Guest blogging is the practice of inviting writers to publish posts on your blog. It does not cover comments which are not regarded as posts, but genuine blog posts made by a guest. Google expects guest blogging to meet certain protocols. However, just as all other Google rules, they are not explicit and you have to put your own interpretation on them.
Most times that interpretation is opinion, but in the case of guest blogging Matt Cutts, Google’s head of webspam, has offered some advice. The video below is what Matt says about guest blogging.
Watch the video, then read our interpretation, based both on the video and on the experience of what Google generally means by such statements. The Panda and Penguin algorithm updates and the Disavow tool were preceded by similar videos, so we can extend the way they were rolled out to what might be another update based on guest blogging.
Fundamentally, Matt is saying that guest blogging should be honest – failure may impact negatively on both the guest blogger and on the blog itself, but mainly on the latter. Here is our analysis on guest blogging.
The Reason for Google’s Concern
With the introduction of PageRank, Google placed its flag firmly in the corner of inbound links as a major factor, if not the major factor, considered in ranking positions. Just like their introduction of keywords did, this resulted in a scramble to create as many backlinks as possible. The same content was being published all over the web, each publication providing a valuable backlink.
As a result, backlinks became devalued so Google started with the duplicate content algorithm, and then extended that significantly with Panda to include publication on content farms. It then tackled repetition of anchor text and landing pages plus other similar issues with Penguin.
SEE ALSO: How to Recover From the Google Panda and Penguin Update.
It is not surprising, then, that Google might be turning its attention towards backlinks from blogs – particularly guest blogs and maybe even comments. We should all be prepared for what might become another update in the Panda and Penguin mold, although Google has not yet indicated this to be imminent. Nevertheless, Matt’s comments are very similar to those offered prior to previous algorithm updates.
GUEST BLOGGING: THE WRONG WAY
The way we see it, the wrong way to provide guest blogging is to allow anyone to guest blog on your site without first being invited. When guests do blog for you, the wrong way is to permit them to provide links within the blog to their own website. Google sees that as free links in return for the content.
That is against Google’s linking guidelines that states:
“The following are examples of link schemes which can negatively impact a site’s ranking in search results:
Buying or selling links that pass PageRank. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links; exchanging goods or services for links; or sending someone a “free” product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link
Excessive link exchanging (“Link to me and I’ll link to you”)”
In some cases using the rel=”nofollow” attribute will overcome this problem and allow the link, since it will not count towards the Google PageRank of the linked site.
Never Promote “Free Links” in Exchange for Anything
If you offer free backlinks in return for anything – money, content or blog posts, then your site will suffer. Not just the one page on your site that makes such offers, but your entire domain. If you offer free links in return for a guest post to anybody, no matter how respected they are in the internet world, then you will suffer, and the person belonging to that link will also suffer.
Spammer Association
Another problem is that if you allow spammers to post or even comment to your blog without you acting as moderator and refusing them then Google will associate you with them and punish your blog. Google has a list of known people and URLs that are associated with spamming, and if you allow such sites to publish their links on your blog, expect to disappear from Google rankings overnight. Not immediately, but unless you remove them, one day you will wake up and find your site disappeared from Google’s listings.
GUEST BLOGGING -THE RIGHT WAY
Invite the Guest Blogger
The correct way to allow people to guest blog is first for you to invite them. If you like a blog and it seems to have a good following and perhaps even a high Google ranking (though that’s not important), then contact them and ask if they want to guest blog for you.
You should never say ‘if you blog for me for a link, then I will blog for you for a link.’ Google will pick up on the reciprocal linking and you might be in trouble. Make them ‘nofollow’ links, and you might get away with it because you are not then trying to manipulate Google’s PageRank algorithm.
That does not mean that links cannot be used, and if they lead to a genuinely useful web page then Google is likely to allow it as a genuine backlink. However, you must check every link yourself to make sure they don’t land up on a betting site or worse! You may be surprised at the destination of some seemingly innocuous looking links! Or perhaps not!
