest Post on Your Blog
In my recent post about Guest Blogging Tips, I had mentioned that getting a guest post on a high authority blog can bring you massive exposure because the blog owner is essentially endorsing you, your blog, your business, etc. This is true, whether that blog owner realizes it or not.
I didn’t touch on this subject in that post, but I wanted to expand on that more and bring up some strong points and tips that blog owners should be aware of. Thanks to Dennis Edell for bringing up the subject in his comment on that post. 
Now, say you own a high authority blog, and you have thousands of readers. You’re well-liked, people trust you, and they enjoy the killer content you give them and have no problem spreading the word about you to their friends.
You’re in your glory, as you have a loyal readership and you’re on top of the world. However, the top can come crumbling to the ground if you’re not very careful.
And here’s why…
We know that guest posting not only benefits the guest poster, but it also benefits you. If you didn’t know that, you do now. Allowing guest posts on your blog is healthy, for both you and your readers. You may think you’re inviting the competition in to steal away your readers, but that’s not the case. You’ve already won them over; they’re there to stay.
BUT…
They’ll be running for the exits if you “endorse” a guest poster that has a bad reputation and is known for misleading readers and shady marketing tactics. There are plenty of other examples I could give, but I think you get the point here.
Basically, use some common sense (which I know is hard for some people, so if that’s you, see below).
You have to be careful about who you let guest post on your blog. I don’t want to tell you to be picky, but there are some guidelines that should be met before you ever publish someone else’s article on your blog.
5 Things to Consider Before Publishing a Guest Post on Your Blog
1. The Person Submitting the Guest Post – If you don’t know the person who’s submitting the guest post, then do some research about them. At the very least, visit their blog, read some of their posts and get an idea of what they normally blog about. Get a better understanding of the person behind the guest post.
2. Quality of the Writing – Is there post written in fluent English? Or, is it hard to understand because their English is obviously not their first language. If the substance of their article is good, then perhaps you could correct their grammar a little for them. If it’s way off the deep-end, then kindly reject it.
3. Subject of the Writing – Did the guest poster do their part and write on a subject that will appeal to YOUR readers? Or, is the post way off-base and has nothing to do with the topic of your blog? This will be very obvious and should be a factor in whether you accept or deny the submission.
4. Style of the Writing – For most people this won’t matter. Everyone has their own style of writing. What I’m getting at here are those people who come across cocky or arrogent in their post. Not sure why anyone would, but if you come across, just hit delete. I don’t think your readers would appreciate it too much.
5. The Website the Post Links To – This is critical, and goes hand-in-hand with tip #1. Take a look around their website/blog. See who they link out to, as well as see what kind of Page Rank their site has. If it doesn’t have a Page Rank, Google “site:http://www.theirsite.com” without quotes. If nothing comes up, you may want to stay away.
Do you have any other tips or suggestions for blog owners that accept guest posts? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below…
P.S. If you like this blog and would like to submit a Guest Post for possible inclusion, simply Contact Me.
Tags: blog, blogging, Dennis Edell, guest blog post, guest blogging, guest blogging tips, marketing tactics, page rank, readership, writing a guest blog post
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At the moment my blog is closed for guest posting because I’m still building my image and brand.
In the future however, I’m going to consider these tips because I’ve already made up my mind that I don’t want to have people creating guest posts that are going to be negative to the blog, my readers and the community in whole.
You have to watch out for deception, a guest blog may have good intent but there are a few bad apples from time to time.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..A Crash Course On Holding Your First Blog Contest =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Murlu, That’s understandable.
Certainly, you want to pick them wisely. It’s always best to research the guest poster beforehand and check the website they want to link to. In the end, you have full control over the content.
[Reply]
Twitter: clickonportal
says:
I’d like to open my blog for guest posting in the future, but it also seems like a lot of hard work. Maybe I’ll get a few friends to guest post, but for the most part I’m pretty happy just having my works in my blog.
.-= Mici @ Click On Portal´s last blog ..Toy Story 3 brings back the Kid in Me =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Mici @ Click On Portal,
Not that hard at all. Advertise on your blog that you’re accepting guest posts. That should help.
