Posted on April 15, 2025
So, you’ve written a killer guest post. It’s published. You’ve shared it everywhere. But now what?
How do you actually know if your guest post is working for you?
That’s where tracking and measuring come into play. If you don’t know how your guest content is performing, you’re basically throwing darts in the dark.
In this guide, we’re diving into how to track guest post success the smart way. Whether your goal is traffic, SEO, or brand awareness, you’ll walk away with clear strategies and tools to measure the real impact of your efforts.
Why Tracking Guest Post Success Matters
Let’s be real—guest posting takes time. From research and outreach to writing and follow-up, it’s a commitment. So you need to make sure that effort is paying off.
Here’s why tracking your guest posts is so important:
- Measure ROI – Know if the post is bringing in leads, traffic, or backlinks.
- Optimize your strategy – Focus on the platforms and topics that work.
- Build authority faster – Discover which posts grow your audience.
- Justify your effort – Whether you’re doing this solo or for a client, you need proof it’s worth it.
What Does “Success” Look Like for a Guest Post?
Before we jump into tracking, let’s define what success even means for your guest post. The truth? It depends on your goals.
Here are the most common goals people have when guest posting:
- Increase website traffic
- Grow an email list
- Boost SEO with backlinks
- Build brand awareness
- Establish thought leadership
- Drive conversions (like sales or sign-ups)
👉 Once you know your main goal, tracking becomes way easier.
Use UTM Parameters to Track Clicks and Traffic
Let’s start with one of the easiest and most powerful tools—UTM tracking.
UTMs are little tags you add to your URLs. They tell Google Analytics where your traffic is coming from.
Example:
https://yourwebsite.com/freebie?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=april2025
Why it’s awesome:
- Tracks how many clicks your guest post drives.
- Shows you which post, on which site, brought traffic.
- Works perfectly with Google Analytics and GA4.
Pro tip: Use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to easily generate your UTM links.
Monitor Traffic in Google Analytics
Once your UTM link is in the wild, head over to Google Analytics (or GA4) and check your stats.
Metrics to watch:
- Users: How many people visited from that link.
- Bounce rate: Are they sticking around?
- Pages per session: Are they exploring your site?
- Conversions: Did they sign up, buy, or download?
Where to find it:
In GA4, go to:
Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition > Session source/medium
Look for your guestpost/blog campaign tag.
Set Up Conversion Goals
If you’re aiming for more than just clicks—say, newsletter sign-ups or sales—you’ve gotta set up conversion goals.
In GA4, you can set up Events and Conversions like:
- Form submissions
- Email opt-ins
- Product purchases
- Button clicks
Once that’s set, you can directly tie those conversions to your guest post traffic.
Now that’s real data.
Track Backlinks with SEO Tools
Guest posts are a goldmine for backlinks, but you need to actually track them.
Use tools like:
What to look for:
- New backlinks pointing to your site
- Domain Authority of the linking site
- Anchor text used in the link
- Dofollow vs nofollow status
👉 These links help you climb the ranks in Google, so knowing where they come from (and how strong they are) is key.
Keep an Eye on Keyword Rankings
If you included a backlink to a specific blog post or landing page, check if that page is climbing in search results.
Use tools like:
- Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Google Search Console (free!)
- Rank Tracker by SE Ranking
Guest posts boost SEO indirectly, so look for gradual improvements over weeks/months—not instantly.
Track Social Engagement
Even if your main goal isn’t social media, it’s smart to monitor how your guest post performs across social platforms.
Tools to help:
- BuzzSumo – See how many shares a URL has.
- SharedCount – Track likes, tweets, pins, and more.
- Social shares on the guest site – Some blogs show counts right on the post.
Social proof can help you pitch future guest posts and build credibility.
Ask the Host Site for Insights
This one’s often overlooked—but powerful.
If you’ve built a good relationship with the site owner or editor, simply ask them:
- How well did the post perform?
- Did it get traffic, shares, or engagement?
- Any comments or feedback from readers?
Most blog owners are happy to share basic stats—especially if it helps you deliver even better content next time.
Monitor Brand Mentions
Sometimes, the benefit of guest posting is brand visibility, even if someone doesn’t click your link.
Use tools like:
- Google Alerts
- Mention
- Brand24
- Awario
You’ll get notified when your name, brand, or post is mentioned online—so you can track that growing visibility.
Create a Guest Post Performance Dashboard
This doesn’t have to be fancy. A simple spreadsheet works.
Track things like:
- Post title
- Site it was published on
- Date published
- Target URL (with UTM)
- Traffic
- Conversions
- Backlinks earned
- Social shares
- Notes/feedback
Having all this info in one place helps you analyze patterns and double down on what’s working.
Learn and Adjust Your Strategy
Once you’ve collected enough data, use it!
Ask yourself:
- Which guest posts brought in the most traffic?
- Which topics performed best?
- Which sites converted the best?
- Which types of CTAs worked?
Then? Do more of that.
Guest posting isn’t a one-and-done thing. It’s a long game—and tracking success helps you play it smarter.
Final Thoughts
Guest posting is one of the most powerful content strategies out there, but only if you measure what matters.
If you’re wondering how to track guest post success, just remember:
Clicks and traffic are great—but conversions, backlinks, and brand growth are where the magic happens.
So set up your UTMs. Check your analytics. Follow your backlinks. Track everything in one place.
That’s how you turn a simple guest post into a growth engine.
TL;DR – Quick Checklist to Track Guest Post Success
✅ Use UTM parameters on every link
✅ Check traffic and behavior in Google Analytics
✅ Set up conversion goals
✅ Track backlinks using SEO tools
✅ Monitor keyword rankings
✅ Watch social shares and engagement
✅ Ask the host site for performance stats
✅ Track brand mentions online
✅ Log everything in a performance dashboard
✅ Use your data to improve future posts
