Guest Blogging: Kill 5 Birds With 1 Stone!

Do you still think - Guest Blogging works in the era of Penguin & Hummingbird?

So much of -Ve discussions going on in blogosphere about Google devaluing the manipulative, author-controlled and rich anchor text links acquired by guest blogging.

Should you continue to guest author on others’ blogs? What is the future of guest blogging? Instead of going directly in to the future, let’s talk a little about the past.

History: Guest blogging in its purest form was being practiced since year 2000 to 2004, when blogging activity was just picking-up. Guest columnists were contributing to various blogs just like their offline counterparts. Everything was fine till 2007 – 2008. Then came the blogging revolution with mass popularity of free blogging softwares like Blogger by Google and WordPress.

Quest for the links: SEO firms started exploiting guest blogging as their main weapon of link building for their clients. Millions of low quality blogs were their target. Followed by small-time bloggers joining the guest blogging band wagon. Everybody were just happy. Without a sophisticated link analysis algorithm, Google had no other option but to watch silently on the fence.

In 80 to 90% of cases the primary motive was to get do-follow links for SEO gain. As the guest author decides what link anchor texts to be put (inside the author-box), it was clearly against Google’s Quality Guidelines. The do-follow links were acting as editorial votes. Just like natural links. Guest blogging activity attained its peak in year 2012. When every X, Y & Z blogs were accepting crappy guest posts in exchange of 1 or 2 do-follow links in the name of content marketing.

With better link analysis algorithms Google stepped in and somehow able to slow the speed. Now, Google doesn’t give equal value to links within the post, in the side-bar, in the footer, or inside the author-box. The links within the article body definitely carry higher values than within the author-box. Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s web-spam team even announced about the -Ve consequences of low quality guest blogging. Check out the below question asked by Nandita B of SEOHour in year 2012:

Currently, guest blogging is the favorite activity of webmasters for link acquisition. Due to its easy nature, lots of spammy activities are going on like article spinning etc. Is Google going to hammer websites for links acquired by guest blogging?

Nandita B, India

Matt Cutts view about guest blogging (Video):

So, what should be your strategy? Should you stop guest blogging completely, or plan your next guest blogging campaign with a list of top 10 blogs in your niche + 10 ready to publish posts?

Check out, what Matt has to say in his next video about guest blogging:

Present scenario about guest blogging

Google has the best possible link analysis algorithms. It can easily identify links acquired by organic guest blogging and spammy guest blogging for SEO. Every entity comes into play when analyzing a guest post: the author and his/her reputation, quality of post, publishing blog, outgoing as well as incoming links, social shares, performance in search results, link anchor texts and many more.

The most important is link graph. If you’re on a guest blogging campaign, your link graph will look much different and artificial than a natural link graph. That’s where Google’s link-spam algorithm comes into play. Rich anchor text is another thing which differentiates a natural guest blogger from a campaigner. If you’re mass guest blogging and majority of them are not liked by web-readers and search engines, and even not shared in social networks, then Google takes it -Vely.

It means…

With better search engine algorithms like Hummingbird & Penguin, the Golden Era of guest blogging has just begun now.

The only thing Google needs is – do it in moderation and with a good intent.

1. Authority: When you publish your best creation ever as a guest post, you command authority as an expert. A new group of people know about your expertise.

You act as your blog’s brand ambassador. Which helps to increase your blog or website’s brand value. If the publishing blog is authoritative in your niche, you may get clients, partnership deals, and even opens the door to more guest blogging on other reputed blogs.

2. Author Rank: Although Google has not officially announced about author rank (AR), with authorship mark-up, Google+ and Hummingbird, it’s not far away.

If you show your expertise on reputed blogs, you will be recognized as a top rank author. To build a good AR you have to come out of your cubicle (your own blog).

3. Link: When your guest post becomes a masterpiece, I mean liked by readers, shared in social networks, bookmarked, and linked by other sites; then Google also ranks it higher and gives the web-page a high PR (page rank). And the value of your link inside the author-box also increases.

4. Traffic: This is the most fun part. You receive targeted referral traffic on your site, and they may subscribe your e-mail newsletter, follow you on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Long story short – you get customers and readers on your site.

5. PR: Guest blogging helps building personal relation with the publishing blog owner and his readers.

This type of PR building is quality and everlasting, because you as an expert author helping them to solve their problems, or making their life easy. This can be proved as most valuable asset going forward.

Hi folks! Can you kill any more birds by guest blogging, besides these poor five