When I decided to start a blog in August of 2011, all I had was a passion for writing and the willingness to learn. Little did I know that less than two years later, I’ll turn into a full-fledged guest blogging professional.
What’s funny is that the very thing I practically didn’t want to learn when I was still starting (SEO, that is), to the extent that I even branded myself an SEO dummy, is what businesses, small and mid-sized, are now seeking me out for.
Image credit: Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
With all the changes Google had rolled out in the not-too-distant past (and most likely will in the future), guest blogging has become the number one link building strategy for most SEO professionals nowadays.
This then warrants the question, will guest blogging be penalized by Google as well, the way it did with other link building strategies in the past?
The problem with guest blogging
The problem with anything people perceive as effective, it tends to get abused. Proof of the matter is the proliferation of low-quality guest posts, all for the purpose of securing a link that passes link juice.
And since what Google wants is to bring the most relevant, the most authoritative content to Google search engine users to keep them coming back for their search needs, sadly, yes, I believe guest blogging may actually take a beating sooner rather than later.
Now, just because I see myself as some sort of SEO professional (through guest blogging) doesn’t mean I know everything. There are still tons (and I mean tons!) I need to learn. But when I say guest blogging will take a beating soon, what I mean is:
Sites that publish just about every guest post thrown their way, without checking the quality of the post, the quality of the links embedded in anchor texts and the relevance of the guest post to their blogs may be penalized.
And when these sites get penalized, the links embedded in the posts you submitted get affected as well – a simple domino effect, really.
This means if you’re trying to build links through guest posting, remember to be picky of the sites you send your guest submissions to. To be on the safe side, it’s best to score guest publications on big blogs.
Easier said than done, you might say. Well, I’m with you on that one. To get published on big blogs with a wide audience, it takes more than crafting epic content.
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Oh, so that’s why I usually receive emails for requests on doing guest blog posts on my blog. I’ve never entertained any so far. I’m just too paranoid that the guest post wouldn’t be relevant to my blog at all, which is about reading and books.
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Peter, thanks for visiting.
Actually, one other reason is the guest blogger simply wants to gain exposure, and hopefully traffic, to his site by guest posting on your blog.
Guest blogging for backlinks isn’t necessarily evil. It is a certified white hat SEO technique actually. Just that, sometimes, guest bloggers and bloggers who accept guest posts forget that content and relevance matter. A lot.
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i dont think i have done any guest blogging. i mostly just blog on my page, and then distribute it around. actually, i am not even sure where to guest blog, or how to find the right site to guest blog.
Actually, it’s not that difficult, Fifi. All you have to do is Google. Say, your niche is fashion. Just Google “write for us fashion blog” or “contribute fashion blog” or “guest write fashion blog.” You get the picture. 🙂
The tricky part is contacting the blog owner, sending out an article proposal before you do the actual draft. Some blog owners don’t even care to respond to requests though.
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