Guest Blogging: What About It Pisses The Giant Off?

When it comes to Google and its guidelines, there is hardly anything that the giant takes lightly. So, when the chief of Google’s ‘Webspam’ came out with the statement “ guest blogging is done’, there was discontent and mummer in the blogging community. This was way back in 2014.

Later, in 2017, Google came out with another announcement. It was a warning against the misuse of guest blogging.

So What Exactly is Guest Blogging? And Why Doesn’t Google Like People Using It The Way They Have?

To find the answer, we first need to know how guest blogging works and how it is used to hoodwink Google’s algorithms.

Since the internet exploded, there were all sorts of methods utilised by companies to reach out to their target audience. Advertisement changed its form. A subtle way of marketing started evolving. Dissemination of product info through web articles became the new way of reaching the target audience. 
 

In the scenario, bloggers became the new celebrities. Internet articles talked about everything under the sun. Blogs were now being used as an SEO(Search Engine Optimisation) service. Links to websites were being used in blogs to increase the SEO rating of websites.

Why Does Google Have a Problem With It?

The real problem arises out of the misuse of guest blogging as an SEO tool. Blogs were meant for information to be shared by bloggers with their followers and increase the information available on the internet. However, with guest blogging, they were being used as tools to improve the ratings of websites and share links on Google; specific keywords were used again and again in the blogged articles, without regard for the quality or relevance of the content. This is why Google made the statement that guest blogging is done.

Is it the End of Guest Blogging?

Well, the answer is not as simple as a ‘yes or ‘no’. According to Google guidelines, there is nothing wrong with guest blogging. Then what pushed the company to warn against it? The misuse.

Using guest blogging as a means to increase your reach is easy and good. However, certain things need to be kept in mind when using it to ensure your website does not end up on Google’s radar.

So, How To Use Guest Blogging Without Pissing Google Off?

Write relevant and informative articles on your blog. Forget misusing blogs for sharing links to various websites for their benefit. Instead, focus on the content and the relevance it has to the audience being targeted; emphasise on the usefulness of this information.

The blog should add something to the existence of the web and the search engine; not be just another piece of marketing being used to take advantage of Google’s algorithm.

Check the Trustworthiness of Sites Before Getting in Bed With Them.

Check whether the sites you are writing for are relevant and trustworthy enough to warrant the effort. There are many sites out there that are not listed on Google or have very low ratings because of misuse of SEO. Enter the user name.doamainname.com on Google to see if the site is listed there. If it does, it means that they are listed and rated by Google.

Look for Curated Sites.

Sites that are curated by individuals have much better quality content, and are listed high on Google ratings. Look for such sites to get your content published. Curated sites will also help you quality check your work and make sure that whatever you produce is impeccable.

Don’t Overuse Keywords.

Keywords are good. They keep your content aligned with the areas they make additions to, making them relevant and easier to find. But, the overuse of keywords is not good. In fact, from time to time, Google and other search engines warn against the overuse of keywords as they not only relegate the content but also decrease its eligibility.

Use Anchor Text Properly.

Avoid using matching anchor words for too many links. If you use the same anchor text for far too many links, it will increase your rating but might also bring you into Google's cross-hairs. So avoid it.

Be Original.

Try not to mass produce or reproduce articles. There have been instances where campaigns of mass-produced articles have been launched to increase ratings. Don’t fall into the trap. It may get you to your short term goals but in the long term will diminish not just your credibility but also your ratings. Re-sharing an article for a different target audience after editing is acceptable, but doing it in bulks is neither ethical nor beneficial.

Use Blogging for What It is; Not For Misuse.

Use blogging and guest blogging for what it’s meant- sharing of information, and not as a tool for SEO service in India. Write articles relevant to your audience and keep the content clean and good. Also, follow the guidelines set by Google to avoid any action by the giant against you.

So, in essence, Google is not against guest blogging; even its guidelines allow it. But, what isn’t allowed is the misuse, which technically should be the case with most things but sadly isn’t. Therefore, the life of guest blogging now depends on how it is used and what Google may think is necessary to control its misuse.