Guest blogging is a practise that is now surrounded in a lot of myth, as if no one has yet truly discovered its purpose after Google rolled out Penguin 2.0 earlier this year. However, it would be wrong to dismiss its relevance off the bat without seeing what benefits it still has to offer, especially to link builders and blog owners alike.
What is Guest Blogging?
For those new to the idea of guest blogging, it revolves around producing quality content in the form of a blog post, which is then shared on a relevant high-traffic blog which likes and accepts your material. In return, a single backlink is placed in the article which directs these bloggers to more of your articles, whilst some users may even share your post through social networks, attracting more attention. In return, the blog owner gets free, thoughtful, content to stuff their blog with which draws in traffic. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
The dark side of guest blogging
If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it probably is. Guest blogging is an innocent character, but also one that’s easily corruptible. There are a lot of posers out there, on the dark side of SEO, who look to abuse this method and manipulate algorithms for extra traffic. Often their material is completely irrelevant, poorly written and stuffed with links. But as long as it shows up on the first page of a search, who cares, right?
Well Google certainly does, and is continually updating its algorithm in an attempt to filter out such posts. In such a way, it helps to provide a continuing relevancy for actual guest blogging and the benefits that come along with it. In its’ cutely named update Penguin 2.0, various SEO tricks have been discounted from the algorithm.
As Andy Betts from Search Engine Watch explains simply: “Google likes good content, relevancy, and uniqueness. Google doesn’t like spam, irrelevant content, and dubious backlinks.” In theory then, spam posts will fall down the rankings noticeably using current tactics such as keyword stuffing and hidden content.
In an ideal world, Google would filter out these posts but leave your thoughtful, relevant articles at the top of the search pile. Well, not exactly. Falling behind these updates could inadvertently see your posts take a nosedive, no matter what was in them, or how relevant they appeared to be. The best tactic is to keep on top of the updates and ensure that all your tactics are ‘above-board’, so to speak.
Keeping on top of links is something that will become especially more prevalent as Penguin 2.0 continues to advance. Too many links and your post will soon drop down the rankings, as filters apply to the amount of anchor text in posts.
The Eventure approach to Guest Blogging
At Eventure, we understand the importance of quality link building through reputable methods, not only to stay on top of search results, but also to maintain a standard which both our clients and search engines work by. Guest blogging is one tool of many to help expand and build a brand, with clear communication of their content and products. We work to provide quality, interesting articles, which not only improve search traffic, but also build reputation with important blogging networks, and are in accordance with the guidelines of a business.
Used in this way, guest blogging can still be a useful and relevant tool as part of an SEO package, though this may not be as apparent as it once was.