I’ve now had two different experiences with guest post pitches – ones that are from regular bloggers hoping to get natural links and exposure for themselves, and ones that are from SEO consultants looking to get natural links for their clients.
Why is it that the second one doesn’t sit so well with me?
I didn’t jump on the guest post bandwagon for quite awhile, so it was/is a little odd to me that people choose to do that when there are so many other ways of getting natural links from blogs that SEO practitioners can use.
Tips for SEO Guest Blogging More Ethically
My biggest issue with SEO guest blogging is the tendency to include links from left field. It’s an SEO consultants duty to try and get high PR natural links and so sometimes readability and good writing gets sacrificed.
I still think, and this may be just me, that it’s kinda bizarre to be writing about, say, WordPress plugins, and then throwing in a link for cat food. There’s almost no way to blend that so it doesn’t stick out.
That said, I support and encourage guest blogging, even for pure SEO reasons. Here are a few ways to do some guest posting for SEO and make it a win-win for everyone.
Use the Author Bio for Links
This is a great, acceptable place for anchor text links. Almost everyone who accepts guest post will accommodate a link or two in this place and you can be a little more relaxed with what goes in there.
Guest Post on Related Blogs
If you’re an SEO consultant and you want to publish a guest post containing an anchor text link, seek out a blog that is related. That will serve both you and the host blogger as well. Taking the example above, if you want to publish a guest post that links to cat food, you might consider finding a pet blog.
Don’t Expect DoFollow
Just because a blog offers dofollow comments, that does not mean that your “natural” anchor text link in the body of a post is going to be dofollow, too. Dofollow comments is done as a way of thanking readers and people who engage. Let the host blogger reserve the right to decide which links will be dofollow or not.
Ask First
The most efficient way to go about this type of guest blogging is just to ask first. Ask if you can include a dofollow anchor text link in your post. Ask whether or not the link needs to be related. Ask if it is okay to include links that you are paid to place. Transparency is key. I am the type of person that is super easy-going when all of the cards are on the table, but at the same time, hiding or being sneaky is a great way to kill the relationship.
Your Turn
What do you think about this? Does it matter to you one way or the other how guest bloggers use their anchor text links, and where?
About Tia Peterson
ahh very well written, but i feel more rules from guest post publishers side should also be included such as allow 1 do follow,dont sacrifice quality
etc
madhur recently posted..When not to honk for dummies—extended
Hi I’m Theresa I got some experience in SEO, I dont know if I’m doing the right way but a is it identical or most importantly the links to be posted is Do follow or not? Is Google indexed it or just ignore it? Well but what I think is blogging is the most effective way then linking it. Stupidity I think :P
Isn’t great content what it’s all about? If seo’s are producing great content that is useful, relevant and enriches the experience for the user then Google should be rewarding that rather than penalising it.
After receiving impressive feedback from the two guest posts I did over at FamousBloggers I can say one of the unspoken rules is to make sure you respond to the comments of your guest post quickly as it only enhances your credibility and traffic to your own blog ;)
Caleb recently posted..No Man Is An Island
Guest posting is a grate way of getting new links, and also receiving traffic. But i think it takes some time to wright the article.
hmm, I recently got a request to guest post on my blog but when I told him to put relevant external links he decided not to guest post anymore
Bryan recently posted..4 Early Social Media Strategies to Consider For Your Business
Next time just be more clear on exactly what you mean by relevant links because different writers see this in different ways. Let them know upfront if you mind affiliate links and or just blog links and if so, how many.
The trend I see forming now is to just put a page in your navigation menu explaining your guest posting procedures along with the signup for it.
p.s.
If they do not want to put any links at all then that certainly does not mean you can’t ;)
Caleb recently posted..No Man Is An Island
You make some great points here. I am with you on how you should use the bio area for your links, and make sure what your linking isn’t out in left field. there should be rules when SEO’s are doing this. There are better ways to get links than guest posting.
What other ways do you know of that are better than guest posting? I’m interested to learn :)
Guest posting is something I’ve done quite a bit of from both sides: as a blogger and as a consultant hunting down links for clients. So long as the links are coming from an on-topic blog, its adding value to the host blog then the links are good-to-go. Let your readers be the judge – if they don’t like it then reconsider. PS. I’ve recently opened up my blog for guest bloggers.
David recently posted..Guest Posters Wanted
Cheers Tia Thanks for sharing so natural ethical way to get blog traffic for long term growth.
seospidy recently posted..Search Engine Optimization SEO
I think guess posting for SEO is acceptable, thanks for sharing.
