Guest Blog Posts are Good for Everyone

There’s a lot of talk about the Penguin Algorithm and a lot of speculation about why some sites are ranking better than others. But one thing is clear. Google’s Pandas and Penguins love CONTENT. In fact, Google will tell you that if you create great content, you will simply earn those all valuable backlinks naturally.

Maybe. Maybe not.

While the role of links is changing, and the way that Google judges and values links changes, we know that they are still a huge part of why a website ranks. Links are the thing that made Google king of search after all.

So if links are important and content is important, the ideal backlink would be one that comes with fresh, relevant content. Sure, you can do a press release and hope that someone picks up your article, puts it on their site, and keeps the link. But let’s be honest. Press Releases have been used to death specifically for SEO purposes and Google has even indicated that they aren’t what they once were. The same can be said for article sites that allow anyone to post anything they want. So what’s the solution?

IMHO, a guest blog post is good for everyone. First of all, a quick definition of a guest blog post: Well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. You find a great blog that is relevant to your topic, you use a little webmaster outreach to find the chap in charge of the blog, and you offer to write an article for his readers. You promise something interesting and original. When he agrees, you write something terrific and you put a link back to your site in the article.

So why is this so great for everyone involved?

It’s good for Google.

Google wants fresh, quality content to provide relevant results for search queries. A guest blog post is unlikely to be SEO spam because the website owner isn’t going to allow garbage on their site. (unless it’s a crappy blog network that exists JUST for backlinks.) This means you’ve actually got to write something worth reading.

It’s good for the website publisher.

Bloggers need content for their sites. It’s their life blood. Coming up with great content all the time isn’t the easiest thing to do. Plus, having a guest author now and then offers a little new flavor and perspective to the blog.

It’s good for you.

You get a backlink surrounded by relevant content. (One theory about Penguin is that it takes more cues from the content around the link that it once did from the specific anchor text.) You also get your name and expertise in front of a new audience. This could generate real traffic and potential leads back to your site.

Like I said, good for everyone. Of course, if you’re not a writer, or you’re . . . oh, I don’t know – trying to run a business, writing guest blog posts may not be the easiest thing for you to do. Whether you want to do this yourself, or you hire someone else, here are some pointers.

• Find relevant blogs on which to post. Want to rank for diamond engagement rings? Find blogs about weddings, jewelry, relationships, dating, fashion, heck even a blog themed around women is in the right ball park. Ask yourself, “Would my potential clients visit this site?”
• Write great content. Seriously, this is so important. Don’t fill your guest blog post with keywords or names of your products. Write something useful and interesting, something people would spend their time reading. Ask yourself, “Would my potential clients benefit from reading this post? Would they be entertained or educated by what I’ve written?”
• Make it “share-worthy”. If you write some lame blog article about the kinds of diamonds you sell and how yours are superior to your competitors… oh please. Who cares? Instead educate about the three C’s and how to purchase a quality diamond. (Don’t mention that yours are the best, or you’ll blow the whole piece! It’s implied, people.) Maybe even write a story about an awesome, moving real-life engagement. How many young women would forward that to their boyfriends or share on their facebook page?
• Place your link with caution. You’ll be tempted to use diamond engagement ring as your anchor text. It’s what we’ve all been taught works for years. It may be the best strategy for you, but a lot depends on the other links you’re building. It may actually make more sense to link to a random keyword or possibly a branded link somewhere in the context of the article. Like I said, links are being looked at differently than ever before and it’s becoming accepted pretty quickly that keyword specific links aren’t what they used to be. It’s possible that placing the link within content about an engagement and linking to the diamond engagement ring of your website is enough to signal Google as to what keyword they should rank you for. (I guess if I suddenly start ranking for diamond engagement ring, we’ll know there’s some truth to this theory. LOL)

To recap, you need FRESH NEW CONTENT + LINKS in today’s SEO world. Most of the time, you may find that fresh new content going onto your own site or blog. But sometimes, writing a guest blog article for someone else has the added advantage of coming with a super great backlink too.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and/or share this post with your networks.

David McBee

UPDATE

Sadly, guest blogging is being abused by the SEO community. In an effort to create relevant in-content links, spammers have turned to guest blogs. Here’s what happening. First, publishers are creating “content dump” sites. These sites are filled with information about a particular subject. There can literally be hundreds of posts and the content can be 100% unique. The blog is very focused on a particular subject, and on the surface, this looks like a great place to guest post and get a quality backlink. BUT… upon further inspection, one starts to notice that while the content is unique and relevant, it is often very thin, or simply not good. It’s all fluff. It may be fooling Google’s spiders, but when a human reads the content, it becomes obvious that the site is made just for links. Also, there are no social signals. The content isn’t inspiring comments, likes +1s or any other interaction.

As for the “guest authors”, they’re buying cheap content and passing it off as their own original stuff. It’s all just more internet pollution. Garbage created for the purpose of making Google think you’re more than you really are. And sure, it’s fooling Google FOR NOW. But if I’m on the SPAM team, I’m paying close attention to the differences between an authentic guest blog post that’s good for the web and good for the readers, and the garbage that the spammers are building.

Before posting, do your own inspection of the site. Are the other articles interesting? Valuable? Educational? Are there comments or other social signals? Can you tell if the site is getting regular traffic or if it’s just sitting in cyberspace waiting to post crappy content and paid links? Just take a few minutes and read some of the content on the site. It won’t be hard to tell if it’s authentic or if it’s a content dump.

Thanks for reading.

David