Are We Seeing The End Of Guest Blogging?

Are we seeing a slow end to guest blogging? Looking at the latest news from Google’s spam team, I am actually not to sure, but I do know this, it will change.

Google’s latest announcements concerning guest blogging has changed the way many bloggers and other popular websites are looking at handling this particular strategy.

Here we will go over why guest blogging is good and, what will most likely change when it comes to using this particular method of building a highly successful blog presence online.

Here We Go Again?

Unlike Panda and Penguin, I don’t think that this latest and soon coming change with Google is going to be as serious as many think. As a matter of fact, I think it will only help what guest blogging is truly all about.

So what is guest blogging all about? In the end all be all of the day, it is about creating a solid site and blog online through the sharing of quality content from decent, great and new and upcoming bloggers. Unfortunately, it is also a way to “gain” links that seems to be the only viable option for “cheating” the search engines anymore.

I have recently been asked and, have done some guest posting on blogs. Of course the idea of getting a great link out of it was cool, but that was not the only intention for it. I wanted the “popularity” more than the link juice, being a guest blogger gives a little “extra” something to your brand.

Unfortunately, there are those who would try and gain the links built through these types of sites and, once again, are ruining it for everyone, well, maybe ruining it.

Before we think about the link, we should think about our brand and, the information we share on a guest post. This is the real reason for you to use this strategy. First off, a chance to rank high on a popular site. Second, builds brand and brand trust. Last, but not least, there is a link, but this is a link to you, so look at that as branding, not link building.

No matter what decade it is, there will always be those that try to gain some system, somewhere, that is true human nature. But, for those individuals who try, and even succeed for a time, it will end. However, I think guest blogging will not truly end, I just think we need to change our approach to it.

Pro Bloggers Beware…

Even ProBlogger.Net has changed their habits and practices of guest blogging. Today they pick from who they determine to be the “cream of the crop” of content writers. While I still love to learn and read from guest bloggers there, this can hurt the new person who wishes to jump into the spotlight.

I do not think the “how” we allow people to guest blog on our sites should change as much as we should fix the “how” we link to them and their site(s). This will still allow for newer bloggers to become noticed and, cure any linking issues that may arise by using the following strategy. (Here are some simple strategies I found by Jeff Foster )

1. Link the person’s name to their author bio on your site using a Dofollow link; not to their website. Learn how to properly code your author bio section. Or, I suggest you take them to Google Plus page or profile.
   
2. Automatically make all outbound links NoFollow links.

The good things that could come from this are:

• More people feel part of your blog.
• More people comment.
• Which means more new/targeted content for Google.
• Authors get links back to their author bio pages.
• This increases the value of those pages.
• And this ranks their articles (on your blog) #1 in Google, hopefully.

Things are changing, and link building practices are changing too. Link building through Google Plus for “author” information seems to be a much better deal. The blogger get’s the “spotlight” and, from their Google Plus profile, have the ability to gain traffic to their own site.

I know it sounds a little round about, but as I see link building changing into more social media metrics, why not? why just share the link itself to the guest post, but also share the link to the about profile page on their chosen social media platform with the author link?

It’s Not About Links, It’s About The Reader…

Unnatural links, these should be done away with. Whether or not you believe this or not, guest blogging and using them for simple link exchanges will end, and you will need to change your practices now.

Guest blogging should be about the readers, and how many you can get to know you, not link to you. I suggest once again using social profiles like Google Plus as the “author” link and, of course, creating an actual author biography with a link to website and social media profile.

Guest blogging will not end, as a matter of fact, it will grow. The new changes we will see will protect it from those that would take this strategy and turn it into some link farm scenario and other bad SEO practices.