Blogger reach - What Do They consider SEOs?

Have you ever questioned why bloggers did not reply to your last reach email? Why they refused to link to your shiny new infographic, or what they extremely consider SEOs?

I conducted a twenty six question survey with a sample cluster of bloggers to assist digital marketers construct higher reach pitches and provides bloggers the chance to voice their opinions.

The feedback may shock a number of you; I hope you are prepared.

Disclaimer: owing to the character of the queries, and within the interest of protective the respondents, the total knowledge set, actual sample size, and respondents\' journal URLs won\'t be created public.

Survey information:

    There area unit fewer than a hundred bloggers within the sample, principally from the parenting / food niche
    No demographic necessities to participate, but the bloggers area unit mostly from the united kingdom and North American nation
    Survey format: Google docs forms, with a mix of multiple selection queries and text boxes

Important: The sample isn\'t representative of all bloggers, or bloggers at intervals the united kingdom, US, food or parenting niches.
Section 1: web site info (traffic, PR)

Most of the bloggers area unit presently creating cash from their blogs. the most important revenue supply is paid content, that was outlined as advertorials and reviews.

58% of our sample group is getting less than 10,000 visits per month, and 42% are considerably more popular, receiving more than 10,000 visits per month.

65% of the bloggers' homepages were PageRank 2 or less, and 31% were over PageRank 3.

Section 2: Link selling and link requests

58% of the bloggers said they sell followed links, defined in the question as follows: Do you sell links that pass PageRank, i.e. A followed link is a regular link, a nofollow link is a link that you wrap with rel="nofollow" in the HTML to prevent passing PageRank.

On the other hand, 73% said they also sold NO-followed links on their blogs. Both questions regarding followed and nofollowed links had an "I don't know what this is" option, but we were fortunate to have an educated sample, as no one used this response.

When it came down to their stances on selling links in general, 62% agreed that it was okay to sell links as long as they were disclosed.

88% of these bloggers were sent anywhere between 1-10 link requests per month.

38% already have a predetermined price list for link selling.

On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being never, and 5 being highly likely, it seems as if our group was not very likely to editorially link to content that has been requested via email (by "editorially link" I mean create unpaid links).

Section 3: Outreach email details

31% said they would never open an email with "Link request" in the subject line.

Ambiguity in the outreach email (example: "hi there") seems to be less favourable, with 62% of bloggers choosing 1 & 2 as their responses, with 1 meaning "never" and 5 meaning they were "highly likely" to open the emails.

There was no clear answer in regards to likeliness of responding to shorter email requests. This was defined as emails with fewer than 100 words.

However, 46% seemed to prefer detailed email requests, defined as an email request with more than 100 words.

65% will open/read an email based on the subject line alone, and 19% will open/read the email regardless.

Section 4: Guest posting, preferred content type, and contact preference

The majority response to accepting guest post requests was "sometimes," the reason becomes a bit clearer in the next question.

If you can prove that you're credible, 54% of these bloggers were in favour of accepting your guest posts over others.

Something that surprised me: Most of the bloggers only received 0-1 guest-post requests per week. It might be helpful to note again that 42% were receiving more than 10,000 visits per month.

In descending order of preference, these bloggers were most likely to embed images, badges, videos, and infographics. None were willing to embed widgets (description of a widget was a weather widget).

81% of the bloggers preferred to be contacted via email or a contact form on their websites, as opposed to only 19% who preferred contact through social media (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn were given as examples).

 Section 5: real feedback from open-ended queries

1) What ar your overall thoughts relating to being pitched to?

