Since the beginning of blogging, inviting guests to write on your behalf was a great way to add credibility and value to your website. It was akin to having another author write a foreword to your new novel. Plus, it was a great tactic to gain effective SEO through link building.
Over the past few years, however, Google saw more and more reports of guest bloggers inserting low-quality links into blog posts. These spam links result in a decreased page rank and put the site at risk of being blacklisted by Google.
Google’s web spam guru, Matt Cutts, spoke out against using guest blogging as a way to gain links and improve SEO. Cutts said that over time, guest blogging has become more and more [of a] spammy practice that will end up hurting websites in the long run.
If you’re approached with an unsolicited offer to write a blog on your behalf, realize that something that sounds too good to be true usually is. This doesn’t mean that you should stop guest blogging altogether just be vigilant with your guests. In general, I wouldn’t recommend accepting a guest blog post unless you are willing to vouch for someone personally or know them well, Cutts explained. As a site owner, strive for a good mix of internal SEO writing and credible guest bloggers to keep content fresh and Google friendly.
Before you accept offers from bloggers to write on your behalf, ask yourself:
- What do I want to get out of this guest blogger?
- Who is this writer and what are his credentials?
- How have other websites benefited from this blogger?
- Could I achieve the same results blogging internally?
For more SEO copywriting and blogging tips, chat with the experts at Brandography. Our website copywriters can teach you how to improve SEO through relevant, well-written blog posts or even help out with SEO content writing services. Connect with our Minneapolis web marketing firm for a free consultation at (612) 460-0016, info@brandography.com or through Brandography’s contact form.