It is a good policy to make all links ‘nofollow’ and once you are happy with any specific link, add the ‘dofollow’ relation to it. By doing that you are unlikely to suffer from any bad links on guest blog posts or comments that get below your radar.
Offer Author Authority
Perhaps now we see the importance of Google+ and the authorship authority that G+ provides. It would not be surprising if backlinks eventually faded to play a minor part in Google’s ranking algorithm and G+ votes and Google authority took its place. Don’t misunderstand this – linking will always be important, but Google+ authority will take over to a large extent.
To do this, the guest author should simply provide his name, linked to an internal bio page. Ideally, this should be the only link on the post. The blogger gets his or her name associated with the post, and by using the rel=author tag, it is linked to his or her bio.
State at the beginning or end of each post using the terms – “By: Author’s Name” or “Author: Author’s Name” and use rel=’Author’ on every post containing the author’s name. ‘Author’s Name’ should be the author’s Google+ name. Visit your Google+ page or ‘Webmasters Tools’ for more information on setting this up.
SEE ALSO: How to Implement Google Authorship Markup in WordPress.
An About the Author section below the post can provide the author’s photograph, a short biography and a Google+ and a Twitter and/or Facebook ‘follow’ link. Google will find this far more acceptable than a clickable link to the author’s website.
Setting up the Google+ Link
If you are a guest author, you must first have a Google+ page. The link to your profile should be formatted thus:
<a href="https//plus.google.com/ (number)? rel="author">Google+</a>
There are author bio plugins that enable you to do this, such as ‘Social Author Bio‘ and ‘Author Bio Shortcode‘ which you can find when you search for ‘author bio plugins’ using the WordPress Plugin search box. These also enable links to your Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts which you can ignore or choose to include. Also if you know coding then check this article: Display Author’s Social Media Links on the Profile Page in Mystique 3.0 theme, same procedure will apply to other themes.
The bio can be hyperlinked to the name of the author of the guest blog post. You can use the same plugin to link your name to posts that you make yourself.
Advantages of a Guest Blogger Bio
A guest blogger bio proves that the guest blogger truly is a guest, and not just made up by you in an attempt to show your diversity. It not only enables you to exclude spambots, but also enables guest bloggers to receive a genuine reward for their work that is recognized by Google. Both you and your guest blogger will be rewarded with more points in the Google ranking race, irrespective of how that race is scored.
Do what Google wants, and you will not be punished. Try to second guess Google, or misuse the way you think its algorithms work, and you might achieve a temporary gain but will eventually lose – as thousands found when they lost their entire income and livelihood when Google cottoned on to the Adsense keyword spinning scam.
Importance of Original Blog Content
Article spinning is likely to be next on Google’s list, and Panda and Penguin are the first shots at that. Ultimately, articles created by article spinners and scrapers, using sections of existing web content, will be hit hard, and many other livelihoods will disappear overnight.
Make sure your guest bloggers are reputable, because if they create their content using scrapers and spinners, expect to be hit hard yourself in the not too distant future. Manually written original content is what Google expects and will ultimately get.
It should not be long before bloggers are punished if the post does not inform Google of the identity of the author. Also, if Google believes the author might be a spammer, then the blog will also be punished.
A blog that is not listed on Google will not go very far! Those that say ‘to heck with Google’, and focus on Bing and Yahoo, also do not go far. Try it and find out for yourself. Google gets more traffic than Yahoo and Bing combined – in fact over 65% of all web searches.
Problems with Comments
Never allow comments to include links to a website that you have not checked. The name of those making comments should be linked to their Google+ account – if they have no such account, then no link! It’s your own safety you should think about, not their linking strategy. Link comments to the author’s bio if they have one – no bio, no link!
Many comments are spam – created by ‘commenting software.’ These are constructed to provide a link directly to a web page that generally has no relation to the topic of your blog. Allow this, and your blog listing is liable to drop rapidly. All links in your comments section should be defaulted to ‘nofollow’- only the name of the poster should be linked to their bio. This not only increases the value of the comments to both you and the person making the comment, but both of you are given credit by Google.
