Ever since the emergence of AI, everything we know about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is constantly evolving. The need to separate authentic information from AI-generated content is increasing day by day.

And the content writing industry is getting the direct hit of it. Writers now have to beat artificial intelligence when producing content to support their website’s SEO. 

Guest blogging, on the other hand, is the oldest trick to build backlinks for a certain website. It’s the perfect way to get exposure and gain your audience’s trust. But despite being this helpful, it’s still not completely trusted by many SEO experts. Having quality backlinks from authentic, high-authority, and related sites still counts as a vote of confidence that can in the end boost search rankings.

Even though, guest blogging is not the only way to gain these valuable backlinks, still, one guest blog post is enough to drastically improve your site’s ranking in SERPs. And that’s why, it’s hard to imagine how an SEO expert can leave this technique out of their SEO marketing campaign.

We have crafted this handy guide to support your guest blogging endeavors by offering you the guest blogging pros and cons, and tricks to ace it in 2023.

The Reasons Why Guest Blogging is Still Relevant

Many experts have stated that guest blogging is harmful for SEO and it might be due to a particular post on Google Search Central discussing large article campaigns for gaining backlinks. And it’s a fact that all or most gues-blogging sites are eager to maximize links, and that’s why it’s problematic. Regardless, there are some exceptions.

If you take a close look at the Google Search Central post, you will see that it has stated certain conditions are suitable for guest blogging endeavors. All you have to ensure is these are authentic and educational. However, paying for guest posts is against Google policies. But there will be no need to spend your money as you can find free guest blogging sites to earn quality backlinks.

Benefits of Guest Blogging for SEO

Authority

If you are a new blogger, the first obstacle you need to overcome is establishing yourself in the blogging field. But with guest blogging, it will be a piece of cake as it can offer you authority and that is very quickly.

Starting off as a newcomer blogger is tough as you won’t have many readers at the initial phase. But if you could get the opportunity to write a blog for an established site, their viewer will be directed to your site, giving you the exposure you need.

If you keep on writing quality content for such high-ranking guest blogging websites, soon more and more people will put faith in your brand and you will start gaining authority as a result.

Audience Targeting

By writing for niche-relevant sites, you can connect with your targeted audience more swiftly. You won’t have to seek them out, as you will already have an established platform hosting those targeted audience circles.

Maximized Social Media Following

If you have social media accounts for your website, guest blogging gives you the perfect opportunity to gain followers on those platforms. When writing for a high-ranking website, you are getting their vote of confidence that will work in your favor to gain their audience’s trust. They are more likely to follow you on social media if you have shared your handles along with the guest blog post.

Disadvantages of Guest Blogging for SEO

Quality Control

Sometimes maintaining the same quality for all your guest blogs can get challenging. So if you end up accepting guest blogs from such writers, it can damage your website’s reputation and your audience will start losing faith in your content.

Low Authority Sites

If you have picked a site that has a low rank and is also low in authority, it will not do you any good. Your target audience will end up avoiding your site as well.

Over Optimization

Adding too many keywords to your backlink anchor text can seem spammy to Google.

Too Many Backlinks

Just like adding too many keywords, adding a dozen backlinks to the first half of your content will seem like a manipulation tactic.

Dependence

Being overly dependent on guest blogging to boost SEO can have a negative influence on your SEO marketing campaigns. If those sites change their guest blogging policies, you can get stuck there.

The Best Guest Blogging Practices for SEO

Find The Best Prospects

Before anything, you need to find the best guest blogging websites. Don’t get stuck in finding relevant sites, but seek sites with good domain authority along with a good guest blogging policy and history. These sites will offer you high-value links resulting in boosting your ranking in SERPs.

There are 4 ways to find High-Domain-Authority Websites:

Research - You can conduct research by yourself to find sites with high authority that also accept guest blogging. Doing so can be a challenge if you are new to blogging. You can start by finding out where your competitors are getting the links from, seeking out reputable sites in your niche and pinpointing sites that have a “Write for Us” section.

Hire a Freelancer - You can hire freelancers for this job as they can pretty easily identify higher-authority guest blogging sites. This is the best option if your budget is tight but want professional assistance for the job. You can scroll through Fiverr and Upwork as these platforms are filled with freelancers. But make sure that they have proven work experience before hiring them.

Move On to Directories - You can check out the directories for guest blogging sites. There you will find complete lists of sites that allow guest blogging and also offer high-authority links. It might sound like a dream but guest blogging services like this truly exist.

Prepare a Tactical Outreach Speech

Assembling the site links is only half the job. The other half is to approach the site owner with a pitch-perfect speech. Think about it, why should a site with a high ranking and recognition want to collaborate with a new blogger? What’s in it for them?

You have to dominate their inbox when reaching out to them via mail or on social media. Be persuasive and don’t hesitate to share your ideas and the reasons why their readers should read your piece. Even though, you can find several templates online, it would be better to give a more personal touch to the mail.

Content Creation

This is your time to shine. After bagging the opportunity to write for an authoritative site, you need to focus on writing a piece that will be relevant to their site and what their readers would want to read. Do the necessary research to make your content resourceful and authentic. Try to add new but true information to make your post educational and engaging.

You can take interviews with topic experts to gather in-depth information about the selected topic. Choose a catchy headline to grab the attention of the readers. Make sure to add keywords to the titles as 85% of top-ranking titles in Google contain keywords. Most importantly, don’t take help from any AI tools to write the piece as it might contain false data. Write it in your own style, one that your audiences can align with your brand.

A small tip: Try to follow resources that have proven tactics and are based on proper research. If you want your writing to rank, you should get information from a top-ranking website.

Establish Your Brand’s Voice And Image

There are hundreds of articles online. Select any topic and it will have dozens of variations - you just need to find your own voice to make your piece more memorable. This will help the readers set your writing apart from so many other pieces of content. Think about Neil Patel and his blogs which have their own character. These offer information but in an engaging way. This is exactly why, readers or even some experts scroll through his website when researching a particular topic.

Moderation is key

Too much good of anything also can be harmful. Guest posting is the perfect landmine that can take your blogging career through the roof. But you need to moderate how many links, keywords, and other SEO-friendly factors you are incorporating into your blogs. Too much of any of these practices can make your article appear spammy to Google.

Conclusion

Guest blogging strategy is a wonderful way to optimize SEO! You just have to adhere to its guidelines to get the desired results. It can get tough sometimes but being consistent can offer you a lucrative reward.

If you want help to approach guest blogging for SEO,  TaskerWeb can give you a helping hand. We have SEO experts and talented content writers who will not only help you find top-ranking guest blogging sites but will also write compelling email approaches to reach out to prospects. Moreover, they can write quality guest blog posts that will perfectly capture your brand's voice and image. All of this is within your budget. Contact us today to learn how we can add value to your SEO goals and objectives.