A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing strategies can be right for one Web site, but wrong for another depending on
site’s purpose and underlying reasoning behind 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 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 industry and respects 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 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 Web site that give them more information.
For example, several types of people arrive at my site through search engines:
- Some are people researching marketing consulting services. - Some are students looking to write a paper or finish an assigned project for school. - Some are looking for marketing software. - Others are looking to buy printed material (e-books, templates, workbooks, etc.) in order to proceed, step-by-step, on their own.
The only ones that are going to be interested in what I have to sell are those in last group. Instead of letting majority of visitors go without a fight, I have articles on site from handpicked individuals or companies.
Those articles are chosen according to how good quality is, how well subject matter fits, and whether I think 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:
- Repeat, purchase-related visits. A good information library can help potential customers through decision-making process. If they find information on your site especially helpful, they will be predisposed to coming back later, when they are ready to purchase. - Increased Web site revenue. Publishing others’ work can generate more revenue for your own site. For example, when I publish a third-party article, elsewhere on page I include one or more of following: AdSense; an advertisement for my own products; a newsletter sign-up box; or a relevant affiliate link. That way, every path off page satisfies one of my own goals (direct ad revenue, new newsletter subscriber, or product sales lead). - Increased targeted traffic. Each new page of quality content has potential to bring in a happy chunk of incremental traffic from search engines. - Future collaborations or other projects. An indirect benefit from publishing others’ articles is contact and future collaboration with authors. For example, after one author received several new sign-ups to her newsletter through an article published on my site, she contacted me about collaborating on an audio product.
