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There are many advantages that are associated with guest blogging and should be really beneficial if you are looking for ways to promote your business. In this article we will be having a look at 5 interesting ways on how your business can benefit from guest blogging.

SEO

The first way that you will likely benefit from guest blogging is that it can help you with your SEO task. After the Google Panda update there are some people that believe that article directories are simply devalued and it may be a waste of time trying article submission for SEO purposes. This is where guest blogging can come in handy. By posting regularly on related blogs you will be able to build some really good backlinks to your own site and allow you to get your site up the SERP.

Traffic

Guest blogging can also help you get some interesting traffic towards your own site. Indeed if you post some really useful content people will be really interested to check your site and this can help increase the amount of visitors to your site. However you will need to ensure that your articles are really useful to the readers and that will truly encourage them to click on the link and visit your site.

Reputation Building

By posting quality guest posts on some authority sites you can successfully build your reputation online. Again all will depend on whether your articles are really useful and whether it really adds value for the readers. The more you do so the more credibility you will build online and people will gradually consider you as being an expert in the niche.

New Contacts

Guest blogging can also allow you to make new contacts in your niche. This not limited only to fellow webmasters but also to visitors of the host blog. One benefit of this is that you can get feedback on your blogging quality and hence help you improve your blog. Guest blogging can also provide you with opportunities for joint ventures and hence help you to develop your business.

Subscriber Base

Another interesting advantage of guest blogging is that it can also allow you to build your subscriber base quickly. Rather than just relying on organic traffic to build your list, guest posting on related blogs can help boost your subscriber base radically. However you need to make sure that your landing page is optimized well to ensure that you make the most of the surge in traffic on your blog.

Most people will find something along the way, especially when reading blogs, that they may have an opinion that not always agrees with the author of the post. That is okay.

Blogging is not always suppose to be a feel good kind of gig. Some people may have some harsh views, and others may agree wholeheartedly. It is okay to “agree to disagree.”

Most readers will do a couple things after reading a post:

• Read maybe the first couple lines or the title and then leave the site
• Read the whole article and then leave the site
• Read and leave a comment in general
• Read and leave a comment in favor of the author
• Read and leave a comment not in the favor of the author

Some bloggers get really riled up when another person leaves a comment that seems negative. However, this is not to be taken bad unless it is truly meant to be so. It is an opportunity to open the floor to a civil discussion. Even if the outcome still is an “agree to disagree” situation, it is a worthwhile conversion, and likely to build a respectful relationship between the author of the post and the readers.

Bloggers who believe it best to remove any comments that do not agree are not helping their cause. It shows closed-mindedness, and it really is censorship- letting others know that the blog does not promote a healthy sense of conversation.

Social networks are often bad mouthed because they shut down controversial conversation streams. In blogs, well, it proves to shows how many people are passionate about the topic. The people controlling the moderation is the blog owner or designated moderators, so there is really less bureaucracy to deal with. Both the commenter and the moderator have to have some type of respect for each others’ opinion.

In fact, things that were missed in the article, can easily be covered in blog comments too!

So, it is okay to agree to disagree. Do not be afraid to share your opinion.

Have you commented on a post that was controversial and the conversation got out of hand? Or did you write a controversial post where it was really difficult to take in the responses?
Have you commented on a controversial blog

I have heard a lot on the verdict about anti-spam plugins for WordPress and even after trying a lot of different plugins, I still come to the conclusion – you will see spam get through. Some plugins less than others, but still… there is always a factor that there will be spammers. It does not matter if you put captcha, a math question, or even a check mark, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SPAM.

It is sad, but really, it keeps every blogger on their toes. Even with the best email spam blockers, spam DOES get through eventually.

Personally, I think it is annoying when spam comments on my blog comes in the hundreds. It is without a doubt that unfortunately Askimet for WordPress is not always doing a good job. I hate to say it, but I am not even sure if I can trust how much better paying for Askimet per month can help any blogger, even some of the top pro bloggers out there!

The problem is that there are people out there, just like everyday hackers devious and thinking on how they can reach you. Whether it is your email account, Instant messenger, social network account, or even your blog comments, they try it.

It could be different keywords, or even typing words a certain way. People still get Viagra and Cialis comments like crazy and it is because they are typed differently: spelled incorrectly, typed in l33t spee (upper case, lower case alternating letters), and even grouped with other keywords.

Bloggers literally have to make it part of their routine to block spammers in any sort of manner.

So far, I have heard that the GASP Plugin for WordPress is great for bloggers. Even though it is a plugin that requires your blog commenters to checkmark a box basically asking if they are a real person instead of a spammer, I have heard that a lot of bloggers have given feedback that their moderation queues have greatly reduced.

