John Mueller, a Google senior webmaster trends analyst for nearly 13 years, recently stated on Twitter that links within guest blog posts or contributed content should be nofollowed. This message from Google isn’t new, but it often sparks debate within the SEO community.
Google’s recent statement: Mueller recently commented on Twitter about links in guest blog posts, emphasizing that if you’re providing the content and links, those links shouldn’t pass signals and should have the rel-sponsored or rel-nofollow attributes. He noted it’s a way to reach a broader audience.
Here are the tweets in context:
He was later questioned about this and replied two days later on Twitter, reiterating that even “natural” links within guest posts should be nofollowed.
Not new: Google has previously issued similar statements. The history around guest blogging includes an incident involving SEMRush and a discontinued service. In 2014, Google declared, "Guest blogging is done," following multiple warnings against using guest posts as a link-building tactic.
As far back as 2013, Mueller advised against using followed links in guest blog posts. Some argue this applies only to large-scale guest blogging for links, but Google has clearly instructed to apply nofollow attributes to all guest blog post links.
A penalty coming? According to Mueller, there are no plans for increased manual reviews of this practice, as most are caught algorithmically. Google can ignore these links, reducing the effectiveness of guest blogging for links. Mueller noted that Google’s algorithms have substantial training data, likely leading to many such links being ignored automatically.
Should Google not trust these links? Some SEO professionals disagree with Google’s policy. Rand Fishkin of SparkToro expressed on Twitter that not all contributions should have nofollowed links, noting that publications trust their contributors.
Will Critchlow of Search Pilot and Brainlabs questioned whether Google can differentiate between guest posts and other types of writing, pointing out there’s no clear way to determine a writer’s relationship with a publication externally.
It’s noted that links from contributors on sites like Search Engine Land are nofollowed, including in staff bios.
But it works: Many in the SEO community believe links in guest blog posts still have an effect, helping improve rankings despite Google’s stance, though it’s difficult to test given the numerous variables in Google search rankings. A Twitter poll by Dan Petrovic showed many SEOs still engage in guest blogging primarily for link building.
Why we care: When Matt Cutts declared guest blogging "done" in 2014, it signified Google could no longer trust links in such posts. Google has since employed both manual and algorithmic methods to devalue these links.
SEO strategies often maximize what works until overused, leading to diminished effectiveness or necessitating responses from search engines like Google—and Yandex, which once ignored all links related to commercial queries due to manipulation.
In conclusion, using guest blogging as a link-building strategy may not benefit SEO significantly. Instead, it should be approached for traffic and brand-building purposes, accepting that links may be nofollowed and likely ignored by Google.
