Knowing how to use keyword planner simply isn’t enough when you are trying to rank for a highly competitive keyword. In order to rank in Google’s coveted top search engine positions, you will need to build high-quality backlinks leading to your page. Guest blogging is a great way to develop a reputation in your niche, as well as build backlinks, which remains one of Google’s most important ranking factors.
If you are trying to find guest blogging opportunities, you’re in luck. In this article, I will detail 7 ways to do just that.
1. Perform a Google reverse image search.
This is easy and effective. Search your niche for rival blog writers who tend to guest post on your niche’s highest quality blogs. Take their headshot URL and post it into Google’s reverse image search. That’s it. You’ll be able to see what sites they have guest posted on and use it to your advantage. You can contact the blogger and find out what you need to do to submit your own posts.
2. Check out the top blogger directories.
There are plenty of blog directories on the internet. Two of my favorites are Alltop and Myblogguest, where you’ll have access to the best and most visited blogs in your niche. Visit the sites and find out who the A-listers are and which sites are getting massive amounts of traffic.
3. Don’t forget about Bing
Although Google is the first search engine that comes to mind for most of us, Bing — the second-largest search engine, still attracts around 165 million searches every month.
What you may not know about Bing is that the search engine ranks their search results differently from Google. This is crucial because you can use identical search terms on Bing and Google and get entirely different results. This gives you the chance to find hidden guest posting opportunities that your competition isn’t aware of. You can get in there first and hopefully become a favorite guest poster.
4. Take advantage of Twitter’s advanced search.
Using the same formula and keywords you used for your Google search, perform a search query on Twitter to see who is looking for guest bloggers. For example, use advanced search to find anyone who has posted a Tweet including “looking for a guest blogger” or “in need of guest bloggers.”
I did this and found that a good bit of my results weren’t in my niche, so I took it a step further and narrowed down my search to “looking for a guest blogger” and “social media.” This allowed me to find anyone who used these two phrases in a single Tweet.
5. Use your competitors’ backlinks.
While working on your SEO campaign, you (or your online marketing agency) may have pulled up a backlink analysis of your biggest competitors. If you didn’t, now is the perfect time to do it. There is a good chance that some of your competitors will include backlinks from previous guest posts they published.
One way to do this is by taking advantage of tools such as Open Site Explorer, which allows you to look at your competition’s backlinks and identify any blogs they have previously guest posted on. If you don’t have Open Site Explorer, you can always perform a Google (or Bing) search for [link:domain.com “guest post.”] Simply replace domain.com with your competition’s domain. This will also show you what sites your competitors have posted on.
6. Take advantage of forum communities.
Any forum that is geared towards your niche gives you the opportunity to interact with other bloggers and webmasters. Additionally, there are forums, such as DigitalPoint, where people who are actively searching for guest posters go specifically with the goal of finding high-quality guest bloggers.
However, I have to give you a bit of a warning. Do not create accounts on forums and immediately begin begging for guest posting opportunities. This is just asking to get a bad reputation, while also saying goodbye to potential opportunities. Instead, take the time to get involved on the forum, network with active members, and finally move in with the offer of submitting a guest post.
7. Turn to Google Alerts for help.
Google Alerts is a powerful tool. Here’s how to use Google alerts to help you not only find the best guest posting opportunities but also find them before your competition learns about them. Anytime a blogger in your niche decides to accept guest posts, you’ll receive an email notification. The sooner you reach out to these bloggers with a great idea and a high-quality article, the more likely you are to see your work posted on their site. As an added bonus, Google Alerts will completely eliminate your need to regularly visit countless blogs in search of guest posting opportunities.
Using Google Alerts is easy. Simply choose your targeted keywords and anytime something is indexed or posted using these keywords, you’ll be notified. If you visit the landing page and do not see any guest posting opportunities, be sure to visit the contact page. Other formats you can use include “write” SEO, “guest post” SEO, “bloggers wanted” SEO and “contributor” SEO.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to find guest posting opportunities, there’s something important you should always keep in mind. If your only goal is a backlink to your site and you aren’t committed to submitting high-quality posts, you’re eventually going to run into a huge problem. Your reputation will quickly make its way around your niche and those bloggers who care about their reputation and their readers will not use you. Well established bloggers already tend to be picky when selecting guest posts, so a negative reputation means they may not even bother to read what you submit. This also applies if you are considering using spun content or outsourcing an article for a few dollars.
Your guest posting goal should be to provide high-quality, informative content. This will not only ensure you get a backlink to your site but will also help set you apart from the competition as an authority in your niche. You may even find that a blog owner wants to partner with you.
This is a guest submission by Danny Donchev. He is the founder of Fortune Lords. He has been working in digital marketing and SEO since 2004 . Danny is passionate about helping educate digital marketers who are just starting their career.