What is it about spam that is annoying to you? What kind of spam do you often moderate on your blog? What plugin or plugins do you use to try to reduce spam on your blog?

Blogging has evolved a lot from being the narcissistic online diary to become a genuine platform for expressing one’s views and also as a genuine business tool. Due to this exponential growth it is also becoming common to find bloggers that are victims of lawsuits. What can bloggers do in order to avoid this situation? In this article I will be covering 4 common mistakes that are made by a lot of bloggers and that you will better avoid if you want to avoid getting sued.

Copyright infringement

You should not think that everything on the internet is free and can be used whenever you want. Images and videos are all protected by copyrights and should be used on your blog with great care. As much as possible you should make use of images that have been released under the Creative Commons license or better purchase your image from one of the various stock photography site that exist.

In case of text you should also be wary of copyright issues. As far as possible you should link to the original sources to avoid any risk of being sued for copyright infringement.

False statement

Bloggers sometimes erroneously assume that they can say anything and everything on their blog because of free speech rights. Although this may be true to some extent there are cases however where you need to be careful. For instance it is a crime to publish some false statements on some other person. Before publishing something on your blog make sure that you have verified the sources and that you have proof to sustain what you are saying. Remember that it is one thing to know the truth and another thing altogether to prove it.

Publishing sensitive information

Under the law of privacy you can be liable for publishing some statements even if it is true. This is mainly the case when the information that you have published can cause embarrassment for the person. This is especially true if this information is not a matter of public interest.

In the same way you should also be careful when publishing information on a business. Given that these secrets are usually a source of competitive advantage businesses may be ready to take the battle to the courts in order to protect their interest.

Trust in anonymous blogging

Although anonymous blogging may protect you to some extent you should not trust entirely in it. Indeed bloggers can still be vulnerable to subpoenas whereby your hosting provider will be forced to reveal your identity. In this case you might end up being in trouble. This is why it is always important that you remain wary of the issues listed above if you want to protect yourself from lawsuits even if you are doing it anonymously.

These 4 mistakes are perhaps the most common ones that are made by bloggers and you should make everything you can in order to avoid those. This will help protect you from lawsuits that can turn out to be quite costly.

In the movie “Julie and Julia,” Julie Powell considered herself a failure because a book she attempted didn’t quite work out the way she had hoped. To redeem herself, she set out to cook all of the recipes from Julia Childs’s book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Powell’s husband encouraged her to blog about her recipes and experiences. What started out as a daily cooking commitment also turned into a daily blogging commitment. Following are five blogging lessons I learned from this movie.

Lesson 1: Blog with a Plan and Purpose

Powell set a goal to cook the 524 recipes from Julia Childs’s book within 365 days and blog about them. She had 524 reasons to stay focused and absolutely no reason to run out of content.

Know what you are going to blog about and be sure you are passionate about that topic. Purpose and passion will keep you going through periods of bloggers block and doubt.

Lesson 2: Blog for Your Audience

When Powell first started blogging, she wanted to prove to herself that she was not a loser. As she started to get readers and followers, blogging was no longer about her; she had an audience waiting to hear from her.

Since your audience will ultimately determine the success or failure of your site, always put them first as you write.

Lesson 3: Your Blog Will Not Become Popular Overnight

Powell’s blog did not become popular right away and neither will yours – unless you already have a dedicated following interested in you or your topic. Blogging is not a “build it and they will come” venture. Just like any other business, you have to market it and provide value to gain popularity.

Lesson 4: Consistency Leads to Success

Apparently, Powell had a history of not completing things she started. She really wanted to finish her project. She cooked and blogged every day, sometimes several times a day. That was pretty ambitious.

You don’t have to be that extreme. Develop a schedule that you can realistically maintain. If you can only blog once a month, do that. Just be consistent so your readers will know when to expect your next post.

Lesson 5: Do Not Blog about Your Job on Your Personal Blog

Powell had mentioned that she was going to be off of work on her blog. Her supervisor read the post and brought it to her attention upon her return.

Do not discuss your job on your personal blog and do not discuss personal topics on your business blog. If you just have to cross that line, proceed with caution.

The five blogging lessons above are just a few lessons I learned from “Julie and Julia.” Powell achieved her blogging goals because she had a plan; she was consistent; and her audience was her priority. You can reach your goals by following Powell’s lead. To be truly successful, though, you have to be committed and possess an attitude of success.

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I hear a lot of people throw around that they are pro bloggers?