[Reply]
Barbara
@Mici @ Click On Portal, This is true, especially if you don’t know who and what particular type of writing you want to see posted in your blog. You would also need to proofread their work and if the writings were all true. But guest writing, is nonetheless, opens a new opportunity for fresh content.
Barbara´s last [type] ..Save Your Dog from Dying Young
[Reply]
Twitter: clickonportal
says:
It’s not the getting people to guest post that I foresee to be the hard part. If you get a high page rank people will come to you with a bit of promotions. The hard part for me is proofreading and checking on someone else’s work.
When the next page rank update hits and I get a good grade, I’ll try to have some friends guest post perhaps. My site is optimum since I talk about a bit of entertainment and blogging, my target market are the newbies who know very little about blogging. They can come for entertainment but they can have a side dish blogging tips as well. Well I’m new, but that’s the plan.
.-= Mici @ Click On Portal´s last blog ..Time Blogging You Can’t Get Back =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Mici @ Click On Portal,
I know what you mean about getting a high page rank and having the masses flock to get exposure. I get link exchange requests all the time from new sites, and some not even relevant to my site. Every now and then I get a diamond in the rough, but it’s rare.
Proofreading takes time for sure, and I think it should be the responsibility of the guest poster. I always look guest posts over because I usually find stuff. I prefer quality and error-free content on my blog.
[Reply]
I hired a guest writer for my blog when I went on holiday. I payed them good money to write rubbish
hope this hasn’t stopped people from coming back to my blog.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Gavin Rogers@SEO Tips,
Sorry to hear that. The good thing is that you can go through each post and edit them to make them read better.
[Reply]
jos from gametweeps
@Gavin Rogers@SEO Tips, you should have used your platform scheduler when going on holiday. i know wordpress has one.
jos@gametweeps´s last [type] ..Nintendo 3DS Hacked Soon After Japanese Launch
[Reply]
Twitter: benjaminhook
says:
Guest posts are incredibly effective when it comes to marketing online, the combined results of increased exposure, blog endorsement and backlinks are often overlooked.
[Reply]
Never be afraid to allow guest posts. As mentioned your readers have been won over already, and they will appreciate something new to read.
.-= Dog Beds´s last blog ..Where To Buy Dog Beds Online =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Dog Beds,
Yes, but you don’t want to accept just any guest post. It should be of high quality and relevant to your blog. I agree, offering content from different writers is something most blog readers appreciate from what I have seen here.
Thanks for the comment!
[Reply]
Hi, Im doing also guest posting in other blogs. Same thing I have my own blog. I accept some guest posting but I make sure its related to the topic. I also make sure that there are no bad words written there. I accept guest posting because I feel thankful that others appreciate the content of it. And I enjoyed reading there comments and sometimes learning from them also. Reading your article give a nice tip to me. Thank you for such a wonderful post.
.-= ebusinessmom´s last blog ..WordPress Blog & SEO Example =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@ebusinessmom,
Glad these tips were helpful for you. Guest posting is a win-win for both parties.
[Reply]
I also follow the line that if the piece doesn’t work, find your favorite part and remove it. Everything usually flows well after that. We tend to spend a lot of time trying to make something that we think is especially insightful or clever work when it just doesn’t.
Eliza Harvey´s last [type] ..Rapidsoft Technologies announces its partnership with an Italy based Web Management Company
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Eliza Harvey,
So true. There’s nothing wrong with editing the post when necessary. Thanks for your input, Eliza!
[Reply]
I have a high ranking technology blog and observed that most guest bloggers are only interested in backlinks.
jos@gametweeps´s last [type] ..Overheating Nuclear Reactors Increase Fear of Nuclear Contamination
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@jos@gametweeps,
I can thankfully say that’s usually not the case here. Most of my guest writers are excited to write for my blog and are serious about providing content that my readers will appreciate.
It helps to have a strict list of guidelines that guest bloggers must follow.
[Reply]
These are great tips – all of them are excellent advice. I enjoyed reading it. Blogging is not as easy as many think it is, it’s hard work. Really nice tips you have here!
Thanks,
Luciana
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Luciana@SEO Company UK,
Glad you found them helpful.
[Reply]
The one thing I am afraid of when approving a Guest Posting is duplicate content..
