Guest blogging is an ideal way to expand your online network, expose your content to new readers, and increase traffic to your blog. You can write on other people’s blogs to introduce yourself to their audience, and you can invite other bloggers to write guest posts on your site which will attract their followers to you. Follow these guidelines to make the most of your guest blogging efforts:

When writing on other blogs:

• Choose authoritative blogs on topics that relate to your products and services. You can pitch your guest posts to bloggers you currently follow, or use tools like BuzzStream and Technorati to find suitable sites.
• Write high-quality, original content that is useful and relevant to their audience.
• This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to potential new customers, so be sure that your post is well-researched, well-written, and showcases your expertise.
• Include a call-to-action and link to your site at the end of your post and be sure that your links lead to appropriate landing pages on your site.
• Don’t write salesy or spammy content devoid of useful information. Not only will readers despise it, but it can damage your host blog’s SEO.
• And of course, make sure your post is original material, since Google penalizes duplicate content in it’s search rankings.
• Follow your host blog’s posting guidelines. They’ve taken the time to lay out their requirements for you, so make sure you follow them and submit content that your host will want to use.
• Promote your guest post via your own website and social media. You’ve put together an expert blog post, so give your followers a chance to read it and help drive traffic to your host’s site.
• Don’t neglect your own blog. Make sure to continue posting the quality content your followers expect while you’re building your presence on other sites.

When inviting others to post on your blog:

• Choose bloggers who are relevant and interesting to your audience, preferably who already have an established following. The idea is to provide useful information to your followers and attract new readers to your site. Research your guest writers, read their blog posts, and review the comments from their readers to ensure their content will align with your goals.
• Let them know what kind of topics and content you are looking for. This will make their job of creating content easier, and will ensure you receive material that aligns with the theme, audience, and voice of your blog.
• Always review their content and links for quality and originality before posting to your site.
• Low quality or spammy content will repel your readers and reduce your hard-won SEO value, so make sure you review your guest posts before putting them online.
• Use free tools like Copyscape and  Article Checker to make sure you’re posting original material.
• Promote your guest’s post and regularly link to their blog and content from your site and social media. As with most things in life, you’ll get out of guest blogging what you put into it. Retweet, share, and comment on other bloggers’ content if you want them to do the same for you.

So go ahead, reach out to some bloggers in your field and strike up a guest blogging relationship. By producing and sharing great content within your network, you’ll increase your visibility, widen your reach, and build backlinks that drive people to your website and theirs.