Why Guest Blogging Failed (Continued)
Once Google notices a trend in dishonest marketing techniques, it changes the way it ranks websites to avoid rewarding bad behavior. In essence, Google is out to block “black hat marketing strategies” in favor of ethical internet marketing from honest companies. The concept of link building as a whole, which acts as the foundation for guest blogging, became nothing more than a chance for people to spam users with links to bad websites and useless information. Thus Google did whatever they could to stop rewarding bad marketers for bad behaviors.
Now, Content Is King
You may have heard the phrase “content is king” tossed loosely around the internet. The idea here is that having good content on a website is the key to ranking well in Google and other search engines. It’s no longer a matter of having X amount of external links pointing to your website. Instead, it’s about putting out high-quality, valuable content that people can benefit from.
Examples Of Good Content:
- Webpages That Are Not Over-Ridden By Keyword Stuffing And Poor Grammar
- Blog Posts That Offer Answers To Frequently Asked Questions
- Local SEO Landing Pages Targeted For A Local Audience You Service
- Keyword Rich Content That Has Depth, Meaning, And Purpose
- Internal Links That Naturally Guide Readers Throughout Your Website
- Easy-To-Read Webpages And Blog Posts, Broken Up With Subheadings, Bullet Lists, And Related Images
At the end of the day, having great content on your website is the best way to get Google’s attention. There is nothing wrong with having your website featured in a news article or referenced on someone else’s website, but you should not have to seek out those connections. The goal is to make your marketing a natural as possible. The authority of your website will speak for itself.
Should I Get Rid Of Old Guest Posts?
If you have experimented with guest blogging in the past, it is best to just leave those links alone and move on. At this point, you would have already suffered a huge loss in your ranking if Google was going to penalize you for anything. Focus on new, more effective SEO strategies, and find ways to improve your website as a whole. Sometimes all it takes to stand out online is a good foundation.
