Because… let’s not kid — it looks like a great move.
I mean other people shell content for you, your pages get indexed quickly, and the authors bring more exposure to your blog via their own channels.
It all seems like a nice recipe for a successful blog.
No wonder, it has become a standard practice among the majority of bloggers today.
However, here’s a major question:
Is accepting guest posts really a good choice for you?
The answer could be NO!
Guest Posts Can Kill Your Blog
The last time you thought of guest blogging for someone, what was the purpose behind that?
If you’re like the majority, unless you’re supposed to get paid to write, reason #1 would be backlinks, reason #2 would be brand exposure.
In reality, as harsh as it may sound, nobody cares about your blog and audience.
Contributors want something in return.
So, whoever applies to write a guest blog for you is doing that for their own benefits.
Now, that itself isn’t wrong. Here’s where the problems start:
Disadvantages of Accepting Guest Posts
- The quality of the content could be poor
- You might have to sit for about an hour or two to make corrections
- The narration of that post might not fit the overall theme of your blog
- It might not supplement the long-term growth plan for your blog
- You might have to make author accounts, which could require a few tweaks and add-ons on the development end.
If the benefits of accepting guest posts still outweigh these hassles, here are two other major problems:
1) Will The Real Experts Please Stand Up?
Unless yours is a well-renowned, highly popular blog in your niche, you’re not going to get approached by industry experts. And it’s a pity because that’s who really can bring more value to your blog.
All you will get are pitches from new bloggers who, as mentioned, will likely be looking for backlinks.
Would you be willing to publish their generic and non-expert content – that bring comparatively less value – on your blog?
(Hopefully) No!
2) Your Audience Wants to Hear from You
Here’s another question: your returning visitors, why do you think they return for? Or why do you think your many visitors have subscribed to your newsletters?
The answer is rather extremely simple…
Because your audience wants to hear you talk.
They care about your views, opinions, ideas, and insights.
Now one day, if you publish an article on your blog that’s authored by someone else, how would these returning visitors and subscribers respond?
Maybe, they might be okay for once or twice. But if you start posting guest blogs continuously, they would be less delighted. Poor and generic type content could make things even worse for you.
This itself is a big reason why you should think (again) over your decision of accepting guest posts for your blog.
Still confused? Let’s slay that…
When Accepting Guests Posts is OKAY:
- If it fits your goals and vision of where you want to take your blog in the next 2-5 years.
- If you’re looking to build a brand of your blog (and not self). Like Hubspot.
- If your blog is popular that can attract qualified individuals.
- If the blog is generic that has room for diversified writing styles, ideas and insights.
- If your audience has diversified interests.
When Accepting Guest Posts is a Big No-No:
- If you want to build your self-brand. Like Pat Flynn.
- If you have a highly targeted audience who’s looking for definite and qualified solutions.
- If your readers are like a community, closely knitted, that trusts you.
- If you don’t have the time to manage this guest blogging program. Accepting pitches, selecting a good one, editing and publishing the post — it all can take a lot of time.
- If you (and the readers) are super vigilant to the kind of articles that goes on the blog.
I would rather publish a self-written article once every week, than push one every day from other authors that is of low-quality, untargeted and doesn’t streamline with my goals.
Now I am not against guest blogging at large though. And neither should you.
Guest blogging is one of the amazing content marketing strategies.
Occasionally, I contribute to other websites myself.
So, yourself don’t stop looking for opportunities to contribute to different blogs/websites. Find websites with high PR. And, most importantly, guest blog not just for SEO purpose.
Here’s an old video (2012) of Matt Cutts explaining what is Google’s view on guest blogging for links…
As for should you accept guest posts on your own blog: it’s an important decision. Check the above points and know whether this is a nice idea or not.
Good luck! 🙂
Recommended Read: How To Increase Blog Traffic? (A No-BS Guide For 2020)
