Guest posts are often one of the first methods that people consider when they start learning about link building. While there are certainly incorrect ways to approach guest posting, if done correctly, it can provide fast wins for websites.
### Why guest posting is still a worthwhile topic
Before diving in, it’s important to acknowledge that guest post link building is just a small part of what our agency does for local SEO clients, and we don’t aim to be known for it. However, we do have valuable data to share about its potential as a link-building strategy.
A lot of money is wasted each year on valueless links from subpar websites found on Google Sheets lists and popular marketplaces. Yet, when done carefully, guest posts can help websites rank better, particularly those without the budget for data-driven link building.
In short: guest post link building is usually a waste of time unless you’re doing it yourself. By following best practices in content marketing, you increase the likelihood that your articles get indexed.
### Guest posts from websites on marketplaces don’t get indexed
In a recent session, Joy Hawkins shared a test where she bought about eight guest post links to see if they would improve the search ranking of the linked page. After several months, none of them were indexed.
If these posts do not even get indexed, they’re not passing PageRank, brand signals, or any other benefits to your website. Since these guest posts were purchased from an online marketplace, they were likely low-quality content from content farms, which explains why Google didn’t index them.
However, what if they were from thoroughly vetted websites?
### Does Google index guest posts from ‘good’ websites?
We don’t do much guest post link building, but in some cases, it makes sense. We vet potential host websites thoroughly. Our blacklist is tens of thousands of websites long. We blacklist websites that:
– Have seen big fluctuations in traffic.
– Get all of their traffic from just a few articles.
– Exist primarily to sell links (e.g., have a “Write for us” page with no clear focus).
– Have seen a large drop in the number of pages indexed.
– Have lots of keyword-rich anchor text in their “outgoing links” report.
– Lack social media accounts.
– Appear in spam emails.
– Are listed on marketplaces where links are sold.
Over the past 12 months, we’ve done between 500 and 1,000 guest posts on these vetted websites. Some charged “editorial fees,” while others didn’t.
### Of the guest posts we wrote, how many were indexed?
Initially, we didn’t track this diligently. We then set up a system to track and report this data. We found that only 65% of our guest posts were indexed.
### Only 65% were indexed: Why so few – or so many?
The issue wasn’t just that they were guest posts. Some articles suffered from common issues:
– Not targeting a keyword.
– Targeting a keyword too difficult to rank for.
– Using the wrong format (e.g., a listicle when Google prefers “how-to” guides).
– Overall low-quality content.
These same issues plague many blogs, contributing to the statistic that 94% of blogs get no traffic. For the articles that did get indexed, it was mainly because they avoided these pitfalls and some even earned a few backlinks.
### We made changes and now 95% are indexed
We adopted best practices for SEO-driven content marketing, ensuring our guest post articles:
– Target an actual search term.
– Use the format that aligns with what Google prefers to rank.
– Cover the topic comprehensively.
– Have enough search volume to be worthwhile.
By adhering to these guidelines, we managed to index almost all of our guest posts.
### Does the fact that they’re indexed mean they are helping?
It’s fair to say that an indexed article is more likely to help your website than one that isn’t indexed. However, whether that means the link is beneficial is still up for debate.
Based on insights from various sources, including SparkToro, Google might use click data to evaluate link value. Links no one clicks may be considered low value. While we don’t know for sure, it’s crucial to get your articles ranking and driving traffic.
### How we tracked if the guest posts were indexed
We use Google Sheets to track indexed pages. A linked URL in Google Sheets creates a tooltip indicating if the page is indexed or not. We created a script to compile placements into a Google Sheet for our link building team to review. They also add links to existing articles when writing new ones.
### If you’re going to build links through guest posts, you should do it yourself
Hawkins’ test results didn’t surprise us because:
– Websites on those marketplaces are usually content farms.
– The content is often sub-par, and Google avoids indexing poor-quality articles.
– Google’s spam team can easily identify and devalue links from these domains.
Doing it yourself, or working with someone who maintains high standards, will likely yield better results than buying links from a marketplace or using a generic list of websites.
