This question gets asked a lot on account of the frequent changes that search engines have implemented over the years.

Generally, guest posting is a great way to build backlinks for your own site. Inbound links are part of Google’s numerous ranking factors and are said to be one of the most important ones. A site with numerous inbound links from other reputable websites results in better chances of your site being ranked at the top of searches. This is why content marketers continue to make the effort to write guest posts for their brands despite the fact that they require more work to write and get published.

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Quite simply, guest posts are effective. However, I want you to keep two things in mind that will spell the difference between a guest post that works and one that doesn’t.

1. Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the practice of packing your article with targeted keywords over and over to make your post rank higher on searches.

Search engines today are pretty smart and can easily detect content that’s trying to game their system. When you do this and you get flagged by their algorithms, your content will likely be marked as spam.

Remember, your goal is to make sure that your content adds value to your audience, especially for the audience that you’re contributing to. This is a great opportunity to reach a new audience and tap new resources that could expand your reach. Don’t waste it by trying to take short cuts.

2. Develop Relevant and Unique Content

Content marketers who want to maximize existing content might be tempted to reuse content that they created for their own site and submit it as guest posts.

Remember though that Google appreciates unique content. Unique content is a sign that a post has real value and relevance to its audience. If you focus on writing non-spammy original content that people actually find useful, and is interesting as well as shareable, your guest post will reap a significant ROI.

Now, the question is—is guest blogging worth the effort?

Yes, definitely. It’s a great way to demonstrate your credibility and authority on a specific subject and highlight that in front of a new audience. This can help bring new clients or customers to your site.

Guest posting can build your brand and your search traffic while strengthening your authority and ultimately, ranking higher in searches. This is especially true if you reach out and target high-quality sites.

Just make sure you review and follow all site publishing guidelines before you pitch anything. This helps boost your chances of getting accepted to contribute and published. Avoid being too sales-y and always prioritize content that’s informative and provides good insight for readers.

Hope my answer helps! If you have any questions, you can always email me via Leadspanda and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.