As Google’s algorithm gets smarter, it’s more and more likely guest blogging is going to come under the hammer. Over the last few years, writing for other websites has become the default method of increasing trust and relevancy, with external links generally added in an author bio at the end of the article. In some cases, where the content is well written and authoritative, with plenty of useful external links in the article, there should be no problem. After all, what’s wrong with writing for others sites: this the basic of journalism after all and certainly a good indicator of ‘neighbourhood.’ Like everything in the murky world of SEO, however, some people have tried to manipulate it.
Keep Your Author Bio Unique
Duplicate Content within the author bio is one aspect many people fail to consider. No one really knows the efficacy of Google’s duplicate content system but in all likelihood its incredibly advanced and getting more so. If you’re using the same author bio one numerous guest blogs, the chances are that’s going to be flagged sooner or later and then your link will be devalued. Try to write something unique everytime, and keep it fun and interesting.
Add your G+ Profile and Link
With Google Plus the latest tool in the G’s arsenal, author rank is becoming a factor. Our advice is to add your G+ profile to every guest blog bio you write, and then to go into your Google Plus page profile and add the site in question to ‘Sites I contribute to’ thus showing a clear link between the two. This will mean your author photo shows up, thus improving your visibility on the SERPS, but will also boost credibility and trust, while lessening your chance for appearing manipulative.
Diversify your Links but Keep them Natural
If you’re linking from your bio with the same link every time (eg, Piers Ede writes for Lewes SEO) your link anchor text profile is going to be too narrow. Spice it up a little, by using generic terms such as ‘click here’ and ‘check out these guys’. Even better, write articles where you can insert a relevant link contextually. It’s going to be a better link in terms of referral power, and also will keep you safe should Google start to devalue the bottom-of-the-article bio links, as some people suggest they will in the not too distant future.
Watch Matt Cutts‘ video about how best to use guest blogging
- Don’t use keyword rich anchor text
- Write as an expert in your field
- Don’t drop keywords left, right and centre: keep it natural
- Focus on Quality, write for great sites only
- Offer a powerful, interesting opinion relevant to the blog’s audience
- Ensure your article and link could pass a full manual review
- Do it in moderation: go for link diversity and build reputation through multiple methods.
