Getting traffic to your website isn’t just about building links and ranking in the search engines. That’s just one source of potential customers. Social media is the next source that most people consider and that’s definitely a way to increase your reach. The truth is that the more visible you are online, the more traffic you will get. That’s why guest posting on other people’s blogs can increase the traffic to your own site exponentially.

How does being a guest blogger work?

When you write an article for another website, all the people who visit that site will see what you’ve written. If it’s well written and engaging they will read the entire article and see the author box which gets included at the end of every guest post. If they enjoyed your article, they may then click on one of the links you’ve included in your bio. That’s where your traffic comes from. And this is traffic that wouldn’t necessarily have found you in any other way.

In addition, if you can create a conversation by encouraging people to comment on your guest post, you can increase traffic even more. Readers start to make a connection with you through the comments and want to learn more by clicking on your avatar that links to your site.

4 Keys to getting traffic from being a guest blogger:

1. Write quality posts on relevant topics. You should always be presenting your best quality writing anywhere you post. However, when you write for another person’s blog you also need to choose topics that are highly relevant to their readers (as well to your own market). They won’t read your article if it’s not relevant to them and the guest blog owner may not want to publish it otherwise.

2. Select sites whose readers are your target market. Choose the places you guest post carefully to make the most out of your efforts. Find ones that get a decent amount of traffic from people that you are trying to attract as customers. Gaining highly targeted traffic is one of the biggest benefits of guest posting.

3. Always keep track of comments. As soon as you know the post has been published, subscribe to the comments so that you’ll be able to respond. Whenever someone makes a comment, be sure to leave your own response right away. They will appreciate it and often click through on your link.

4. Write a tempting bio box. There’s no point writing an amazing guest post just to have a boring author bio at the end that leads to nowhere. Write a few words about yourself and then invite readers to click on a specific link for something, such as a special offer, report, free giveaway, etc.

What to write in your guest blog post

Here are just a few ideas for topics you can write as guest blog post on:

• Create an FAQ about a topic related to your industry
• Describe the most common mistakes people make in your market
• Share your own experience with a relevant tool or tactic
• Do a Top Ten list of best practices for success in your market
• Write a “how to” tutorial on a topic that typically challenges people
  

If your guest blog posts are valuable and well-written, they will increase your visibility as an expert in your field. If the sites you choose to guest blog on have readers in your target market, you will start drawing more and more traffic to your site. And, as targeted traffic, these are the readers who are most likely to become long term readers and customers of your own.