Guest posting is dead.
We’ve all heard that phrase, or see it pop up in search results when researching guest posting.
If you were excited by the prospect, you’re now probably disappointed and worried about the possibility of doing harm to your hard-won search engine rankings. With a lot of conflicting opinions and confusion on the subject, you might feel like it’s not worth the effort.
That would be a big mistake because guest posting still has a lot to offer.
To show you what we mean, let’s get to the bottom of the myth that “guest posting is dead” and why guest posting should still be part of your content strategy in 2019, and beyond.
The article that started it all
In 2014, Matt Cutts, Google’s Head of the Web Spam Team, wrote an article/rant about the decay of guest posting. This triggered a lot of fears about the future of guest posting, and whether those who used it have already done irreparable harm to their search engine rankings.
As the dust settled, it became clear that Google’s beef was not with all guest posters, but with spammers using guest posting to game the system.
As you probably know, the number (and quality) of links leading to your website is an important metric in your SEO rankings. Unfortunately for guest posting, its very nature provided spammers with the means to try and cheat the system. A way to spread your wings beyond the boundaries of your own blog became the means to pay for links that aren’t always relevant, valuable, or organic. This goes against the very spirit of Google’s SEO algorithms which try to promote value on the web.
As became clearer with time, Matt Cutts was lashing out at this particular strand of abusive behavior.
Read more : How To Take Your SEO Strategy To The Next Level In 2021
What are the advantages of guest blogging?
With up to 93% of online experiences beginning with a search engine, it’s easy to consider SEO the be-all and end-all when it comes to content. However, there are factors to consider that stretch beyond your SERP rankings. Even if you had to nofollow every single link on future guest posts, there are still advantages to the practice, most of which goes both ways:
- Reach new audiences: Guest blogging is a great way to connect with audiences outside of your regular readers/followers.
- Establish yourself as an authority: Having a guest post accepted on another blog comes with a sense of accomplishment. It also shows that you are an active source of info in your niche.
- Network within your industry: Writing and receiving guest posts is a great way to build relationships with other platforms/publications. It also helps cement you as part of the larger community.
- Branding: Guest posting on certain platforms can say a lot about who and what you affiliate your brand with. It also gives you the chance to be represented on other platforms but still control your narrative.
- More traffic: Even if you don’t get link juice, you still get more eyes on your brands and possible leads from your links. It’s also safe to assume that if someone read your guest post and followed a link back to your site that they are pretty interested in your brand.
To top it off, 70% of netizens rather learn about a company from content rather than an ad.
Matt Cutts himself admitted as much in a response to the uncertainty his original article caused:
“There are still many good reasons to do some guest blogging (exposure, branding, increased reach, community, etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google and they’ll continue into the future.”
So, Does it still work? Yes!
It’s clear that content creators and blog editors are getting value from their guest posting endeavors. 74% of editors say they will publish between 1 and 10 guest posts a week while 94% say they will post the same amount of guest content, or more, than the previous year.
Clearly, the opportunities are still there.
Guest posting does take a bit of extra work. However, the advantages mentioned above outweigh the costs. If you’re worried about landing guest posting opportunities, coming up with a strategy, a guest posting service like ultimate tech news can help you get your foot in the door.
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