It is not uncommon for bloggers to think of their blog as their own baby. If they can help it, bloggers would want to be responsible for everything within their own site. However, just like with real babies, bloggers could use some help from time to time. And what better way to get outside help than featuring guest bloggers on your site?

Not that guest bloggers will help your website become an overnight success, but there is no denying the benefits you can get from a guest blog or two. If you’re not really convinced, here are some reasons why you want guest bloggers on your site:

1. Guest blogging helps increase traffic

That is, of course, if the guest bloggers you’ve decided to feature are authorities in a particular niche and/or have a following of their own. The better known they are, the bigger the audience they can bring to your site. Guest blogging helps increase traffic in the sense that guest bloggers bring to the table a unique style that attracts an entirely different type of audience. Your blog becomes even more appealing as long as you feature quality guest bloggers.

2. Guest bloggers boost credibility of your site

This is especially true when you manage to invite a recognized expert in any given industry to make a guest post on your blog.

3. More networking opportunities

As the old cliché goes, “no blog is an island”. By having guest bloggers on a regular basis, you are in effect fostering strong relationships with other bloggers and Internet professionals. More often than not, these relationships lead to more business opportunities, clients and referrals.

4. A break from blogging

Every blogger worth his salt knows maintaining a blog is no picnic. It’s a fulltime job, and as with all jobs of this nature, bloggers could use a break from that daily grind. Inviting guest bloggers allows you to take that break as well as focus on other aspects of your business. In the same vein, your guest bloggers may also treat the opportunity to post an article in your blog as a break from the tedium of their own sites.

5. Guest blogging opportunities for yourself

Guest blogging goes both ways. If you can invite other bloggers to do a guest post on your site, you may also be invited for guest blogging opportunities yourself. These guest blogging opportunities can give you exposure to an entirely new audience, and, depending on the quality of your guest post, increased popularity and credibility as a blogger. If the audience of the blog you’ve guest blogged in likes your post and your interactions with them, they will most likely follow you to your own blog, and that means a significant increase in traffic for your own site.

Keep in mind, however, that guest bloggers should remain just guest bloggers. It is not unheard of for some bloggers to become too lazy to create their own content anymore and will just rely on guest posts. Treat them like your main source of content, and you’ll be running the risk of losing your blog’s voice. And if your blog no longer has its own distinct style and personality, you stand to lose your audience.