Of course, we all assume pro equals professional, so what defines a pro blogger?

Is it the money? Is it the experience? What is it?

Can you be a pro blogger and still have a 9 to 5 job? Answer: maybe, but being a pro blogger is more than just frequently blogging. You do have to have great reach and you have to have quality articles that people want to read.

I know what I will say in this article may offend a few people, but believe me, after not having a 9 to 5 job since 2008, AND blogging for over 8 years, I am more than experienced on what it takes to be a pro blogger. I have been paid for years, and not just from sponsored blog posts and advertising, but also being sponsored too. I also make money from my web design clients who contact me – in fact, in the last year since I have moderately promoted myself on Twitter and Facebook, my sales have gone up nearly 500%. Please note – moderately. Imagine if I really decided to be annoying and “in your face” about my services. I would either deter people or bring in more.

From the beginning of my early days in blogging, my goal has to try to help people. Years ago when I started, NO ONE was out there to help. I am not exaggerating on that. Of course, there were a few HTML websites out there, but I learned by myself. I saw some of my online friends I engaged with daily floundering in web design and felt the need to help them. I still do today, but I went from services being free, to being paid for it. And it was not because of my portfolio (which still has yet to make its debut as of March 2011), but because of what I blogged about and my own site’s design.

Aside from my own experience, remember, it does not matter what niche you are in, but if you are professionally paid enough to make an actual living from your blogging, you might be a pro blogger. And this is not the “supplemental income to take your kids to the local Chuck E Cheese on the weekend”, but actually being able to pay.

It is hard and takes a lot of work to get there. Even pro bloggers that are a couple levels higher than myself, while they may not have blogged as long, they have worked VERY hard to get where they are today. And believe me – it takes a LOT of ambition. Some of the people I have seen starting to make a great foundation for their future, like Ileane Smith, Gail Gardner, and Kimberly Castleberry have been VERY ambitious in a VERY admirable way. (By the way, they are great examples of whom you might want to follow.)

Why?

Because each of them have been willing to do what it takes to learn, grow, and try to do what it takes to come out on top. It takes connecting with hundreds of people whether through Twitter, Facebook, or returning blog comments, forums, tribes, or whatever.

If you are wanting to become a pro blogger, there are a lot of great people to follow out there, but you have to get into that mentality that you are going from being a hobby blogger to being serious and making a business out of it.

How do you define what a pro blogger is?

You should always understand that there are a lot of people probably blogging about the same topics as you. When you are trying to make a business oriented decision, some people are already making money. And no matter how hard you think you are trying, it seems you are still packed up with the majority that do nothing but stand and wave goodbye to the sailors. Is it your intention to be like that? No, I guess not! Doesn’t that tell you that there is definitely something you are missing and or perhaps something you left undone?

The truth is that nobody knows everything about blogging from creation to promotion, traffic generation and social marketing. Yet some people are super bloggers. Yes, few out of the millions of bloggers are super bloggers and their actions are quite different from that of the rest – those who keep dreaming without results. Want to leave the present blogging status you are to join the group of super bloggers? Here is a list of the attributes of successful bloggers.

Effective Communication

Successful bloggers understand the best way to put information. From the experience I acquired blogging in my Software Reviews & Coupons blog, professionals don’t just write, they communicate with their readers. They write as an ordinary human being faced with same problems as their readers. They know what their readers want and put that down in a clear down-to-earth format – making it funny, yet professional and informative. My moto is, stop writing for the Search Engines only and start writing for humans. Don’t focus only on SEO, but mainly on content quality. Also remember: always reply to readers’ comments. It’s rude to leave your readers alone like having them talk to a wall. They want you to respond and provide insight and solutions.  Answer their questions and objections and they will keep coming back to you. Interact with them. Important: Have your face photo posted somewhere in your blog, at least in your “About” page. Not a cartoon picture or a fancy logo, but your own funny face. Through time people will connect your blog to your face and trust me, this is good.

Triggering Readers

Any blog post by a successful blogger has a way of getting its readers to step within the circle of commentators. They write blogs that appeal or provoke the passion of readers. Have you ever read something and found yourself restless with excitement until you say something? This is the kind of writing I am talking about. Writings that get readers to build a community around that blog – of course readers will always come back to check out new posts and what people are talking about.

Humility

Being humble will help you to inculcate the attitude of being ready to learn every time. No matter how long you think you have been around, you definitely do not know every thing and needs to learn from others. But if you are not humble, you can’t do that. If you cannot learn, then you have started dying. Never allow this weakness to come in between your blogging business.

