When to Decline an Invitation to Guest Post

Guest posts are an incredibly popular way to share new insights and opinions on your website. In fact, blogging statistics show that 76% of editors who were surveyed plan to publish anywhere from 1 to 10 guest posts per week. 

In some cases, it might be better to decline a guest post. For instance, 79% of editors claim that the guest posts they receive are too promotional in nature. Other reasons to turn down a post include the lack of relevance to your site or if it is poorly written. You should only allow a guest post if it will increase your web traffic and engage your users. 

Reasons to Decline a Guest Post

Here are some warning signs that it may be best to politely turn down a guest post offer: 

The author of the guest post has a poor track record 

When someone submits a guest post request to your website, it’s best to do a quick Google search to ensure that they aren’t associated with spam-related content and suspicious links. Taking a look at their portfolio to see the quality of their previous writing can give you an idea of whether to accept or reject their initial pitch. 

The guest post isn’t relevant to your blog and/or detailed enough 

At the very least, content should have a minimum word count of 500 to 1000 that covers all the essentials. In order for it to have a decent search engine ranking, it should be detailed and convey important information for readers. In addition, the topic should also be directly related to your website’s niche—otherwise it won’t reach your desired target market. 

The quality of the post is poor and/or it is plagiarized 

Having strict publishing standards will help ensure that the overall quality of your website won’t suffer. A guest post full of spelling or grammatical errors will quickly put readers off and can impact your overall readership. On the other hand, if it lacks originality and is a poor spin-off of another article, your website can also be penalized. 

As a website owner, you should create guest post guidelines that meet the Google Webmaster Guidelines. Ensuring that every submitted post is on topic, well-written, original, detailed, and trustworthy will help you maintain the high quality of your website. 

For more information on guest post packages that increase your website’s expertise, trust, and, authority, contact us at Automatic Growth today.