Guest posting is also known as guest blogging and many site owners use it as a great way to reach a new audience. Guest content has long been popular and the links it can provide can boost your standings with the various search engines through clever use of anchor text.
If you’re wondering whether or not guest posts are still a valuable form of SEO in 2020, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start investing.
Guest posts work…on the right sites.
There a reason site owners keep jumping at guest post opportunities. You may have even had requests for a guest post on your own site or your own blog. As far as search engine optimization (SEO) goes, high-quality content in all of its forms can be valuable. However, the best way to get a guest post to work is to ensure that the guest blog post is on a high-quality or high-authority site. Even high-quality content can only go so far. If your guest content is posted on a site with low domain authority, it won’t look the best to search engines. As a result, you might not place too high in the search results.
The main reason—and the short answer—is that even a quality blog post won’t look too good on a disreputable site. Search engines don’t look favorably on sites that are known for spammy links, low-quality content, or poor SEO or social media efforts.
Should you try to guest blog on your own?
Guest posts and guest blogs are valuable but it can be difficult for many site owners to execute their own content marketing strategies. Another issue is that not all site owners are ready to be bloggers. Also, not all site owners are cut for high-quality content creation. Even though content marketing is an incredibly important SEO strategy, it’s okay if you don’t consider yourself the best writer. And when you’re trying to get guest content to rank, it can be even harder. Not only do you have to ensure each blog post or piece of guest content is SEO-ready but you also have to negotiate anchor text, search strings, and compensation if you’re paying for placement. If you’re factoring social media into the mix, that may be an entirely different discussion.
Ultimately, if you’re considering pursuing your own guest posting, you need to write, revise, and rethink each piece of guest content you produce. Plus, as a guest blogger, you need to be open to feedback. Different site owners may be looking for different types of content marketing. As the guest blogger, you need to be flexible to make the requested changes. Again, it’s all in the name of quality SEO.
For guest posts, you should find a third-party service.
The truth is most site owners have a lot on their plates. If you’re interested in guest posts, you may want to consider bringing in some outside assistance. An SEO or guest post agency may be able to handle blogger outreach, optimize anchor text, and navigate social media promotion. Plus, the time you’ll save trying to negotiate guest posts can then be reinvested back into your site and your business. While some pundits like to say guest blogs and guest posts are no longer essential to content marketing, there are thousands of site owners that know their value.
If you’re ready to see what being a guest blogger can do for you, you should look into partnering with a guest post or SEO agency. It can improve your social media and SEO efforts and boost your website’s standings. You’ll be glad you made the investment.
