There has been an ongoing debate on which is better between guest blogging and article marketing. Though article writing has its own merits, guest blogging offers much more benefits. Here are some of the reasons why guest blogging is much better compared to article marketing.
1. Blogs usually have a subscriber base
This means that subscribers receive every post that is published through their RSS reader or their email address. In addition, there are subscribers who are connected to blogs through social networks. As a result, they are able to read the most recent posts through the blog’s Stumble shares, Twitter stream or Facebook page. On the other hand, very few article directories offer RSS feeds to their readers. These feeds usually have fewer followers compared to blogs.
2. Guest posts remain on the homepage longer
Most blogs publish new posts two or three times in a week. This means that when your guest post is published, it is likely to stay on the homepage for two or more days. For article directories however, you have little chance of appearing on the first page unless the article is a special feature. Even if you make it to the homepage, you are not likely to stay there for long since article directories receive large volumes of articles on a daily basis.
3. Guest blogs usually have stricter rules
Bloggers usually have very strict guidelines regarding the kind of posts that can be published on their blogs. They usually have a minimum word requirement, and require the posts to be fully formatted with the appropriate links and photos. Since the volume of submissions is less compared to article directories, the webmaster or blog owner can take time to review the posts submitted. Whatever does not fulfill their requirements is usually rejected.
Article directories, on the other hand, accept articles which are much shorter compared to blog posts. In addition, they don’t allow links, photos or embedded content in the articles submitted. Articles which are of low quality are easily approved.
4. Guest posts are promoted by the blog itself as well as the writer
Promotion is what really distinguishes blog posts from articles. When a blog owner publishes a guest post on their blog, they are obliged to promote the post so as to generate traffic to their blog. In most cases, the guest blogger himself will also be involved in promoting the post. This dual promotion campaign will result in lots of social sharing in different networks.
With the exception of special features, article directories don’t usually promote articles. This is because of the large number of articles being published on a daily basis. Most article writers don’t promote their articles either.
5. Guest blogging offers avenues for networking
Unlike article writing, guest blogging offers numerous opportunities to network. It gives you the chance to build relationships with blog owners, readers and other bloggers. If your posts are of high quality, you are likely to receive offers to write guest posts for other blogs as well. People will even be willing to pay you to create quality content for them.
Charles Mburugu has a great passion for sharing blogging and web development tips. He writes for blogs such as web design library.