    \"I do not mind being pitched to, however the reality is I ne\'er settle for something that may not well written, in person addressed  to ME (shows that they\'ve browse my web log) and is in accordance with my blog and audience.\"
    \"I like being pitched to providing the person has some plan of UN agency i\'m and what I do, i do not get irritated by fully moot pitches and take a look at to reply to any or all whether or not i\'m interested or not.\"
    \"Despite clearly stating on my speech act page that I don\'t publish sponsored posts or paid links I still receive variety of such requests hebdomadally. this can be wasting each my time and also the SEOs time. I typically delete such requests while not responding.\"
    \"My web log is simply that...my blog! while i prefer to confirm that it pays it\'s own manner therein it covers the price of the name, hosting etc it is not just a few random house that\'s crying out for graffiti. I even have had random generic one size fits all pitches that i feel {are|ar|area unit|square MEasure} quite chesty (read rude) in their approach therein they require me to try to to a review or add a link and reciprocally they apparently can share my web log to their network that i do know nothing of its size or influence. while i have to clearly be flattered that they need emailed ME, it indeed makes my vital sign increase and that i do not trouble to reply.\"
    \"I love being pitched to. It makes ME want i\'m writing concerning relevant things that may match with brands which folks really wish to browse about! Makes ME feel slightly *special* (she says in an exceedingly loco voice!) It makes ME want corporations wish to act with my audience and encourages ME to do new ideas/recipes/competitions. I will do that on my very own however if i\'m getting to be paid, receive a present or samples in exchange for my effort then that\'s even better!\"
    \"I don\'t have any problems the least bit to being pitched, however instead of ambiguity concerning what Associate in Nursing SEO needs i.e. i\'m a contract author and wish to supply you a guest post, i might simply like a straight we tend to ar probing for a follow link and have this budget! I conjointly like a lot of distinctive pitches. i\'m happy to put in writing posts if you offer ME with experiences or review product of an exact worth. i prefer regular financial gain, i really like operating with purchasers that i do know are going to be coming or wish to develop relationships and worth my websites.\"
    \"I like that PR corporations ar taking bloggers a lot of seriously. Some pitches/approaches do have a way to travel before we tend to, as bloggers, feel that we tend to ar seen as on a par with thought media, but things ar rising and its obtaining there.\"
    \"I am happy to be pitched to, I like honesty within the pitch and that i prefer to grasp that the pitch is real and also the person has really fazed to seem at my web site. I will pinpoint compliment a mile away and once an individual has not even fazed to search out out the attribute of my web log. a real pitch are going to be for one thing that will slot in with my web log and what I compose too usually than not i purchase pitches for non relevant stuff that will ne\'er slot in with my food web log.\"

2) are you able to consider the foremost outrageous request for links?

    \"Asking for a backlink straight up, no supply of something, nothing in it on behalf of me however labor and no reward, or a complete asking you to review a product they don\'t seem to be ready to send you - as a result of they are saying you\'ll be able to write an honest review incl backlinks while not a product, from an outline sheet and suggest it. you cannot be truthful concerning one thing while not having the complete story (or product) i am all concerning transparency thus this and knavish ways that to urge links very rile ME.\"
    \"I am usually asked to position a link for complimentary on my web log to a corporation reciprocally for the chance to put in writing content for his or her web site as no charge to myself....what a treat!!!\"
    \"The quite approach that starts off sounding smart, that we are able to build a operating relationship however ends with we\'ve no budget. It makes America feel terribly undervalued and miss diode to a degree\"
    \"An on-line craft store needed ME to feature a seasonal craft activity tutorial that they\'d written. It all measured smart and was relevant to my web log thus I went back to them with my rate card and aforementioned that as I likeable the tutorial most i might really be happy to debate a couple of rate reduction to feature this. Their short, sharp response was to inform ME that it had been \"illegal to obtain links\" and if i used to be a \"proper blogger\" i might have noted that!\"

3) Is there something you need to mention to the SEO community?

Personal note here, this can be {by far|far Associate in Nursingd away|out and away} the most effective feedback I\'ve ever received as an SEO. I\'ve advisedly further as several quotes as potential as a result of I realize it very valuable and hope you\'ll too.

