Quick answer: Guest blogging still works, but not in the way it was sold ten years ago. Writing useful articles for respected sites in your field can bring referral traffic, brand recognition, new contacts and, sometimes, links that help your rankings. Mass producing thin posts for any site that will take them, with keyword rich anchor text pointing back to your money pages, is the version Google warns against. Treat guest posts as a way to reach a new audience, and any SEO value becomes a side effect rather than the whole point.
What guest blogging is
Guest blogging means writing an article that is published on someone else’s website under your name. Usually you get an author bio, and often a link back to your own site. The host site gets free content and a fresh perspective. You get exposure to their readers.
That trade is perfectly reasonable. The problem started when people noticed that the link in the bio could help rankings, and began producing guest posts purely for the link. Whole networks of low quality blogs appeared that would publish almost anything, as long as it came with a link or a fee.
What Google has said about guest posts
Google has been clear for years that links intended to manipulate rankings break its webmaster guidelines. Its list of link schemes specifically mentions large scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword rich anchor text links.
In practice, that means:
- Guest posts are not against the rules in themselves
- Guest posts done at scale, mainly for links, are treated as a link scheme
- Paying for a guest post with a followed link is the same as buying a link
- Links in guest posts can be ignored by Google, or in worse cases lead to a manual action
Google has also suggested that links from guest posts should usually carry a nofollow attribute. Since September 2019 there is also rel="sponsored" for paid placements, which our article on rel sponsored and rel ugc explains. If a site charges you to publish, the link should be marked as sponsored.
So the honest answer to “does guest blogging still work for SEO?” is: the direct link value is smaller and riskier than it used to be, while the indirect value is still real.
Where guest blogging still helps
Reaching a relevant audience
A well placed article on a site your customers already read puts you in front of people who have never heard of you. If the article is useful, some of them will click through, sign up or remember your name later.
Building authority and trust
Being published on respected sites in your industry shows that other people value your expertise. That matters to buyers, and it fits the kind of signals Google describes in its quality rater guidelines. Our guide to E-A-T and SEO covers why visible expertise matters, especially for sites that give advice.
Earning links you could not get otherwise
Even when the bio link is nofollowed, a good guest post can lead to followed links later. Readers cite it, the editor invites you back, or another writer finds you through it and links to your own research.
Relationships
Editors and site owners you work with become contacts. They mention you in roundups, ask you for quotes and share your work. That is often worth more than the original post.
How to choose sites worth writing for
Start with the question: would I want to be published here even if there were no link at all? If the answer is no, skip it.
Good signs:
- The site has real readers. Comments, social shares and an active newsletter are good clues.
- The content is relevant to your business and written for your customers
- Other contributors are recognised people in the field
- Editors actually edit. They push back, ask for changes and reject weak pitches.
- The site ranks for topics in your area and gets organic traffic
Warning signs:
- A “write for us” page that accepts any topic
- Posts on unrelated subjects side by side, like casinos, pets and accounting
- Every post has two or three commercial links in the body
- A price list for publishing with a “dofollow” link
- Very little traffic or engagement despite lots of content
How to pitch a guest post
Editors receive a lot of generic pitches. A short, specific one stands out.
- Read the site first. Know what they have already published so you do not pitch a topic they covered last month.
- Pitch two or three specific ideas. Give each a working title and two sentences on what the reader will learn.
- Explain why you. One line on your experience with the topic is enough.
- Link to samples. Point to one or two articles you have written.
- Keep it short. A pitch the editor can read in a minute has a better chance.
Do not send a finished article to dozens of sites at once. Editors want original content written for their readers.
How to write a guest post that is worth publishing
Write it as if it were going on your own site and your reputation depended on it, because it does.
- Pick a topic you know from experience, and include practical detail that only someone who has done the work would know
- Follow the host’s style guide, word count and formatting rules
- Use examples, steps and screenshots where they help
- Link to useful sources, including other articles on the host site
- Avoid turning the post into an advert for your company
Keep links to your own site few and natural. One link in the bio, and perhaps one in the body if it genuinely adds value for the reader, is plenty.
Anchor text and links
The anchor text is where many guest posting campaigns give themselves away. Dozens of posts linking back with “best plumber London” or “cheap web hosting” form an obvious pattern.
Safer choices are your brand name, your own name, the page title, or a plain description of what the reader will find. Our guide to anchor text goes into detail on natural anchor text mixes.
Accept the host site’s link policy. If they nofollow all contributor links, that is their call, and the post can still be worth doing for the audience.
Guest blogging versus other link building methods
Guest posting is only one way to earn attention. Depending on your business, these may give better returns:
- Responding to journalist requests through services such as HARO
- Publishing original research or useful tools that others want to cite
- Fixing broken links on relevant sites by offering your own resource as a replacement
- Local partnerships, sponsorships and industry associations
A balanced plan uses several of these. Our guide to link building covers the wider picture.
How to measure whether it worked
Decide what success means before you start. Useful measures include:
- Referral visits from the post, found in Google Analytics under Acquisition > All Traffic > Referrals
- Goal completions or sign ups from those visits
- New links to your site from other sources after the post went live
- Branded searches over the following months
- Invitations to write again, speak or contribute
If a post brings no visits, no contacts and no follow up interest, the site was probably not a good fit, whatever its metrics said.
FAQ
Is guest blogging bad for SEO?
Not in itself. Guest blogging done mainly to build links at scale, especially with keyword rich anchors or paid placements, can be treated as a link scheme. Writing occasional useful posts for relevant sites is fine.
Should links in guest posts be nofollow?
Google has recommended nofollow for links in guest posts that are part of a content exchange, and rel="sponsored" where money changes hands. Many respected sites already apply this by default.
How many guest posts should I write?
There is no target number. A few strong posts on well read sites in your field usually do more than dozens of weak ones on sites nobody visits.
Can I republish my guest post on my own blog?
Ask the host site first. Many expect exclusive content. If they agree, wait a while and consider rewriting it or adding a canonical tag pointing to the original.
Write for readers, not for links
Guest blogging works when you treat it as publishing, not as link acquisition. Pick sites your customers read, write something genuinely useful, and keep links natural. If you want help building a search plan that earns attention the right way, see our Get found service.
