First, it was “spammy” link building. Now it is “spammy” guest blogging. Google is cracking down on all sly Page Rank building practices.
Google’s Matt Cutts in a much publicized and debated blog post “The decay and fall of guest blogging for SEO” is blunt: “Okay, I’m calling it: if you’re using guest blogging as a way to gain links in 2014, you should probably stop.”
Matt Cutts is right. A small cottage industry has cropped up around guest blogging. Bloggers are offered “compensation” for publishing guest blogs if they include a couple of links pointing back to the client’s site.
Nothing could be more unethical than this. You can’t build Page Rank for your client by paying cash. It’s good Google has decided to crack down on this unethical practice of using guest blogs to promote Page Rank.
However, in the process Google should not kill good quality guest write ups. There are three reasons why guest blogging should be encouraged.
# Reason 1
Guest bloggers lend authority: A blog that publishes guest write ups from well known people in its field is treated with greater respect. The visitors trust the blog more.
# Reason 2
Guest blogs bring variety: A single blogger can’t write with authority on all subjects in his field. This is where guest bloggers bring variety, and add depth to the blog.
# Reason 3
Guest blogs bring another point of view: A single focus blog can become dull and monotonous. It is important that bloggers give their visitors an opportunity to read another point of view on the subject. This adds depth, and creates respect for the blog.
Moreover, as Matt Cutts himself later added to his blogpost: “There are still many good reasons to do some guest blogging (exposure, branding, increased reach, community, etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google and they’ll continue into the future.”
So, let’s not kill guest blogging but blacklist companies that have turned guest blogging into a sly and unethical practice of building Page Rank.
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