    \"Don\'t try to trick a blogger, we talk!\"
    \"SEO is changing into overrated and content, that ought to be a lot of necessary, is quick changing into less thus. I realize it onerous to \"follow the rules\" of SEO, to possess enough \"key words\" in my gap paragraph, or my title, to recollect everything that I \"should be doing to boost my SEO\". i do know that is why my SEO is within the bathroom, however i might prefer to say that I realize it to onerous, sophisticated and confusing on why I ought to. the matter these days is that it\'s become a game of UN agency can win - the SEO or the program, and also the content, UN agency is that the king, is quick changing into obsolete.\"
    \"Please do not try and persuade ME to not disclose any links or options, it\'s not smart for either aspect.\"
    \"I want anyone else desperate to work with bloggers that SEO\'s have to be compelled to show they worth bloggers, browse our blogs and provides America credit for knowing concerning pointers with regards follow/no follow rules. attempting to convert America that we do not comprehend these items doesn\'t hold well and makes America feel undervalued. we would like to figure with SEO\'s and wish to create smart relationships however this could solely be done by treating America with respect for what we tend to do from the beginning. build approaches in person rather than creating America feel a part of a blanket approach email.\"
    \"Buying follow links on blogs risks the page rank of not solely the bloggers you\'re employed with, however conjointly your purchasers. Google ar often change their algorithms to spot paid follow links and take away them from their indexes. Google provides a sanctioned manner for you to urge your purchasers to the highest of the search results by paying - it\'s referred to as Adwords.\"
    \"I typically want i\'m at the mercy of the SEO community which there\'s one thing closelipped concerning it all. i\'m simply an individual UN agency contains a web log and that i don\'t have any data on the full SEO front, however i might sort of a honest go at being \'discovered\' enter the large world of the online.\"
    \"Don\'t expect that we tend to (bloggers) ar getting to offer our time, effort and energy to you for complimentary. you would not work for complimentary thus please do not expect America to! certify what you pitch has relevancy, browse MY web log,I\'m not simply \"\"a blogger\"\" I do have a name! It\'s even in my uniform resource locator and my email address - however are you able to latch on wrong?
    I write as a result of i really like it initial and foremost, however if your complete matchs with mine and that we will build a relationship with one another then that is smart however i do not wish to put in writing concerning clinical trials in Oz for money! i do not have kind of readers that will have an interest - it has to fit with my content and a spare incentive has to be offered. If you wish one thing for nothing, you will go no additional than my wastebin with a spam flag next to your email address! i need to be challenged, i do not simply wish to put in writing an uneventful post that features a back link, i need it to be fun on behalf of me, and if my readers will participate in a way, even better! Interaction with my readers makes them real. Otherwise, they\'re simply variety on a stat sheet. If I even have pitched you and my web log isn\'t appropriate, please tell ME why! If my stats & MEtrics aren\'t adequate then tell me your bottom line for acceptive, if I happened bit with you then I feel that your complete has relevancy thus i will be able to revisit to bear once I even have met your baseline for stats & metrics as i need to figure with you. Metrics are not everything to a blogger like they\'re to Associate in Nursing SEO. Stats and metrics aren\'t our jobs, writing is thus usually once folks aren\'t getting back to bear, I want they were ne\'er curious about my dig in the primary place. i am not getting to tweet my emotion to the planet if you say no, i am simply getting to return to you at some purpose - i\'m an individual a similar as you, manners price nothing, albeit you are telling ME no!
    Please aren\'t getting a similar folks writing a similar things over and over, I browse blogs too and it typically gets boring once the full of your bloglovin feed is filled with a similar SEO link that everybody has simply been obtained, stagger it out slightly more! You\'d most likely see higher results too! I will not click on a similar link from each web log, i am positive most others will not either!
 aren\'t getting overcome by stats! Some bloggers do not even care concerning them or grasp what district attorney, PR and PA isn\'t mind MozRank or citation flow. If you wish a blogger to understand this, show them however it\'s relevant to them and to you at a similar time.
 lots of bloggers ar frightened of stats as a result of they\'re sophisticated to know and it\'s not possible to fathom however you\'ll be able to build them go up as there\'s no clear clarification that numerous America have tried to find! the remainder either care an excessive amount of or do not care the least bit concerning their stats! I be the i purchase it, I care class. i need to understand UN agency reads ME and wherever within the world they\'re, i\'m really interested! Educate America a lot of on the type of metrics and stats that you simply wish from America and the way they\'re relevant to you! Be clear on nofollow and dofollow after you pitch to avoid confusion too, there\'s nothing worse than agreeing a fee with somebody solely to search out that you simply will not be paid unless you alter to a dofollow link once your post has gone live, the fee is nearly continually higher from a bloggers purpose of read for a link of this sort, it\'s OUR pagerank that\'s being place in danger if we tend to disclose or not!\"
    \"Please, please do not try and confuse ME with jargon. do not structure stories concerning what\'s and is not acceptable per Google as I do grasp. try and supply everybody roughly a similar honest rates. Its terribly amusing once Associate in Nursing SEO person tells ME that they need no budget left thus will solely pay ME a 3rd of what they paid my husband twenty minutes agone. try and pay promptly and conjointly pay ME the number I\'ve in agreement and invoiced for, not 10 or twenty pounds less and expect ME to chase as looks to happen very often.\"
    \"False praise can nearly always get you caught out- do not tell ME i am a tremendous baker after I haven\'t written concerning baking on my web log for years- i am going to hit delete when reading that sentence.\"
    \"Many bloggers, particularly parent bloggers, ar folks juggling numerous balls directly. while blogging might not be their full time occupation please do not assume that this implies that we\'re either stupid, ready to figure for complimentary, or do not refer to others. skilled bloggers do grasp the law around speech act rules, do grasp what Google\'s position on follow / nofollow links is, perceive what different bloggers ar being offered for similar content and do grasp simply what proportion brands pay SEO agencies to urge links out there on the web. I even have nice operating relationships with some SEO corporations wherever each side grasp specifically what the opposite one needs out of the link and there\'s skilled respect between America. Sadly that\'s not the case with all SEOs UN agency approach ME.\"
    \"I like being given links before others, thus my content is exclusive and a lot of applicable to my web log. i prefer to be paid further to put in writing the copy myself (I do an honest job of constructing it applicable to my readers).
    Be clear in your necessities and make a case for what they mean in none SEO jargon. ar you trying only for Associate in Nursing embedded link, or does one need a post with numerous engagement? offer constructive feedback. check up on ways that to reward bloggers that respond in an exceedingly timely manner and please pay promptly. I don\'t have time to stay chasing payments.\"
    \"The majority of bloggers exerting, we tend to take our work seriously and ar terribly pleased with what we tend to produce. Please do stop and assume before asking America to hide press releases or turn out copy with no incentive for America the least bit - would you\'re employed for free?\"
    \"Let\'s all work along to form an expert, interdependent network. Bloggers UN agency web log to blag offer America a foul name. Equally PRs UN agency throw things bent on hit numbers offer you a foul name. we\'d like a foundation of respect, expertise and energy from each side. Bloggers can offer you wonderful copy, network well on your behalf and promote things if you treat them as professionals and respect what they are doing.
 do not raise them to bend or break rules, do not kindle non-disclosure, do not insist you are doing them a favour by lease them promote your web site, business or product while not paying for the time and work that they offer you reciprocally.\"
    \"We could seem like odd those that waffle on on the web however you recognize what, we tend to ar simply folks too and blogging, a lot of usually than not, is our hobby and fervour. slightly respect concerning what we tend to do and our price goes a protracted manner. As will friendliness and relationship building. i am 10 times a lot of doubtless {to do|to try to to|to try Associate in Nursingd do} an inexpensive or maybe free post as a favour for an SEO i prefer, respect and have designed a relationship with than a fly by night SEO.\"
    \"If there was the simplest way that bloggers can be to bear with a lot of white hats then they would not feel the requirement to just accept the black hat approaches that seem thus oftentimes in their inbox.\"

