Matt Cutts, Google’s webspam specialist, pronounced guest blogging dead in 2014. On his site, he remarked, “Guest blogging is done; it’s too spammy.” His statement sparked doubt. Guest blogging: dead or alive in marketing?
After a backlash from the SEO community, Cutts clarified that he meant guest blogging as a link-building tactic was dead. Guest blogging for branding, visibility, and community development is as relevant as ever.
If you write guest articles correctly, they may boost your authority, gain natural, high-quality links, and drive blog traffic. Surveys show that people view multi-author blogs as more authoritative, thus embracing them builds your reputation. Guest blogging isn’t dead. You just have to do it correctly, whether you’re authoring or allowing guest contributions.
Guest Posting – How to do it in a proper way
Linkspam
People began looking for sites to submit guest articles when they understood it was helpful for SEO and link development. Many blog owners, overworked, appreciated guest pieces from these people.
Marketing organizations approached blog owners and offered to compensate them for guest content. High-quality, relevant guest posts helped everyone.
Not all blog owners provided high-quality articles. Some started publishing any article for money, even if it contained spam links unrelated to the blog. What happened:
Surveys. SEO businesses found blogs with high authority and many followers. The Snuggly Quilter is one such blog.
Initially. SEO business would approach The Snuggly Quilter and offer to pay for a guest article.
Really? The Snuggly Quilter publishes “How to Auto-Tune Your Race Car,” which contains a link from an auto parts retailer (the SEO company’s customer) and maybe some other unrelated links from the company’s other clients. Search engines label the links as spam because the blog article has nothing to do with quilting.
Guest Blog Networks
As guest blogging gained popularity, online networks arose. These networks matched guest-post writers with blog editors. This looked like a wonderful approach to linking authors with blogs.
Because blogs in these networks weren’t vetted, many people published spammy content. In some situations, spammers penetrated networks, but in many others, network members were uninformed about SEO.
Some networks required bloggers to not modify guest posts. Removing a spammy link would violate the network’s TOS. These networks didn’t enable guest bloggers to add nofollow to their links. Spam links couldn’t be removed. They posted as-is. Google punished guest blog networks when Matt Cutts declared them defunct.
Guest Blogging Tips
Guest blogging may go two ways. First, a blog editor sees your skill and invites you to write a guest article. You write a blog article for a high-traffic website. Your guest article is promoted on social media, reaching hundreds, thousands, or millions of readers.
The second situation is how independent authors publish in periodicals. When their ideas are accepted, they send a magazine article. Unsolicited guest bloggers can follow these instructions.
When freelance writer wants to publish a magazine piece, they explore possible outlets. Good options include reputable publications, magazines that feature freelance writers’ work, and magazines that publish comparable material. Look for blogs with strong repute that welcome guest articles and provide similar content to your proposal.
Editorialize. Follow the blog’s guest post rules step-by-step. If the blog doesn’t have a guest-posting method, utilize the contact form to ask if it welcomes them. Introduce yourself and your firm, explain your qualifications and ask for guest post-authorization. Submitted a well-written proposal if the editor approaches you.
Approval needed. Editors get numerous guest blogger pitches, so you may have to wait. After a few weeks, send a follow-up message. If you don’t hear back, suggest another concept or submit your guest article somewhere.
Guest post. Submit a guest post authorized by the editor on time. If the editor requests for modifications, keep editing until it fits the blog’s criteria.
Guest post. Like great magazines, good blogs have editorial schedules. When pitching a guest article, consider what the editor may want to publish in a few months. Never pitch a holiday-themed post in December. Instead, propose it in September or October to give the editor time.
Conclusion: Guest Posting – How to do it in a proper way
Many blogs have sought guest posting shortcuts. Guest post pitches take time. Most sites don’t pay for guest articles, so it’s hard to justify the time investment. Guest posting properly may boost your business.
When you guest blog properly, you target exceptional blogs. Your material is altered to showcase your efforts. Google won’t punish your guest post material because of high-quality blogs. Your guest article is shared on social media, reaching new and loyal readers.
