Guest Articles: Good for Some, Bad for OthersBobette Kyle A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing strategies can be right for one Web site, but wrong for another depending on the site’s purpose and the underlying reasoning behind the action. If an action doesn’t directly and logically plug into site goals, then there are likely more profitable ways to spend that time and effort. Publishing third-party articles on a Web site is one of those marketing strategies that can be right for one site, yet wrong for another. Publishing Guest Articles as a Strategy Publishing guest articles as one of your Web site marketing strategies can help broaden the amount and quality of content on a site, which in turn can lead to a more solid, stronger reputation. James Edwards of Umbrella-Consultancy, http://www.umbrella-consultancy.co.uk, explains: "IMO having quality articles on your site will show that you are...someone who embraces the industry and respects the work of others. Most research scientists post links to other respected scientists’ work. I think it can only be good to have quality material by other people in your field posted on your site." Helping Web Site Visitors Another situation where adding others’ articles to your site can make strategic sense is when a lot of visitors arrive looking for a solution other than the one you provide on your site. Rather than have them wander off, no closer to an answer to their problem, you can build goodwill and credibility by having articles on the Web site that give them more information. For example, several types of people arrive at my site through the search engines:
The only ones that are going to be interested in what I have to sell are those in the last group. Instead of letting the majority of visitors go without a fight, I have articles on the site from handpicked individuals or companies. Those articles are chosen according to how good the quality is, how well the subject matter fits, and whether I think the information will help site visitors. Information Sites If a site or section of a site is informational in nature, guest articles can be a viable Web site marketing strategy, for several reasons:
Poor Fit With Marketing Strategies For some business models, including guest articles in a list of Web site marketing strategies does not make sense. For example, it can be counterproductive to include guest articles on Web sites where the primary goal is to sell. Service Web Sites If the goal is to generate direct sales and leads for your own services, it doesn’t make sense to dilute the message and call to action with diversions. Karon Thackston explains: "The purpose of my site is to get those in need of copywriting services and SEO copywriting services to contact me in order to do business. People who come to my Marketing Words site, http://www.marketingwords.com, are looking for information about copywriting. They are also looking to hire a copywriter." Therefore, you will find only material written by Karon on her site. Product Sales Sites Some sites have a single goal: to sell product. Every page on the site is devoted to product descriptions or copy designed to move a visitor toward a purchase. In these cases, where the predominant call to action is "buy the product," articles could hurt sales by diverting visitor attention away from the products. Visit your favorite online retail sites, and you are likely to find product descriptions, reviews, photos and other product-driven content - but little or no guest articles. Their absence on many e-commerce sites is an illustration of the poor fit of such articles as a marketing strategy for those sites. Understanding how different techniques support, or sabotage, Web site marketing strategies can be critical to a site’s success. Align your strategies with overall goals, and your business is more likely to flourish.
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