To answer that question simply, no. However, if you’re thinking about using guest blogging as the main component of your SEO strategy in 2014, you may want to think again.
Many businesses will have spent the beginning of this year planning their marketing strategy and guest blogging is sure to be one of the main points of discussion during these key planning sessions. A very important concept in any marketing strategy, it's recently acquired a bad rep, no thanks to a huge number of sites that have sprung up in hopes of using guest blogging as a quick link building strategy.
An SEO Expert Speaks
When it comes to SEO strategy and the effects of guest blogging, Google’s Spam Watchdog, Matt Cutts’ has been very vocal on the subject, using video updates via his personal blog to explain the situation. While Matt Cutts’ is an industry leader, I tend to believe his updates should be taken with a grain of salt and looked at as guidance instead of gospel.
Let’s quickly recall what Matt Cutts’ wrote on January 20th, 2014:
“Okay, I’m calling it: if you’re using guest blogging as a way to gain links in 2014, you should probably stop. Why? Because over time it’s become a more and more spammy practice, and if you’re doing a lot of guest blogging then you’re hanging out with really bad company. Back in the day, guest blogging used to be a respectable thing, much like getting a coveted, respected author to write the introduction of your book. It’s not that way anymore”
It’s a bold call by Cutts’, who has worked at Google since 2000. And begs the question: Does guest blogging really need to be ended?
A Favorable Example
We recently submitted a guest post to HubSpot and the results couldn’t have been better. The exposure led to new traffic, increased exposure and helped to nurture a long standing relationship with a terrific business partner.
To be fair, Cutts’ later added the following to his initial statement:
“I’m not trying to throw the baby out with the bath water… And there are absolutely some fantastic, high-quality guest bloggers out there. I changed the title of this post to make it more clear that I’m talking about guest blogging for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes.
I’m also not talking about multi-author blogs. High-quality multi-author blogs… have been around since the beginning of the web, and they can be compelling, wonderful, and useful.”
Before you make a decision for yourself consider these advantages that come along with contributing high quality content to reputable websites.
Increased Traffic – When you’re offering up a blog post for another website, you’re giving your brand the opportunity to show itself to a new set of eyes. This increased traffic is the main reason you should be guest blogging in the first place.
Quality Content – Although the quality content is going on another site, you’re still establishing yourself as an expert in the field which is a sure fire way to bring new traffic to your website.
Building Relationships – Through guest blogging, you have the opportunity to build relationships with editors all over the web while engaging in an online community.
Our View: When you turn your focus to the quality of the content and forget about blogging for SEO purposes, you're gauranteed to win!
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Emmett Hughes is an account manager at Stratus Interactive in West Chester, PA. In his spare time he enjoys Philadelphia sports teams, collecting rare vinyl and spending time with his friends and family. Find Emmett on Google+