Guest blogging has evolved into a spammy industry

Several years ago guest blogging was a rather deferential thing. Many websites usually used it if they weren’t always able to provide high quality content and in that way they acquainted their readers with enjoyable writers or topics. Likewise, real bloggers were writing great quality posts in order to connect to an audience of a larger site. That helped to put out more quality content even with a small writing team. Nowadays webmasters use guest blogging as a link building tactic to gain links in rather cheap way. For the past couple of months we’re hearing only negativity about guest blogging. Every time a new question about guest blogging comes up – the response is always getting worse.

Last month Matt Cutts stated in his blog that people should stop guest blogging for the SEO purpose, because it is more like spammy industry. Instead, he suggests use it with nofollow links, because they can still be to get exposure to a new audience, branding, besides, these links don’t affect PageRank, so that Google won’t focus on it. Also, Cutts advises to make blog posts written by verified user. He doesn’t recommend accepting a guest blog post unless you are willing to vouch for someone personally. In other words, you can accept great quality guest blog posts and offer blog posts yourself, but do it strictly for branding and exposure, not for SEO.

Matt Cutts’ statement aroused a lot of inconsistent replies. Some of blog owners, who are bothered with spam propositions, are fully agree with Matt’s post and propose guest blogging to be as a method for only public relations, not for links. Others deny this affirmation and are indignant at Google’s intention to dictate people what they should do with their websites and blogs. Basically, both parties are right, but how will this situation be finally resolved? Will Google take actions against those who engaged in link building through the guest blogging in future? We’ll see.

 

Guest blogging has always been great for SEO and branding but as google step up their fight against spun/poor articles, many so-called SEO experts decided to start creating cheap blogs for the pure purpose of spammy SEO.
There's nothing wrong with providing guest posts on quality and well written blogs but most of the stuff out there is just junk.

 

Once again, Matt Cutts says something and everyone panics about the sound-bite.

What he's saying is that PROPER guest posting is perfectly fine, as it always has been. Spammy, crappy, SEO-frantic guest blogging is a bad idea - as it has been for ages. Much like posting spun junk on article sites, bot-generated comments on blogs and so on.

If you're guest-posting on a good blog and your work is interesting and useful, I see no reason for concern. If you write rubbish, post it on crappy third-rate sites and expect it to generate awesome SERP value, you're an idiot.

To be blunt, if you're not checking WHO is guest-posting for you - their reputation, their site and so on - you get what you deserve: a Google-slap.

 

Guest blogging in the SEO sense has been going on for a while and has always been spammy. The issue here is that Google cannot figure out a way to stop guest blogging so they are trying to use scare tactics to prevent companies from utilizing this method.

You can thank the Gawker article that pushed Google to make this announcement.

 

Guest blogging started out what it was supposed to be for -- to let bloggers support one another because it looks better to have multiple real versus fake authors posting on a site. However, like any good tool, people take advantage of it.

 

Spammers will always find a way to do what they do best, so any measures google takes, there will be a counter from spammers. It`s part of the so called SEO practiced by the SeoGurus

 

Most search engines consdier them spammy links either way.

 

I see it in this way.

If Google really wants to make the search results better, then it must stop frightening and making loud statement about what is good or bad thing.
People start going to extremes because of that.

The truth is in the fact that any methods in extra mode are not good. It is like the situation with overeating or alcoholism.

And Matt Cutts should stop the PR and begin to work.

 

Any time a link building method starts becoming really effective and by extension, popular, it will inevitably become overused and Google will attempt to take action on it.

Look at things in the past like profile links, networks like BMR/ALN etc.

Legitimate guest blogging will always be effective, though, so as long as you're doing things right (i.e NOT using networks set up solely for guest posting and instead contacting real, relevant sites within your niche that don't advertise guest posts) then you will be fine.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again - majority will always dictate the rules. Sure, in the field of SEO there are many marketers that are unhappy with all the changes, threats, new rules etc. but at the end of the day:

Are most users happy with Google? Yes, they are.
Are they finding what they search for easier? Sure thing.
Is there a decrease of spammy/irrelevant pages popping up on the first pages? Right on.

So while the answers of those questions are positive, Google won't stop doing things like they are doing them now. The sooner we realize this, the faster we will accept the facts and put our efforts into improving ourselves and be flexible enough not to be influenced by changes.

 

I wonder if Google's technology will get to the point that guest blogging without even creating a backlink to your own site will be seen as an SEO tactic based on the author. So for example, you guest post on a blog, but don't actually have a link to your own site, but instead have an 'ID' or way of telling Google you're the one writing it, and if it is good content, Google rewards your own site with a boost. Or am I just dreaming?

 

Guest bloging is still works very good for seo, I've made for a friend 24 guest bloging posts and his site ranks on first page of google for his important keyword, the secret is to link with more keywords in the anchor text not only with couple keywords.

 

Guest bloggin can be also spammy or not, for example I get request for gust blogings to my blog and they were good and readable articles, also unique articles, so no reason why to consider guest blogging a spammy industry, I think the owner of the blog is responsible for this, does it accept the post or not.

 

If a blogger can't be bothered posting his/her own content, close down your blog.

I know of some blogs who rely on a lot of guest posting. Most of it being spammy.

Post your own content and if you really want to allow guest posting, only allow quality content.

 

I don't think it has evolved into a spammy industry. Not just yet. But, I would say that SEO has gradually diverted the course of guest blogging.
Allowing others to guest blog is never a bad idea. The problem is that some blogs are run or owned by one person or an agency.
In this way, the owner can easily post a blog of any topic to his/her other blogs. No hassle and no need to ask permission nor send a fee.
But still, the way of guest blogging hasn't lost its value.

 

Google has started creating hammer to bang on the Guest Posting techniques and come up with old techniques which google now thinks was better like HubPages and Squidoo pages.

 

Google has just got strict with everything. Guest blogging is still a relevant source of making your mark online. The most important aspect is selecting the right blogs and submitting the right informative articles.

 

My suggested standard: guest blogs should accept guest posts only from (1) recognized experts in the field they are writing about, who (2) have good-to-excellent writing skills. The rest of the guest posts are generally garbage.

That would eliminate about 99% of the spammers.

 

If people use only social profile links in bio when guest blogging, it will be natural enough. The problem is that most abuse and also try to add that commercial anchor text link in there too

 

I run a blog my self, and it is very stupid. Many people just spam their links in the comments.