There has been a big shift in Google’s logarithm in recent month's that you should know about.
And that is guest blogging and especially blog post listing (listing the same blog article on article sites) no longer has the link power it did before.
Quite frankly, Google is all but ignoring it now.
And that is why some of you have seen a drop in or no progress from it.
Also, this is why getting your Google Authorship set up on your blogs is so important, if you have a lot of content out there, you want Google to recognize the content on your own website as yours, otherwise it may be ignored like your other duplicate articles.
I wouldn’t say completely throw it out – but here are some guidelines I would follow:
The absolute best thing you can do right now is write great original content on your own website and keep your SEO efforts updated with your goals and trends in your industry so you are including the right keywords in your SEO listings and on your website.
Writing naturally from your heart and about what you know is the best way to find keywords people will search for – talk like you talk and like the people who call or email you talk.
HERE is a good article by Nate Dame with some good strategies to use. Contact me if you would like help in implementing these or other ideas we could brainstorm around this new change in SEO.
And that is guest blogging and especially blog post listing (listing the same blog article on article sites) no longer has the link power it did before.
Quite frankly, Google is all but ignoring it now.
And that is why some of you have seen a drop in or no progress from it.
Also, this is why getting your Google Authorship set up on your blogs is so important, if you have a lot of content out there, you want Google to recognize the content on your own website as yours, otherwise it may be ignored like your other duplicate articles.
I wouldn’t say completely throw it out – but here are some guidelines I would follow:
- I would look at guest blogging as a marketing tool instead of a search engine ranking tool. It can still gain you exposure on more heavily visited sites and clicks on your website.
- Try to write blogs for other sites that are not already on your own – this can be tough, but at least re-work the verbiage.
- If you do want to include articles you have written on both your site and another, mention in your byline (which should include a Google Authorship link to your Google Plus profile) of your blog where else the article can be found and a link. (if it is a higher ranking site)
- DO NOT accept guest blogs on your own website unless there is something "in it for you" and the subject matter is related to your website, and the person writing the article is legitimately in the industry they are talking about. (otherwise Google views this as spam)
- ONLY guest blog on sites that are related to your industry or subject matter.
- ALWAYS make sure a link to your website is included in your article on another website.
The absolute best thing you can do right now is write great original content on your own website and keep your SEO efforts updated with your goals and trends in your industry so you are including the right keywords in your SEO listings and on your website.
Writing naturally from your heart and about what you know is the best way to find keywords people will search for – talk like you talk and like the people who call or email you talk.
HERE is a good article by Nate Dame with some good strategies to use. Contact me if you would like help in implementing these or other ideas we could brainstorm around this new change in SEO.
by Rebecca LeClaire - Website Design Company Consultant and Startup, Online Business, SEO & Marketing Consultant