Consistency

Being consistent in following your plans matters a lot and determines your success in the business. You must make sure you perform at least one task everyday, which will take you closer to your blogging goal. Stick to it and never give up.

Tactical And Analytical

Successful bloggers always find a way to look beyond their limitations. When you look around, you discover certain factors, tools and strategies that will help you. You must be very analytical and dynamic. Always be on the constant search for what works and try new things out. Open your mind to learning and adventure. If you have passion in what you do, it becomes less of work.

Innovation

Successful bloggers are always those with innovation. If you would take a closer look at those blogs with many followers, I bet you will find that each of them have a very unique and smarter way of communication. Trying to sound like blog A or copying the success of blog B might not be innovative enough to carry you along. Be innovative and build your blog in a unique way.

Creativity With Unique Contents

Many bloggers find it hard to come up with unique contents. Still successful bloggers always know how to do effective research, and put down their posts in a unique format and tone. They are creative enough not to be carried away by other’s successful blogging styles. They don’t discuss same topics like other bloggers. Even when they have 1 or 2 posts on popular topics, people will still rush to read theirs because of presentation and the use of those ‘magic’ successful blogging words.

Entrepreneur Quality

It is obvious that any body that doesn’t have entrepreneur quality can’t do business online. Hence successful bloggers are those with entrepreneur mindset; always finding and experimenting ways to be ahead of their competition. They try as much as they can to be in control and that is what you should be doing. One thing you should remember: “easy money” online is a myth! Working hard, as in any other business, is our reality.

Undivided Attention

Being focused with posts is a quality that many bloggers cannot boost of. Any post made by a successful blogger has a way of being focused and yet interesting. These categories of posts are carefully written, from the title to the body, taking care to keep the reader focused with captivating paragraphs, good syntax and communicative words.

Good Planning

You cannot do everything at once, neither blog about everything at the same time. Planning and reinforcing strict measures to following your plans is an attribute of successful bloggers. Procrastination will always come in, but once they have set a goal to achieve in their blogging business for a day, they do not go back on it.

Good Imaginative Ability

Ordinarily, successful bloggers have different thinking styles. Something that may sound weird or inappropriate can be beneficial but only visible to some few bloggers. Successful bloggers always believe that they can make something out of nothing. So they experiment with different factors and new products almost every time. Sometimes dare to write something controversial too. See how they react; try to interact. They ‘ll remember you for that.

Persistency

Creating and promoting your products/ideas can be a real daunting task: very difficult and stressful, especially when there are no initial results. One thing to always remember and commit to memory as a blogger is that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You must therefore be persistent to keep writing and posting for months with less or no audience. Really not an easy work, but it pays on the long run. If you are a beginner who wants to succeed online, I must tell you that you have to throw away your “instant gratification” expectations.

To wrap it up, every successful blogger out there has a unique style visible in the tone, formatting, blog presentation and so on. You are therefore required to work with the above list in building your blog community. Above all, be creative, informative and communicable. The results and the potential are fantastic.

Are there other qualities that it takes to make a successful blogger?

Are you checking your guest blogger’s links in their posts? Do you care?

YOU SHOULD!

While every blog owner has their own policy on what is allowed and what is not allowed in guest posting, the links some guest bloggers are pimping out may not be something you will want to have on your site.

Why?

Well, it could be a number of reasons. Probably best to put out a few scenarios:

• Scenario 1: In the case your guest blogger is working for a company, the keyword they use directs to the business they are paid to write for. While the article may be well written – you are actually allowing them to advertise for free on your website. Say you have a similar business or affiliate market with a similar business, this is a conflict of interest.
• Scenario 2: You like to try to be laid back about your blog and your guest posting policy reflects that. You just skim over posts, maybe do a few edits, and then either publish it or schedule the post to publish. When it publishes, you find out from a reader that the link your guest blogger put in there leads to a suspicious website or even is an affiliate link.
• Scenario 3: You do not mind the link dropping, and you get a lot of guest posts. Your blog becomes one hot mess of link dropping spam instead of focused on quality content.

These are merely a couple scenarios. Some of the guest bloggers out there are genuine and are transparent about themselves. Others, they will concoct a whole story to make it seem they are genuine. It is unfortunate that I have had to come across such people and have turned away some or removed quite a few guest posts submitted for review. I am sure some of you have also had problems.

It is important to put a policy in place for guest post submissions or you could possibly be harming your blog’s reputation in the future.

Do you accept guest posts? What are your blog’s guest posting rules? Have you encountered guest bloggers that still submit articles after failing to adhere to your site’s guest writing rules?