Guest posting: what still works and what gets penalised
Writing for other sites can still build reputation and bring visitors. Writing for links can put your site at risk. Here is where the line is.
· 3 min read
Guest posting has a reputation problem. For years it was sold as an easy way to get backlinks, and search engines responded. But writing for other publications is still one of the best ways to reach new readers. The difference is why you do it and how.
What Google says
Google's spam policies give large-scale guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links as an example of a link scheme. Google has also reminded site owners that links in articles written mainly to get links should be qualified with rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored".
In other words, the problem is not guest posting. It is guest posting at scale, for links, with anchor text chosen to manipulate rankings.
What gets sites into trouble
- Volume over fit: dozens of near-identical articles on sites with no relation to your field.
- Keyword-rich anchors: "best SEO agency in London" linking to your services page from every article.
- Paying for placement without the link being marked as sponsored.
- Sites that exist to sell guest posts: low-quality blogs where every article is someone else's guest post with a link in it.
If a site advertises "do-follow guest posts" for a fee, that is exactly what the spam policies describe.
What still works
Writing for publications your clients read. The value is the audience. A single article in a publication your buyers trust can bring more enquiries than any number of links.
Writing because you have something to say. Original data, a clear point of view, or a detailed how-to that the publication's editors would want anyway.
Accepting the publication's link policy. Many reputable publications mark contributor links as nofollow. Write for them anyway: the readers are the point.
Linking naturally. A link to your profile or a genuinely relevant resource, with natural anchor text, not a keyword stuffed into the middle of a sentence.
A simple test
Before pitching a guest article, ask:
- Would I write this for this publication if links did not exist?
- Do the people who read it look like my clients or my peers?
- Would I be comfortable if the editor saw exactly why I am pitching?
If the answers are yes, it is a good guest post. If you are only there for the link, it is a link scheme with extra steps.
How to pitch
Editors receive a lot of pitches with a generic article and a link attached. Stand out by reading the publication first, pitching a specific idea that fits its readers, and explaining why you are the right person to write it. Offer an outline, not a finished article stuffed with links.
On SEOgenz
Members can publish articles here. Each one is reviewed before it goes live, and links in member articles are marked as user-generated by default, so the value is the readers and the conversation, not the link.
Have you had a guest article that actually brought clients? Tell us where it ran and what made it work.