Association with Penguin
All of this makes sense when you consider the Penguin update. Penguin demands most links in article marketing to be either naked links (the actual URL) or for the anchor text to be either the name of the business or the name of the author. Keyword-based anchor text should comprise no more than around 20-30% of the total links.
Google is following a trend whereby the name of the author of content is more important than the keywords used in the link. Google+, the G+ button and authorship were apparently designed to enable this, and an understanding of what is in Google’s corporate mind will enable you to make best use of guest blogging and understand better what to avoid. What do you think about guest posting, just share your thoughts with us in form of comment below.
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Very Helpful tips to follow from both perspective, from a guest blogger’s and a blog owner’s.
i have only 1 guest blogging, it really help me when i got nothing to wrote the idea
Juan recently posted – 4 Keys To Be Success IM
Great advice Rajesh..Very valuable information post Penguin..I think displaying social profiles of Guest bloggers helps to impart a feel of trust amongst readers. There should be opportunities for readers to connect with guest contributors.
Joe Hart recently posted – Dental Implants
Thanks Rajesh
The Post came up at very right time.
But I am still confused as I read on ProBlogger few days ago that the Blogs offering Guest Blogs will be penalized by google!!
Ravi recently posted – 9 Tips for Awesome Mobile Phone Photography
Have you read this post carefully? I doubt about it? We mentioned all the details mate
No Rajesh I have read this Article
I am Asking that the Article Published on ProBlogger says that All the Guest Blogging Blogs will be Penalized so the Blogs should not Openly ask for Guest Blogging and instead use tricky words to attract Guest Bloggers Like “Become a Contributor” with an example of SEOMoz. And here you have explained all the Safety Measure for Guest Blogging which are indeed Impressive. So it is a Bit confusion that even if we start accepting or submitting original Guest Posts will Google create any new Policy?
Ravi recently posted – 9 Tips for Awesome Mobile Phone Photography
High chances are there Google will give penalty to sites which are accepting the guest posts, but if you’re accepting the guest post then follow suggested ways so it’ll look like normal posts. If you see many guest bloggers and SEO companies contact reputed site owners to publish their guest post and in return of content they are expecting a backlink. Also many product owners ask to host their Giveaway in return of backlink and product review. Google always prefer natural linking instead of such unnatural ways. So in future both sites will get penalty, this the reason why Problogger stopped accepting guest posts.
Hi
Really informative especially about setting up authorship I presume google are going to push and reward this in the coming year I have just set up a google account. Have had a bit of trouble linking it with my site though. Next was to look into setting up authorship.. The good thing is everything looks like it is going to reward the person who is prepared to do the work and put the time in. Always been a bit scared of guest blogging before probably worried that my writing isn’t up to scratch.
Great post thanks lee
wow great post and very helping for me like I am a new blogger and its very useful for me as well as for other bloggers. thanks and keep it up man..
ahsan recently posted – The first android HP Tablet: Slate 7
This post will be helpful to the new guest bloggers!!!
True that many bloggers do guest post to get a backlink and make the website spam which google does not like. Also google is focusing on good quality content so the websites offering to write quest post for them have to be careful…
Keep posting such informative post Rajesh!!!
Vincent Armstead recently posted – Rumors – Samsung Galaxy S4 May Include Eye-tracking Scroll Technology
Nice post. I was looking for some helpful information about how to do a guest post and your article gave me some good information on how not to do it. Thanks a lot!
Veronica recently posted – Historia de los anuncios para buscar pareja
Guest blogging gives internet users the chance to post somethings which may be useful to some sites.It doesn’t inclnude Comments.That latter is not considered as a guest blogging.So , as with most starategies there is a wrong way and a right way to do things like guest blogging.If you approach guest blogging intelligently , with even the barest minimum of preparation, becoming a guest blogger may provide: fresh traffic , visibility, and awarness from important authoirity figures.
Great Post …Thanx For Sharing It…Keep Up The Good Work….
