Is Guest Blogging Worth It?
I recently gave guest blogging a shot and was accepted to write for Freelance Folder - a high profile blog for freelancers. I was really happy with my article, and if you have a spare minute you should definitely check it out.
Now, this seems like the perfect scenario right? I’m getting more exposure by reaching a wider audience and my loyal readers here can simply click the link above to read my ideas. However, it just doesn’t feel the same as posting content here…
Sure, there are very compelling reasons for guest blogging, but I’ve decided not to go down that route with Push Standards. Having a little less time now that I’m back at university I want to put my all into writing quality content for MY readers, not somebody else’s. This isn’t to say that I have anything against guest bloggers, or Freelance Folder - it’s a fantastic blog and I highly recommend that you visit it. I just don’t feel the same satisfaction in linking to my article somewhere else as posting it here. I’m sure that some of my readers will read this post but not follow the link to my guest article. And this is a shame - I really liked that article.
Another reason why I’m deciding against guest blogging is that it doesn’t convert as well as I thought. I’ve received little to no traffic for my efforts. The reason for this is simple, as I always say people only want to be helped. They won’t care where the information is posted, as long as it’s helpful to them. Whilst I may feel like following author links as research your average reader will simply take what they can from your article and not care about the source.
A perfect example of this is JohnChow.com. I felt inclined to research how much traffic his guest bloggers were getting. Given the popularity of his blog I assumed that anyone lucky enough to write a guest article for him would receive a traffic spike from their author link alone. I was wrong. If you take the example of Michael Kwan, he wrote a guest article for John Chow that was published on the 9th of February. If you take a look at his Alexa page, not only has his traffic had no rise whatsoever, but if anything it’s gone down. This could be for any number of reasons, but it does seem to support my claim to give YOUR blog priority.
In conclusion these are tips when considering guest blogging:
It’s nice to hear some comment on guest blogging. over at blogengage I’m adding an integrated blog where I’ll be allowing members to “guest blog” at blogengage! I’m hoping I get a positive feedback from the experiment but ti’s nice to hear your experience as well!
I think that’s a good idea. I’m not saying that I had a terrible experience with it by any means. However, I do think that it’s better for pagerank etc… rather than traffic. If you integrated a less formal ‘guest blog’ where users could post their thoughts rather than writing out long articles this may achieve more success. Something like a mid-point between forum discussions and blog posts.
I’ve been reading your blog for a good while now and I really like some of your posts. Well done and keep it up
The information about Michael Kwan’s guest post at JohnChow.com is very interesting. Actually, a bit surprising.
James: Many thanks, I’ve actually been reading yours for a while now too! Keep up the great work with you site.
Jim: Yeah it applies for all his guest bloggers, and really surprised me. I do think that people just get what they want from the content though and don’t bother to look up the author - that’s the only explanation I can think of.
Hey Tom!
Good points about guest blogging here. Writing on blogs other than your own, especially when you don’t have a whole lot of time on your hands can actually be a bad thing (for your own blog and readers). I gotta say I’ve been guest bogging (and freelance writing) for some time now and it does help get your name out there (maybe not so much traffic, but links and exposure, the more people see my name the better, even if they don’t click), but when I find my schedule is too full the first thing to go is usually the guest blogging.
Well all this to say I’m very happy you wrote that post for FreelanceFolder, you’re right it is a great post. I’m happy you took the time to write about your experiences with guest blogging as well. It is a great way to build your profile and get some exposure, but like you said ‘only if you got some spare time’.
Cheers
Jon
Thanks for the comment Jon
I definitely do see the potential for getting your name out there, I just previously assumed people guest blogged for the traffic. I’m glad that you enjoyed the post though and whenever I do have more time in the future you’ll be the first person I get in touch with about guest writing. 
Cheers,
Tom.
And you’ll always be welcome!
One thing’s for sure you got yourself a reader (and subscriber and I will definitely link to Push Standards when I can)
Keep rockin’
Now that’s what every blogger wants to hear!
Thanks for the support Jon, and the same goes for your website.
Nice suggestions Tom.
Happy to reach your site and read this article. I will subscribe for sure. And just starting reading other articles after leaving this comment.
Have fun
- Mittal Patel
Great post, Tom. I’ve only guest blogged one time - on Garry Conn Dot Com. That was before I started Blogging Gal. It was a nice experience for me, but it did make me realize that I can create quality content for my own blog about blogging. Now I have Blogging Gal for that!
So yes, I have to agree. Only guest post if you’ve got lots of time on your hands. I think it’s better to post your great content on your own blog.
Btw, I haven’t read Freelance Folder, but I’ve been a reader of Jonathan’s other blogs for probably close to a year. He’s a great writer.
Yeah he sure is. By the way I’m glad that you did decide to start blogging yourself.
Thanks for the review link as well!
Thanks for subscribing Mittal, I appreciate the support!
Tom, thanks!
I’m having a blast with Blogging Gal. I’ve been blogging on my personal blog since November 2004, but this is a completely new experience!
And you’re very welcome for the review link! Thanks for your awesome review.
No problem
I’m should be posting about my latest website later today by the way, I’d really appreciate opinions when that launches!
[…] Guest Posting - You can read my thoughts on this here. […]
Tom, good points. A guest post elsewhere is most powerful when it establishes or strengthens a connection more effectively than a post at your own blog would.
Blogs don’t send each other mass amounts of traffic, as a general rule. Why? Because links quickly disappear from focus.
Many bloggers think they need to guest post in order to achieve maximum visibility. Some think it’s a waste of time no matter what.
Maki at Dosh Dosh has avoided guest blogging from the beginning. Skellie has embraced it. Both strategies have worked.
The main benefit is influence. The main drawback is time away from your own blog.
The key is to develop a vision of where you are and what you want to accomplish. Then it becomes much easier to decide whether to try to guest-post, how much time to invest in it and which blogs to try to guest-post at.
Thanks for the great post Easton
I agree with your points. I would really say that guest posting is more about reputation than traffic for many people. After all if you just want the backlink you can probably get the same exposure by commenting on 10 new posts on successful blogs and this takes far less effort. A guest post gives you ample space to position yourself as an expert in your field however, so I guess this is the major benefit.