Warm wishes,
Rachel
Rachel´s last [type] ..Jennifer Aniston to direct a movie
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Rachel,
I can understand that. It’s best to have guidelines in place stating that you only accept original content.
If you’re still not sure whether it’s duplicate content or not, an easy way to tell is to copy and paste the entire article into Google and see if any search results show up that have the entire article in them. If so, then the article is posted on other sites as well.
[Reply]
Twitter: michaelaulia
says:
I guess at the end of the day, it all depends on you (as the blog owner) to check the post itself. Unless when we don’t have knowledge about the guest post and decide to publish it anyway (which is a no-no)
Michael Aulia @CravingTech.com´s last [type] ..Belkin Conserve Socket Review
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Michael Aulia @CravingTech.com,
Always a good idea to double-check things before hitting the publish button. Thanks for the comment.
[Reply]
Guest posts are a great way to get traffic to your blog provided the post is relevant to what your blog is all about. Quite often I see guest posts which are completely written off tangent and that may well put off your regular readers. If you have a great blog it will be sad to lose your traffic this way. Great blog you have Alan.
JaneP@Hip Replacement Surgery Video´s last [type] ..High Blood Pressure – Greater Than 65,000,000 US citizens Have It!
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@JaneP@Hip Replacement Surgery Video,
Good advice, Jane. Thanks for being a reader!
[Reply]
If in doubt, you can warm up to allowing the guest post by starting with some blog-to-blog banter. You write an excerpt about one of their posts that already exists and see how your readers respond to the content through comments they leave and such. It’s not really a change for them as they still see it from your point of view. If you can’t find anything worth mentioning or commenting on on their site, it may be best to just move on.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Anthony@acne diets,
Excellent tip, Anthony. This is something I’ve started doing by providing posts I like on other blogs on my monthly roundup posts. Cheers!
[Reply]
If I was to serialize from 1 to 5 based on importance I wouldn’t know which should stand first because I feel all the 5 points are equally important but bloggers will best know which is most important. I never guest posted but its a unique technique and its crucial for blog owners to know who’s guesting posting on their blogs.
[Reply]
I’m very dubtful about guest posting (quality, topic relevance), but I need fresh content for my blog.
So, your 5 tips comes very handy
Thanks Alan!
Mary
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Mary@Ovarian Cyst Treatment Blog,
Glad they have helped. I recommend giving it a try. Worst case scenario is that you have to turn down guest posters because their articles don’t meet your standards.
[Reply]
Guest blogging is very good both for owner and writers as well if it is being maintained properly and for that owner active participation is must so its Good Point outs by you. Keep it up
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Maggy@Web Application Development,
Thanks, Maggy, glad you enjoyed it.
[Reply]
I had a few problems in the past when I decided to accept guest posting, mainly poor quality or even a few spammers.
Now I keep your “5 things to consider” guidelines on my desk. Hope next time will be a better one.
Will.
Will Worthman@magic of making up review´s last [type] ..Our No BS Magic Of Making Up Review
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Will Worthman@magic of making up review,
Great to hear you’re using these suggestions, Will. I also highly recommend having a writing guidelines page setup, that way potential writers already know what you expect from them straight from the get-go.
[Reply]
Twitter: zephyrtechseo
says:
Never thought that guest posts can be useful to the blog owner. Thanks for this enlightening article.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@steve@SEO India,
You’re welcome, Steve.
[Reply]
I was always wondering how to find such blogs that allow guest posting. Do the owners write this somewhere on the blog, or you just need to contact them and hope for their response?
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
@Dzemo@World of Warcraft Guides,
It depends on the blog. Some blogs have a page setup for guest blogging, like my blog. Some don’t, and you need to contact them to find out.
[Reply]
You raise some very valid points. Guest blogging can be great, but you have to choose your partners carefully!
@larryphoto
Larry Lourcey´s last [type] ..Are You Buff Enough?
[Reply]
Twitter: searchforsoft
says:
Even if most guest bloggers are interested in making links, I do think that allowing one posting something related to the general subject of your blog is beneficial to both of you. Let’s not forget that, as you’ve said, Alan, have the full control over your blog.
Jack Trades´s last [type] ..Auslogics BoostSpeed: An all-in-one system optimizer to speed up your machine
[Reply]