Great post! This really helps others who’re new into Guest blogging
Madras Geek recently posted – How to make the best use of Google Chrome? 20 Best Chrome Tweaks & Hacks
nice tip, it is very useful to beginners in blogging.
keep sharing.
A very informative piece this is. Most particularly i’m impressed by this statement”When guests do blog for you, the wrong way is to permit them to provide links within the blog to their own website. Google sees that as free links in return for the content.” Absolute food for thought. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Dickens
Hello Dear
i was read very carefully really its very unique and advice i will follow your your advice and i think guest posting is great way of link building , so thanks for sharing me
Thanks Rajesh for posting such a nice post. I was not aware of such things before. Now I would be a bit cautious while blogging
Prashant recently posted – Most Common IPTables Rules Used in Redhat Linux
Very timely and valuable post. Thanks so much for sharing. I am thinking of inviting guest bloggers to contribute content for my site. This article is a very big help so my site will not suffer in the process.
There are so many thing I have to solve when I choose becoming blogger. You have provided me a lot of knowledges that relate to blog post. Following your tips I can avoid some mistakes. Thanks for sharing
I didn’t think accepting guest bloggers have to follow such stringent rules. Good thing I came across your article. Thanks.
Guest blogging is one of the best ways of attracting readers.It is really a good chance to readers and writers to be in touch with each other , and to knew more things about the ideas and thoughts of the readers.
This post is so interesting and useful.I really like it.The information and the way of delievering it so simple and as good as it should be.Guest blogging is one of the important features blogging activity.It is really so essentiel for bloggers too.
Great points are shorted here. Nice informative post and useful at this time to us (Newbies) .
Thank You for sharing
sai charan reddy recently posted – Root HTC Desire C || Easy Tutorial ||
As a site owner, I don’t easily allow guest post especially now that Google is making more updates again and is getting stricter. This goes the same also with the blog comments I receive.
Jeremy Norton recently posted – How to Get Rid of Negative Thoughts
Right and wrong way of accepting guest bloggers — I will definitely keep these in mind. Very enlightening post. Thanks very much.
At the end of the day, we are responsibe for our own site. It pays to know all the rules before accepting guest bloggers and invite only those with good online reputation.
Thanks Rajesh for the insights. So to summarize and to make my understanding clear, below should be the correct approach (please correct me if I have misunderstood or mistated anything here)-
1. No Links to your own site in the post body of the guest post.
2. Link your G+ profiles as authors
3. Link your about page in the author section
My doubts -
1. What If I post my homepage link with my name in the author section?
2. What if I post any internal link of my website in author section?
Vikash recently posted – Bagskart.com – Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon For Wallets
It all depends upon you, what Google want is natural linking and here you’re giving link to guest authors website in return of content, what do you think is it natural linking?
Thanks Rajesh. I very much understood your point. So we gotta be natural and write content for the content and not thinking for the links
Thanks buddy.
Vikash recently posted – Jabong.com – Upto 70% Off + Flat 25% Off Coupon Code
Great post! This really helps others who’re new into Guest blogging
fitri recently posted – HELLO! magazine – 01 April 2013 pdf
Great article about guest posting Rajesh. I didn’t know about the authorship issue, will have to research more on that topic.
Frank Cern recently posted – Assassin’s Creed IV: Gameplay Trailer
Amazing post. Awesome blog. I’refer it with my friends. thanks for posting
Mark Furrer recently posted – Family owned business
It’s hard to guess what Google really does with regard to guest blogs and other types of links. After all, it’s an algorithm, not a human that checks the links. My guess is that it applies rather simple rules, otherwise it cannot scale it up.
Actually, in view of what you wrote, I’m surprised that you have commentluv enabled on this site, as this appears to violate some of your rules. How would you respond to that?
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All commentLuv links are nofollowed
Having an authors bio is very important because it makes the comment or guest post real. Ensuring an author or person commenting have their google plus profile indicated is the best way to counter spam because google profiles must have the name of a real person.
It is also beneficial to the guest blogger if they have registered for the google authorship because it boosts their ranking in google authorship.