Google is changing the algorithm that ranks backlinks and guest posting. This blog will explore the impact of this shift on content strategies for brands.
Google’s algorithm is heavily influenced by backlink profiles. This tells them how many other brands have links to their website. You could be losing out if your brand’s website does not have links from trusted websites.
There are many ways to get links. One common way is guest posting, or guest blog posting Services.
Is guest posting still worth it these days? Google suggests that it may not.
Guest blogging for backlinks
Agents and SEO teams have used guest blogging to share thought-leadership content with other brands, while building backlinks from reputable sources. This involves:
- High-quality blog posts can be created by a freelance writer or an internal writer
- A brand outreach specialist is hired to search for websites that may be interested in the content. The contact information of the brand can then be recorded.
- Send this content to relevant websites and ask them to publish it
External sites get content for free (and sometimes, payment for sponsored posts). The brand who pitched the content gets exposure and a backlink, which improves SEO.
Guidelines for Guest Posts: How they are changing
Recent events in SEO were sparked by John Mueller, Google’s Senior Webmaster trends Analyst, stating on Twitter that guest posting is not an option for link-building.
The problem is in the links. If you are providing the content/the hyperlinks, then they shouldn’t be sending signals and should have the rel/nofollow attached. It’s okay to view it as a means of reaching a wider audience.
Mueller’s statement is contrary to what many SEO agencies recommend. They have been using guest postings in their content marketing strategy for domain authority building through backlinks.
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The news is not part of a formal update. Google’s algorithm is trained to ignore guest posts linking to these links for some time. Websites aren’t penalized for guest posts. However, they are not getting the same benefits as they did in the past.
Google’s policy on guest posts hasn’t changed much from 2014, but people seem to have noticed it more recently. Six years ago, Matt Cutts, the former Head of Search Quality at Google warned SEO professionals that Google would not factor backlinks from guest posts into its rankings. So, it shouldn’t surprise that there was a recent Twitterstorm.
SEMrush Eliminates Guest Posting Services
SEMrush, a company that provides marketing analytics software, is feeling the heat due to their new guest blog service. It was pulled from the market just as fast as it had been launched.
SEMrush Guest Posting promised “high-quality natural links to your website, helping you boost your rankings and getting more organic traffic.” You can order unique content without doing any research or routine work. The backlink is then embedded to your site and placed on a site relevant to your niche.
John Mueller explained that Google would consider the backlinks mentioned to be unnatural and could flag them by the webspam group. To avoid unnecessary confusion and negative effects, he advised that teams add rel=nofollow/rel=sponsored attributions for backlinks.
We are still here to tell you that we believe guest posting services such as this, which are high-volume, pose a risk. Low-volume, targeted guest blogging that targets brand awareness and not SEO is acceptable.
The Right Time to Hire an SEO Agency for Guest Blogging
Although many aspects of a content marketing strategy are possible to do internally, it is worth having an agency help you. It can be time-consuming and difficult to manage guest blogging. This is because it requires extensive manual research and outreach via email. It is possible to be penalized for not following the rules or guest blogging in error. A reputable SEO agency will ensure that you only use the most effective tactics to increase awareness and traffic. You’ll be able to keep up to the competition and attract new visitors to your site with our assistance.
