The Benefits And Pitfalls Of Guest Blogging Practices

Guest blogging practice is a tactic that most serious bloggers have adopted for some time now. The reason is that, as an Off-page SEO technique, it generates trust on your site and also has a great impact on your ranking on SERP. Though guest blogging is beneficial, it also has some pitfalls due to the negative practices of content writers, guest bloggers, and SEO freelancers. They have made the tactics become spammy, and this is not Google-friendly.

Also read: Tips And Advice On How To Start A Blog

Before i proceed in this discussion, let us take a look at the statement made by Matt Cutts.

Guest blogging is done; it’s just gotten too spammy. In general I wouldn’t recommend accepting a guest blog post unless you are willing to vouch for someone personally or know them well. Likewise, I wouldn’t recommend relying on guest posting, guest blogging sites, or guest blogging SEO as a link building strategy.

– Matt Cutts, former Google engineer

You can actually find this statement on his personal blog, published as far back as 2014. The most questioning part about his statement is that, up to date, guest blogging practices are still a widely used and accepted practice among SEO agencies. In fact, a recent study conducted by Ahrefs revealed that the majority of SEO agencies still use guest posting practices in their link-building campaign. So, the big question now comes in; Is guest blogging practice a beneficial or detrimental approach in link building? The answer is definitely a YES and a NO!

Hey! my answer should not get you confused, by the time you have finished reading this post, you will have a better idea of what I am saying. Let me take you on a ride on how guest posting can be both a negative and positive SEO strategy. Before that, let me show you a little history about guest blogging and why the tactics were adopted.

History Of Guest Blogging

From the beginning, guest blogging was considered a privilege in which authors can publicize their content on quality sites. It was regarded as a great honor. This actually meant that there is so much value attached to your work, which makes it to be sought for.

As the year goes by, the majority of websites began to use guest blogging as a way to reduce the number of unique articles they have to produce, and at the same time introducing their readers to new authors that they can easily relate with.

With time, some negative guest blogging practices set in. Some bloggers developed the idea of using spammy content as a cheap means of building links, thereby compromising the positive intent of guest blogging. This type of action can destroy a site owner’s reputation, making visitors flee to a more reputable site.

Authors began to paysite owners just to get an opportunity to present their content on his or her blog. Unfortunately, this is just a strategy to publish paid links in poorly written, spammy, or stolen content.

To date, guest blogging practices are still beneficial. All you need is to know exactly what you are looking for in the blogs you want to associate with.

Pitfalls of Guest Blogging You Need To Place A Check On

For you to gain the full benefits of guest blogging, it is important for you to be choosey on the various destinations you intend to publish your work.

Even when you being offered a payment, it is wise for you to investigate the blog’s content to ensure that the articles are relevant and at the same time let the author be credible (at least proof from previous articles).

Another indication that your site’s ranking can be in danger as a result of guest blogging opportunities, is the links embedded in the content. One good means of creating valuable content is by linking to a reputable source. If the content on the website you are posting on links to low-quality content, thin content, or spammy content, it’s best to pass on the opportunity.

Some main factors to consider before guest blogging on another site are:

• How many social followers the site has
• How many backlinks point to the site and the quality of those links
• If the site has original content or exclusively guest posts

If any of these elements are not intact, then it is better for you to seek other sites to guest post on.

Must read: 5 Link Building Facts Every Blogger Should Know

Benefits Of Guest Blogging

Let us now look at how guest blogging practices can be beneficial to your SEO strategy and improve your ranking on SERPs.

Must read: Unique Content And Bad Guest Posting Habits

As Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithms have largely altered the landscape of ranking content, the requirements for guest blogging to receive positive benefits have become a little bit rigid. Please note the following points:

The post you create must be published on a website that is within or closely related to your niche. Anything less will simply be considered irrelevant.

Also, the blog you create must actually be written by you. Any forms of article spinning or scraping are not an acceptable practice. Additionally, the piece you craft must be well written and add value to the site it is published on. Most reputable sites won’t take poorly written materials anyway, so quality should always be your goal.

The article you write for the destination must be unique and not a carbon copy or a re-write of a piece you published elsewhere. Moreover, the links you include need to be natural and relevant to the material.

And again, ensure that the site has original content in addition to its guest posts.

If all of these qualifications are not met, you will not gain positive benefits from the post and there is a good chance that it may even harm your site and online reputation.

Guest blogging practices still have a good place in SEO strategies, and there is a good chance that it always will. The key to harnessing its benefits is to reach out to reputable sites. This is what Matt Cutt is just trying to address in his statement I quoted from the start of this post.

There are still many good reasons to embrace guest blogging practices (exposure, branding, increased reach, community, etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google came in, and they will continue to be. I just want you to know that a lot of low-quality or spammy sites are now using guest blogging as a link building strategy, so you have to be careful. I recommend that you become selective when someone reaches out to you, offering you a guest blogging article.

Are you making use of some other link-building strategies or you are simply embracing Guest blogging practices alone? Kindly share your views and opinions in the comment box below.