There are a lot of good and bad things about guest blogging. Some blog owners are not certain if it is something they want to take on, so I have put together some pros and cons. As a side note, I accept guest posts, but I am very picky about what cannot go into an article so it remains pure of spam.
The Good of Guest Blogging
- You get free content to share with your readers.
- You get some extra time to either write future articles, and even network with readers.
- You are building a good relationship with other bloggers in your niche and overall blogging community, even helping some bloggers gain a better reputation.
- You learn a lot from your guest bloggers through the new topics they bring for you to publish onto your site.
The Bad of Guest Blogging
- You open up your blog to possible security issues, especially if your site is not set with roles for users to deny access to specific areas of the website.
- You open your site up to spammers. This works in two ways. The first is if spammers registered with your site and the second is from guest writers trying to sneak in articles that are spam.
- You will have to check articles and spell check. From experience, I have had to correct some spelling and grammar problems.
- You may have to seek out or create thumbnail issues and format articles to fit with your blog’s style. For example, you might have to set keywords, and make sure html heading tags are properly done.
Guest blogging does take a little more time. It is nearly like the old days of getting a job when you walk in a place, say you want to get hired, and usually after a brief interview, you might be given the job. In this case of guest blogging, it is signing up to a site or contacting the website owner, submitting the article, and then waiting for it to be approved to be published.
Not everyone has the time, but those who do, guest blogging can be a blast. I have learned a few new things from all of my guest writers and for me, that is a huge thing. I know I am not the only person who things so.
Deciding whether guest blogging is for your website is not to be an intimidating decision. Consider what time you have and the direction you want your site to take. If you are not sure, discuss it with someone in your niche who does have their site open to guest blogging and see what they suggest.
If you have guest blogged or are a site owner of a website that allows guest posts, what are the good and bad of guest blogging that you have discovered by experience?
I do not accept guest posts on any of my blogs at this time, nor have I ever been a guest poster at another blog. For me, not accepting guest posts is merely because I do not wish to get burned by someone who posts something that might end up decreasing the value of my blog. By the same token, I do not wish to see someone else's blog end up decreasing in value due to a guest post I wrote that ended up being inferior.
I enjoy receiving guest posts for my blog – editing them (not so much to edit in most cases) and connecting with the guest posters. Believe me, it's an interesting experience and I make a lot of friends from there.
I agree with the pros and cons that you've stated above so you have to be always careful and avoid any mistakes. The best way is to determine the policies for guest posting in your blog so any guest writer can understand that and preserve the quality of your blog.
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I have been asked to become a guest blogger and it turned out all right. I guess it all boils down to choosing the right blog to write for and making sure that you don't step on the toes of the owner of the blog who has asked you to write something for him or her.
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Hey Nile, thanks for this post. may I say it's a great one? 🙂
Guest blogging DOES take time – any blogging process does. I can't think of any blogging tasks that requires no time and effort. If you want to get value, you always need to give back something.
But in the end, it's the blog owner who decides whether to reject or accept content. If the quality standards remain high and you reject all the spammers, the quality of your blog will only win.
BTW, how come I haven't seen you at MyBlogGuest for quite some time? 🙂
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Yes, I wanted to come from the angle of the blog owner because some people walk in with eyes shut and it can be really time consuming. However, if a person is dedicated to building their site, the time is worth it in the end.
I have been really busy with clients, conferences as a speaker, and home front (one of my family has been in and out the the hospital for the past year due to cancer.)
I love guest posts. I readily accept guest posts on my blog, as well as offer and do guest posting on other blog.
The bad of guest posting can easily be overcome and become a non issue. I think the biggest thing is are your prepared to go that extra mile.
Guest blogging can be a benefit to both the author and owner.
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Yes i agree each and every thing has its pros and cons. Something is made with positive intention but many of us takes it on a wrong way. Like In guest blogging and being a good human if end one is write guest post with goodness than everything is Okay otherwise the picture would be completely changed. Thus it depends on how to take everything. By the way i like guest blogging. It also helps to grow blog community.
Everything in life has pros and cons. Guest blogging is not something I’ve had a great deal of experience with so your list of pros and cons was enlightening. Shortly before Christmas a lady left a comment on one of my posts then followed up with a request to do a guest post. Obviously some time was involved as we worked on editing the post before publishing but I found that experience very rewarding. Many posts I read on sites I visit are written by guests so it’s obviously something that both site owners and guest writers find rewarding and mutually beneficial.