As you work to develop your content marketing plan, you might be wondering if you should pay for a guest post. The answer to that question will vary based on where you’re at in your content marketing journey and maturation process.
Learn more about the right time to pay for a guest post and when to instead focus on your owned properties with those funds.
When to Pay for Guest Posts
You’ve likely read a great deal about the importance of backlinking and referral traffic to your website. And that’s led you to research guest post options. But you’re still unsure about whether now is the right time to invest in a guest blog. Here’s when to pay for guest posts.
1. You Have a Strong Blogging Plan on Your Website
When building your content marketing plan, you want to start with your owned channels. Your blog should not get neglected to pay to have something published on someone else’s blog. Backlinking helps when your website is getting updated regularly new new content and blogging is a great way to do that.
2. You’ve Put SEO Effort into Your Website
Sometimes backlinking gets more attention than it should. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important. But that doesn’t mean you should invest in it right now.
First, look at the structure of your website. Ask yourself how user-friendly and SEO-friendly it is. You should complete some general optimization before seeking ways to drive traffic. That way, you know you’re ready to welcome visitors and create a hospitable environment for them.
3. Your Website Includes Clear Lead Funnels and Forms
Before investing in outreach of any kind, you should ensure your website has adequate lead funnels and forms to accept new leads. Otherwise, you’ll just be generating website traffic for the sake of generating traffic. It won’t convert into tangible business results, which will make it pretty worthless.
4. The Website Offering the Guest Post is High Quality
Some websites have made a business out of just accepting guest posts. They don’t have solid readership or a strong domain authority. But to see good results from the investment, you need to ensure the website will provide value to your business.
Make sure the website is a good match for your audience and that you’ll get the opportunity to use do-follow links in your post to provide the SEO value you’re looking for.
5. You’ve Exhausted Free Guest Blogging Opportunities
Before paying for guest posts, you should exhaust your resources for free guest posts. You’ll find many great opportunities to collaborate with other businesses and bloggers that don’t cost you money. Consider using those first to get started with your backlinking efforts. Just be sure to check the domain authority for the website first to make sure it’s worth your time.
6. Inquire Whether the Guest Post Comes with Distribution
Digital marketing isn’t just about SEO. You also want to ask questions about how the blog post will be distributed to the blogger’s audience. Will you get added exposure or will it just get published and you’ll see some SEO value?
Guest posts should be about referral traffic and SEO, not just SEO. Asking the right questions now can help ensure you get the most from your investment.
7. You Have the Resources to Write Great Content
A mediocre guest post or one that you have AI generate won’t work wonders for building relationships with potential customers or showing search engines how knowledgeable you are on a topic.
Instead, make sure you have the resources to write a great guest post. Quality will always beat out quantity when it comes to content and backlinks.
Copywriting Assistance for Guest Posts
Looking to develop great content for use in guest posts? Bridge the Gap Communication can help. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about our copywriting and blogging services.