Anyone that has been in the Internet marketing world for a little while knows that the SEO world is ever changing. It is one of the most dynamic fields out there today, and you can never bank on one single tactic working for too long (especially when it is a black hat method).
In fact the Google Panda update has basically forced SEO’s to become more “white hat” in their approach. They are sending a message: “If you are a content mill, you are just not going to cut it” (the search engine Blekko completely removes content mills from their web site) and if you use “black hat” techniques or techniques that Google views negatively, then you are going to get call and penalized. The longer it takes for them to find you just means that you will have a way harder and longer fall.
…But I digress. What I mean to say that one of the most popular techniques these days is also one of the most white hat techniques out there. That technique is guest posting.
This is because this technique is very hard to “SPAMIFY.” It requires two human beings working together (whether you are doing it or have hired an SEO company for a link building service), and ultimately it is up to the blogger whether to decide to publish your post or not. If you seem to always getting the short stick of the bargain, here’s 10 reasons why that might be so.
1. Your Approach is all wrong! Since the process of guest posting a lot of the times begins with the initial email, you need to make sure that you are able to get the right message across. Your first message should replicate that you are able to contribute with a qualified post. You need to put confidence into the person you will be writing the post for that you will be able to deliver with your email.
2. You’re using a crummy email template. Yes sometimes it is necessary to use an email template (or at least a few lines that you seem to always be saying). I usually find that personal emails work better anyways. After all, every situation is different as every article is different, and trust me, people can tell when you have written an email template (especially in the SEO world 🙂 )
3. Your proposal for an article is terrible. Now there are many reasons why this might be so. It may be a topic that has been completely rehashed many times over and over again, or it might be totally off topic and irrelevant to the blog. The main point here is, you need to be a lot more original.
4. You weren’t up front with the blogger. Being vague in your conversations will ultimately ensure that your article gets rejected. If you are going to be linking to your site, and your site sells car insurance – you might as well be upfront about it!
5. You formatted your article terribly. 600 words and only 3 paragraphs?! Come on, this is the Internet!
6. You didn’t take the time to review your article. Bloggers have better things to do with their time then to go through and make sure that you have used proper English and grammar.
7.You didn’t follow the rules. If there have been some rules established, whether they were given to you via email, or the blogger has a special submission page that gives the guidelines they have to all of their guest post submissions, and you failed to adhere them, you have bought yourself a one way ticket to article rejection.
8. You did not respond in a timely manner. Are you sending an article out a month after you agreed to do the guest post? Bloggers are on a tight schedule, and that schedule does not always match up with yours.
9. You did not follow up. Like it’s been said, bloggers are on a tight and busy schedule. Even if you think your article is one of the highest quality articles out there, an authority even, it may slip the bloggers mind to publish it. Follow up emails are crucial.
10. Your anchor text is unsatisfactory. Make sure that you are once again following the blogger’s rules, and that your anchor text isn’t something complete outlandish and ridiculous.
Written by Jet Russell
Jet helps to run and maintain white label SEO services over at www.inetzeal.com. In his spare time he likes to write articles about SEO and SEM.
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Hey, Jet:
Responding in a timely manner is key for me as is communication from initial query to when the post goes LIVE on the site. From both parties.
Good article and tips. Thanks.
Cheers!
Nice one those 10 reason was really helpful to the people who dont know how to do it.. glad you share this one in here..