A Host of Benefits from Hosting Guest Bloggers on Your Local Business Website

I know, you get it already, I’m all about local search, good data and driving foot traffic to your physical business location and online traffic to your website. In that spirit, there’s an important strategy I want to discuss that will help drive that traffic, and that’s to have a blog on your site. I know many of you already do, but it’s an important element because websites that have blogs on them have something most business sites don’t – an engaged audience.

Obviously you and your communications team will decide on the best content marketing strategy and provide the majority of the content, but there is a way to breathe new life into your posts and bring a fresh viewpoint, and that it to invite guest bloggers to participate. There are many advantages to having this as an option on your website; here are a few ways you can start reaping those benefits today.

Competency Prevails Consistency for Your Content

One of the best things about the Internet and Web 2.0 is that anyone can be a writer. One of the most challenging things about the Internet and Web 2.0 is that anyone can be a writer. I know, you know exactly what I mean. Good writers, and importantly, competent writers, are necessary to get your message across clearly and concisely. Consumers want to engage with authentic content that is helpful, informative or entertaining.

Recently Google shared how key competent writers are to digital marketing with the release of their Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. The guidelines show an emphasis on E-A-T Content; that is, content which shows Expertise-Authority-Trustworthiness. In addition to the details listed in that document, keep these points in mind when accepting content from guest bloggers:

• Topics must be interesting and align with your brand/ business
• Watch the style and voice of posts. Again, it should align with your company’s goals and draw in readers
• Competency comes from experience. Ensure the person has the experience claimed and that they are active in your industry

Each of these follow along with E-A-T content and will not only draw readers, but also have the potential to move your site up in search.

Build Credibility

Admit it, we all want a little street cred. In reality, this is part of the backbone of your business. One of the best ways to gain that credibility is to have guest bloggers who are industry influencers. These experts have the potential to increase your website’s authority in a variety of ways:

• The experts bring in more traffic and share links back to your site from their own, or their social media
• It shows your business is constantly looking to learn and grow
• Your business gains credibility from association with an established source

Having influencer guest bloggers will increase your credibility UNLESS you use the wrong blogger. Do your research, validate the expert’s involvement in your industry with a simple Google search. Read their work; check out their followers and how they engage with them; find out if and where they speak, check in with your peers to see what they know. Once you’ve vetted them successfully, go for it and bring those benefits home to your site.

Build a Following

One of the greatest advantages to hosting guest bloggers is that it helps you build a following on your own site. Providing a steady stream of useful content leads you to an engaged audience, who consistently returns. As discussed, bringing on influencers brings in their audiences, too. Here’s what your virtuous cycle of good content could look like:

• Host a guest blogger with links to their site
• The guest blogger links to your site and sends his/ her readers to you
• Readers from the guest blogger’s site explore your site
• You retain a percentage of the readers from the guest blog
• Repeat (all you do is win!)

The benefits here are obviously mutual. Their readers are exposed to you and your readers get exposed to them. That’s just good business, people.

Hosting guest bloggers increases the value of your site by adding valuable content, increasing your credibility among readers and helping your business build a following.

Here at Advice Local we welcome good content from great writers. Are you interested? Visit our page to submit your information, and get your articles in front of the visitors that engage with us each week; we’re always looking for a few good writers.

Have you hosted guest bloggers for your business sites? Tell me about the outcome and if you will continue to do this in the comments.

Be sure and come back each week for #TuesdaysWithBernie