I think this word cloud sums up the bloggers' thoughts pretty well:

 My personal conclusions from the survey

 do not expect bloggers to figure at no cost. i\'m not telling you to shop for followed links.
    Be honest, and do not try and succeed any tricks.
    Talking concerning stats can solely confuse them, and edges nobody. Be clear along with your intentions and description the advantages for them in your request.
    If you would like to shop for nofollow links, your best bet is to produce AN advert feature that\'s probably to focus on longtail keywords and drive referral traffic. i\'m not oral communication your solely possibility is to shop for nofollow links, however you must perceive the risks of shopping for followed links and create your own decision.
    Bloggers ar much more knowledgeable concerning SEO than we expect, thus do not try to pull any tricks and be honest concerning your intentions. i\'m not oral communication that every one bloggers were ever oblivious to requests, nor that every one SEOs have tried to require advantage of all bloggers.
 i\'d experiment with totally different subject lines, however i might steer clear from ambiguity, and supply an in depth request versus a fast email.
    From the results, i\'d assume that a decent guest post continues to be most likely the simplest thanks to get an article link, as long as you\'ll be able to prove believability and therefore the content has relevancy. i\'d conjointly make sure that the content i\'d give would be adequate to post on the other website, together with my very own. i\'d conjointly embody exclusive/unique pictures for the post as another incentive for the blogger to simply accept my request.
    Email and call forms still appear to be the proper thanks to approach a blogger, though i\'d still resort to social media as arrange