Guest blogging refers to writing a post as a guest on another blog.

There are two types of guest blogging:

• Inviting others to contribute on your blog by writing a guest post
• Contribute on someone else’s blog by writing a guest post

This post addresses the latter i.e. writing a guest post on another blog. Guest blogging typically involves contacting another blog in your niche that accepts guest posts and writing a quality post for the chosen blog. Based on factors such as popularity of the blog and competition, it can be difficult to write guest posts for popular blogs. Additionally, writing a guest post requires time and effort. However the rewards often justify the effort involved. It is one of the best ways to gain visibility and acquire new readers.

Following are the ten main benefits of guest blogging:

1. Target new audience in your niche

It seems natural for bloggers to consider well established and popular blogs for guest blogging. This offers an excellent opportunity to tap into the vast user-base of that blog, which would not have not been possible otherwise. It enables you to tap into the massive audience of an already established blog within your niche.

2. Back-links and SEO benefits

To a great extent, back-links determine your search engine ranking. If you want your website to rank high on Google, you need to build quality back-links to your website or blog. Guest blogging is an excellent way to get permanent, high quality, one way links to your website or blog. The links are of high quality and include a custom anchor text.

3. Improved Authority of your website or Blog

Guest blogging on popular blogs in your niche can improve the authority of your website in time. Back-links pass significant link juice and authority to your website. You can improve your chances by posting regularly and targeting a number of leading blogs in your niche. Both search engines and readers will associate your blog with other high authority blogs that publish your guest posts

4. Increase Traffic to your Website

In addition to getting traffic by ranking higher on search engines, Guest blogging also result in direct traffic from the blog where your post is published. If readers find your post valuable, they will click on your links in the post. Posts on popular blogs receive tens of thousands of page views every month and click through rates can be high.

5. Get new Subscribers for your blog

The number of email or RSS subscribers is an important benchmark to judge the success of a blog on the Internet. Subscribers are an integral part of a successful blog. As your post allows you to target the vast audience of another blog, the chances of new visitors subscribing to your own blog also increases. Guest Bloggers often report increase in subscriptions following the publishing of their guest post.

6. Re-enforce your Brand

Guest blogging helps promote your brand in front of a vast audience. By including well written author box with relevant links to your company’s website can help re-enforce your brand within your niche and provide much needed publicity for your brand.

7. Increase your Reach and Influence through Networking

Guest blogging provides an opportunity to network with others established bloggers in your niche. According to Jonathan Morrow from Copyblogger, every niche has a group of successful people who are leaders or gurus in the field and dominate that niche. People listen to them, buy their products or use other blogs or services they recommend or discuss. Networking with them offers many benefits. It allows you to build the right connections and can help discover new opportunities for collaboration. If you want to succeed in that niche, you need to get their attention. Any interaction with them is bound to get noticed by users in that niche and also by search engines. http://guestblogging.com/

8. Improve your reputation and establish your expertise

Guest blogging provides an opportunity to build your personal reputation and expertise in your niche, especially if your post is published on leading blogs n your niche. Your enhanced reputation can in turn increase your conversions. Guest blogging is a great way to increase your profile and reputation on social media sites. It can help establish you as an expert author in your field.

9. Make Money

Some blogs including Site point and Freelance Switch offer direct payments if your guest post is accepted. However these are few and in no way the primary motivation for writing a Guest post. Writing Guest Posts however have a larger indirect effect on your income from blogging.

Most successful bloggers who earn a full time income from blogging agree that guest blogging was an important step that contributed towards getting them where they are today.

10. Mutually beneficial

Guest blogging is mutually beneficial for all parties involved. The blog that publishes your post benefits from quality content while the author benefits from additional exposure, enhanced reputation, traffic and back-links. It’s a win-win situation.

And last but not the least; guest blogging improves your knowledge and experience in your field which can be priceless.

Tips to get you started:

The process of guest blogging can vary from website to website depending on the popularity. Very popular blogs receive many requests from bloggers who wish to contribute by writing a guest post. As a result it can be difficult to find opportunities and get approval. You should ensure your post is of a very high quality and addresses a topic in high demand.

The author K.Singh is a London based Web Design & Internet Marketing Consultant with over 10 years of experience in E-Commerce, Web development, Joomla and Search engine Optimisation.