guest postingI’m not really sure whether guest posts are practical or not since it really depends on what you mean by are they practical? Certainly, a well placed guest post has been known to improve the standing of a blog which gets one and of the blog which arranges them. At the same time, getting those guest posts can be a lot of effort. Here’s what you need to know:

Why Guest Post

In theory, a guest post has practical implications for both the poster and the postee.
For the person putting the guest post out, it provides them with an extra backlink or two which is a do follow link and it allows them to gain access to the people who visit that blog regularly. For the owner of the blog which gets the guest post, they provide a different perspective which allows them to really expand the horizons of their blog.

The Reality for Blog Owners

That’s the theory anyway. I’ve been on both sides of that equation so I can say that the theory doesn’t always live up to the hype.
For example, as the owner of a blog, I was approached about having a guest post put up on my blog.
I agreed to accept one and a couple of days later got something which was really dreadful. The writing was clearly from someone who didn’t speak English as a first language and who had only the most rudimentary command of the language. I ended up spending more time rewriting the guest post than if I’d written one myself to begin with.
After that, I decided to look a lot more closely at the material that potential guest posters want to put up for me. I ask for samples and make it clear that I reserve the right to refuse a post for any reason if I feel it’s not going to work for my blog. I have yet to put up another guest post.

The Reality for the Guest Poster

The flip side of the coin is the guest poster, which I’ve also done. The key issue here is a traffic one. If you are asked to guest post on a blog with a PR0 ranking and which has a relatively light track record, you’re probably best off politely refusing the invitation. The fact is that such guest posts are a waste of your time and effort since the amount of traffic they’ll generate for you isn’t worth anything.

How to Do It Right

For those who want to do guest posts, my suggestion is to research the blog in question and use a program like SEO Quake to find out what the PR ranking is. Look for one with a ranking of at least 2-3. Then, approach the owner with an interesting idea which relates to what they already post. This way, you’ll get some real benefit instead of wasting your time.
For the blog owner, always, always ask for samples before you agree to accept a guest post. Also, remember to tell the person that you reserve the right to refuse to post if the quality of the post is not up to snuff or the post covers a topic which isn’t relevant to you. In addition, be sure to mention how many backlinks you allow and reserve the right to edit for clarity and length if needed.