A Complete Guide to Link-Building Success

Getting links to your website is one of the most effective ways to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) and climb higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). However, not all links are created equal when it comes to helping your rankings. Low-quality links from spammy or irrelevant sites can actually hurt your site.

That's why one of the best link building strategies is to guest post on high-authority websites in your niche. Writing and publishing articles on these sites not only brings new visitors from an already engaged audience, but also earns a high-value backlink for SEO.

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about snagging guest posting opportunities, writing compelling guest posts, and scoring dofollow backlinks from authority sites to boost your search visibility.

Let’s get started!

Why Guest Post for Backlinks?

The major benefits of guest posting for backlinks include:

It builds high domain authority links. Guest posts are published on established sites with good metrics, editors, and engaged visitors. A link from an authoritative site passes lots of credibility to your own.

Links are editorial – not paid or artificial. Since you have to pitch and write custom content for each site, guest posts produce natural links that search engines like Google trust most for rankings.

Generates direct traffic to your site. A well-written guest post encourages site visitors to click back to your own site, earning you a new audience.

Allows you to connect with influencers. Guest posting partners become part of your network for future promotions, joint ventures, references, and backlink opportunities.

Positions you as an expert and authority. Consistently publishing guest posts related to your niche showcases your knowledge and establishes trust.

Cost-effective outreach. Guest posting takes time, but earns high-value links without expensive paid packages or link networks.

Adds diversity to your backlink profile. Earning links from a variety of reputable external sites improves your site's trust and authority scores in search engine algorithms.

Clearly guest posts, when done right, are extremely worthwhile for ranking gains and traffic growth. So how do you actually find these opportunities and then make your pitch successfully?

How to Identify Good Sites for Guest Posting Outreach

Not all websites that accept guest writers will actually help your SEO or site traffic. To focus your outreach efforts, identify sites that meet the following criteria:

● Relevant to your niche and target audience

● Popular with engaged visitors

● Established editorial guidelines and active blog

● Domain authority above 30

● Mostly dofollow backlinks

Here are some tactics to locate websites that match this criteria:

● Review sites you regularly read and look up to in your industry. Check their contributor pages and guidelines.

● Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Majestic to search for sites by keyword, traffic, and trust metrics. Filter for dofollow domains.

● Check the profiles and guest posts of writers in your field to find sites they’ve contributed to.

● Look through your competitors’ backlink profiles for guest articles they’ve authored.

● Search Twitter by keyword for editors and site owners open for pitches.

● Join Facebook Groups for your niche and ask members to recommend opportunities.

● Use Google operators like “intitle: write for us” and “inurl: contribute” to quickly find pages soliciting contributors.

As you research sites, compile a spreadsheet to track details like domain authority, pageviews, social media followers, backlink policy, and editor contacts. This will come in handy for targeting your pitches.

How to Craft a Winning Guest Post Pitch

With your list of target websites ready, it’s time to start pitching your guest article ideas. A persuasive pitch is crucial for getting selected over the dozens of other writers competing for a guest post slot.

Follow these tips to create pitches that pique editor interest:

● Personalize each pitch. Research the site’s content style and what topics perform well. Tailor your angle appropriately.

● Keep it short and scannable. Editors are busy. Capture attention with a punchy opening line and 200 words max.

● Sell your expertise and experience upfront. Establish subject-matter authority so they trust you to produce a quality post.

● Emphasize the value for their readers. Show you understand the audience and will craft content that appeals to them.

● Provide a working title and article summary. This gives insight into your approach and writing skills out of the gate.

● Be specific about images, links, bio, etc. Proactively address logistics to get the green light faster.

● Close politely with next steps. Request to discuss further or set a timeline to follow up if you don’t hear back.

Along with a compelling pitch focused on their needs, include any relevant writing samples that support your expertise. The easier you make it for an editor to say yes, the better your chances.

Tips for Writing Share-Worthy Guest Posts

You got the guest post gig – nice job! Now it’s time to actually write your article. This is your chance to wow the editor and readers with an informative, entertaining piece of content.

Here are tips for maximizing the impact of your guest posts:

● Closely align to the site’s mission and vibe. Study their content style and voice before you start writing.

● Craft an irresistible headline. Spend significant time fine-tuning your title - it’s critical for clicks.

● Structure content with frequent subheads and paragraphs. Break up text to improve scan-ability.

● Provide actionable advice readers can implement. Inspire next steps with compelling ideas and arguments.

● Get personal when relevant. Strategically blend in anecdotes and examples from your experience.

● Include visuals like infographics, stats, and images when possible. Visual content performs exceptionally well.

● Link out to resources sparingly. Editors want value for their readers – not a link dumping ground.

● Wrap up by recapping key points. End with a memorable statement to give readers something to reflect on.

Keep SEO optimization in mind as well by incorporating target keywords where relevant. Lastly, be sure to have a strong call-to-action that invites clicks back to your site or prompts social shares.

Now comes the most important part...

How to Secure the Backlink from Your Post

The whole reason you pitched and sweated over this custom content was to score that juicy guest post link back to your site, right? Don’t leave this crucial conversion up to chance.

● Reiterate backlinks in your agreement. Clarify upfront the number of links allowed and locations like author bio. Get approvals in writing.

● Link strategically from bolded power words within content. Choose keywords you want associated with your brand.

● Install clickable hyperlinks on all images and infographic stats directed to relevant pages on your site.

● Link branded mentions of your company name throughout the article rather than just once initially.

● Request a prominent link in the author bio displayed with your headshot at the end of the post.

● Ask about inclusion in the site’s related posts section following your article. Having engaging content can help you get featured.

Most importantly, actually promote the post once it goes live! Share your awesome new contributor content across your social channels, email subscribers, and professional contacts. The more eyeballs on that page that can potentially click through, the more value it brings the publisher. This encourages repeat guest posting engagements to build an ongoing stream of stellar backlinks directed right at your money pages.

Skyrocket Your Rankings with a Guest Posting Strategy

Consistently scoring high-quality guest post links from reputable sites in your space is a risky investment that pays enormous dividends for your search visibility. Not only do the backlinks themselves directly influence rankings, but guest posts also attract direct site traffic, establish expertise, and catalyze viral interest to your brand.

Now that you know where to find guest post opportunities, how to successfully pitch editors, craft compelling content, and lock in dofollow backlinks, you have everything you need to launch an ongoing guest posting strategy. Over time, owning this channel will become the secret weapon that gets your site and its content ranking – for all those valuable keywords you covet most.

So sharpen your pitch, refine some killer topics, and start reaching out to get your next great guest post secured today! The more quality links you can proactively build, the faster you’ll ascend in those lucrative search engine results pages.