SEO and Guest Blogging Go Hand In Hand

In 2012, guest blogging is one of the hottest SEO techniques, combining social interaction with SEO by providing outstanding content to readers on blogs other than the home blog.  There used to be a time where offsite SEO practices meant that webmasters could send keyword-stuffed written-for-computers content to article directories, and their sites would rise in the ranks because of the linking.  This practice is now penalized in favor of more socialized forms of interaction with the web.  Hence, guest posting and guest blogging.

There are many who dislike guest posting because it doesn’t employ the simple fire and forget methods which used to work in the earlier days of the net.  To be done correctly, it requires that webmasters speak to one another and share excellent content on each other’s site.  This is a natural evolution of sharing banner pages and links, but it is more focused upon the human element.   Guest posting offers many advantages to both involved parties.

To the guest poster:

External Link: Usually, the guest poster is allowed at least one self serving link in their article.  This link usually goes back to the home site, but it can sometimes be an affiliate link or other style of link.  That link, since it is posted within the posts of another site, usually has all of the ‘link juice’ of that other site afforded to it.

Exposure to Different Base: Every blog has a base readership, and that base readership is most assuredly different from one blog to the next.   Guest posting allows the guest poster to show their skills to a slightly different base in the hopes of expanding their own.

Develop Relationships: Guest bloggers often develop relationships with those who run their potential host sites.  With those relationships and rapport come larger and more intricate opportunities.  Ideas for growth should not be kept in a vacuum.

To the host site:

Vacation from Posting Schedule: To run an effective blog, articles need to be posted on a consistent schedule.  Sometimes, the host webmaster needs a vacation from writing their own content, and having a guest blogger come in provides an opportunity for a break.

Builds Rapport: Building rapport within the blogging community is important for SEO purposes.  Every single webmaster wants their blog to rise to the top of the charts, and the only way to do that is to have connections with other webmasters.

Occasionally Paid: If the host webmaster is running a site which has the higher rankings, there are occasions where the person guest posting onto a site might pay the host of their guest post for posting their article.  This is based on the perceived value of the backlink between the guest blogger and the host blog.

Guest blogging emphasizes the trend of combining social marketing and social networking with SEO.  It is the perfect opportunity for individuals to showcase their writing skills and gain a valuable backlink.  Google has shifted its emphasis from quantity over to quality with its rankings and algorithms which is why guest blogging makes the perfect outlet for webmasters who are interested in SEO.

Greg H., passionate about online marketing, promoting the search of lost loved ones and knowing about people’s past, shows his affinity for the internet through his writings. Currently, a major portion of time is spent helping people perform a free email search to find individuals as well as helping people to understand changes in 1940 census data that have recently occurred.