If you’re worried about Google cracking down on your guest blogs, you should know that it can’t algorithmically differentiate between guest posts and normal articles. There’s no compulsion to disclose whether a particular article is written by a guest or not.
While Google might not be able to single out the guest posts, you still need to maintain a certain level of quality to reap the benefits.
ONLY THE GOALS HAVE CHANGED
As the Google algorithm has matured, so have the various SEO and ranking strategies. If you’re approaching guest posting with the same link-crazy attitude as before, it might not work for you.
It’s time to retire guest posts that contain a truckload of links while providing zero value and substance. That’s one of the main reasons why guest blogging earned such a bad rap.
Ultimately, the success of your guest posting strategy depends on your content, not on those pesky links. Make content relevant, useful, and valuable and you’ll have nothing to worry about!
Is Guest Posting the Right Fit for You?
We’ve already talked about the benefits of guest posting for your SEO and ranking. But when it comes to link building, there’s no shortage of tactics to choose from. Each strategy has its own benefits and risks. The same goes for guest posting.
The big question is: Does guest posting work as a dependable link building strategy? The answer depends on your unique needs and end goals so we’ll let you be the judge of that!
Analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of guest posting is the best way to pinpoint whether it’ll work for you or not.
The Benefits
Here are some benefits guest posting can provide for link building and beyond:
INCREASES BRAND AWARENESS
Guest posting for a trusted website in the industry can be a massive boost to your brand awareness. If you deliver authoritative and meaningful content, new audiences will take notice and flock to your site.
BOOSTS HIGH-QUALITY TRAFFIC
If your guest post wows readers, they’ll definitely be coming back for more. This ensures that you’re getting meaningful traffic from people who genuinely love your content. It also boosts exposure within the industry and pushes your rankings up as well.
DOES WONDERS FOR YOUR DOMAIN AUTHORITY
If you follow the motto of quality over quantity, you can successfully increase your domain authority. The key is to focus on creating fewer guest posts for highly authoritative sites to build high-quality links.
CREATES NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS
Surviving in the blogging industry is all about building new business opportunities, useful leads, and fruitful relationships. Guest posting can earn you a lot of attention from both users and other companies. This opens up new horizons for collaboration and growth.
THE RISKS OF GUEST POSTING
Now that we’ve explored all the benefits, it’s time to look at some drawbacks and risks associated with guest posting.
IT’S NOT VERY SCALABLE
Guest posting too frequently can get you in Google’s bad books. That’s why guest posting isn’t a very scalable strategy. It works best when it’s done sparingly but with great attention to quality.
The catch is that getting your post to feature on a high authority site is difficult while going for a site with low editorial standards may do more harm than good.
IT MIGHT NOT BRING IN TRAFFIC RIGHT AWAY
One of the biggest downsides to guest posting is that the new guest post is created on a brand new page with essentially no authority. It might take a while for the new page to get indexed and bring traffic to your site.
However, this can be circumvented by asking the owner to include internal links elsewhere on the website or doing additional link building.
The Dos and Don’ts of Effective Guest Posting in 2022
Guest posting isn’t the same anymore, it’s changed for the better! Now it’s time to change your strategy with a new and improved user-focused approach.
Here are some important dos and don’ts for effective guest posting:
DO FOCUS ON YOUR EXPERTISE
We’ve already discussed how important it is to target highly authoritative sites for guest posting to get the most out of it. The tricky part is that these sites have good domain authority for a reason. It’s difficult to meet their rigorous editorial standards so you really need to focus on your expertise.
Badly researched, recycled content will only land your pitch in the bin. Focus on what you do best!
DON’T GO OVERBOARD WITH THE LINKS
We know it can be tempting to add in a ton of links to your site in your guest posts, but it’s time to fight that temptation by only adding links that add value. Google recommends using no-follow links like Wikipedia to make your article look more authentic.
Focus on the quality of the links, not the quantity.
DO PROMOTE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To bring in some extra traffic, you need to promote your guest blogs on social media networks. This will provide some much-needed visibility and can strengthen your backlinks even further.
Leverage your Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter network to attract more eyeballs!
DON’T REUSE A BLOG POST
In the world of guest posting, reusing an already published post is a cardinal sin. While it’s better to create fully unique content, you can also repurpose old content to deliver the message in a new way.
Reused guest posts reflect badly on your blog and will most likely get rejected.
DO PARTNER UP WITH A LINK BUILDING AGENCY
While guest posting is an effective strategy, it does require a lot of expertise, effort, and time. If you’re not well-versed in the intricacies of how it all works, it’s better to consult a professional link building agency. Instead of wasting time on low-authority sites, let your link building agency find high-quality guest posting opportunities for you.
Looking for services to optimize guest posting? Check out Outreachmama’s premium guest posting services.
In Conclusion
Guest posting may be dead for some but others have chosen to give it a more user-focused makeover. This new revamp is all about making guest posts more consumer-friendly and insightful. That excludes badly researched generic and annoying link-filled articles.
Even with all the links stripped back, guest posts can boost brand awareness, increase domain authority, create new business opportunities, and much more! With benefits like these, guest posting is certainly worth exploring.
As long as Google values quality content, it doesn’t matter what form it takes. Target humans instead of algorithms and good rankings will follow!