I completely agree with you, thanks for sharing.
It only makes sense that you would link to relevant pages in a guest post. And, you shouldn’t be linking to thin affilaite sites or MFA sites either without permission from the blog owner. Linking to low quality sites without their knowledge and permission is totally irresponsible.
Kathy recently posted..Teleconferencing And Conference Call Services For Internet Marketers
Definitely relevancy is a must. Even if the blog administrators don’t have a problem with anchor text that doesn’t have anything to do with the article, readers might have. If I am reading an article on a how-to-blog subject, the chances are that I won’t click a link that belongs to a website about furniture for instance.
Daniel Sharkov recently posted..Web Directories – Do They Still Hold any Value
Personally i prefer to have link anchor in text.
As far as i know links in the upper part of the page have more importance in seo terms.
Alex recently posted..Polar Boar
Tia, a specific resource for your readers regarding free guest blogging tools is Linknami.com, where you can find expert authors who are looking for guest blog opportnunities or post unique articles on relevant niche blogs run by individual bloggers all around the world or publish free content on your blog.
I’ve written about 10 guest posts, and I have NEVER included a link back to my content, blog, or anything else, unless it is in the form of an Author Bio, or another space they offer.
When it comes down to it, I get more respect for linking to THEIR content, and am more likely to get asked to write more content. My first ever guest post included 4 links to other posts on THEIR blog, and they asked me to write every week. They appreciate it a lot more.
Great post! :D
Hey Joe,
You’re right. That’s exactly the way that I guest post, too. It’s certainly slick to do SEO link building that way but at the same time, it is really foreign among those of us who guest blog for totally different reasons.
Tia Peterson recently posted..Are you a grasshopper or an ant blogger
It is impossible not to build awesome relationships if you are doing things like that. It is giving away content 100% unselfishly.
Outstanding!
Kathy recently posted..Teleconferencing And Conference Call Services For Internet Marketers
I just love my little blog too much to let anyone post on it that isn’t as passionate about the topics I speak on as I am and what is shared on the blog must be helpful and relevant. Really interesting post. I learned stuff here today. :)
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Hi!
I just think, “Wow this really doesn’t serve my readers.” And that’s how I know it’s not right.
Glad you learned something!
Cheers,
Tia
Tia Peterson recently posted..The Art of Embracing the Oops Moments
Guest blogging for SEO is a beautiful thing. If anyone knows of a site that aggregates blogs(real blogs) that are open to guest posts for SEO purposes, i’d certainly like to know about it.
Josiah Staggs recently posted..Add Twitter Retweet Button to WordPress
Hey Josiah – That’s interesting. If I ever come across something like that I’ll come find you!
Tia Peterson recently posted..The NEW Thesis and Why You Should Consider It
Josiah,
I don’t know of a place that aggregates them. But you can find them easily. They are called article directories. Unfortunately, because they are so easy to get SEO links from, it appears that Google discounts the value of those links. If they didn’t discount them, you could rank for just about any keyword with a handful of EzineArticles.com resource box links.
The kinds of places you are seeking exist in private for the most part. They do that because they are considered link farms. (Maybe not quite link farms but one step above.) Most networks like this that exist require monthly paid memberships.
Kathy recently posted..How to Find Blogs With Keywordluv
Hey Tia,
I have been a guest blogger on other blogs and you are correct about asking first. Must have courtesy if you are going to be writing on someone else real estate.
Chat with you later…
Josh
Josh Garcia recently posted..How to Overcome Those Nasty Blogging Challenges
Hey Josh – Right! You never know. Some bloggers (like me) are okay with SEO’d linking so long as the intentions are clear upfront.
Tia Peterson recently posted..How You Can Change the World Blogging
I’ve not had any of those sorts of pitches yet, so this was interesting to me. So far, I’ve been blessed with guest posters who write great material. Readers naturally click on their links because they want more great articles from the blogger. And I think that’s the key to long-term growth. Write good stuff and the links will follow!
Jean Sarauer recently posted..12 Reasons Why Bloggers Make the Best Lovers
You’re right. I think guest posting for SEO is acceptable so long as the content in the post truly serves the readers!
Tia Peterson recently posted..How You Can Change the World Blogging
Not just guest bloggers, but all content should serve the readers all the time, your own content, guest content, everyone’s comments. That way the Internet gets better and better as a reliable information source.
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