Since I started editing guest pieces for the marketing sector ten years ago, a lot has undoubtedly changed. Unfortunately, a lot of people are hired to write for businesses without them being aware of the problems that may affect a guest blog post today's success—or lack thereof.

In order to help you develop content that will be effective on several levels, I'm going to break down everything you need to know about search engines and content quality in 2020 and beyond in this article. These are the primary subjects I'll cover:

1. The Days of Traditional Guest Posting Are Gone.
2. How Google Suggests You Should Use It to Guide Your Guest Posting.
3. Guest Posting: Personal Branding.
4. What Won't Work When Guest Posting to Build a Brand.
5. What Works: Credibility and Outstanding Quality.
6. Selecting a Topic for Your Essay.
7. Beyond: Making a Statement in a Sea of Millions of Guest Posts.
8. After Your Guest Post Is Published: Some Advice.

The Days of Traditional Guest Posting Are Gone - 

In the past, guest writing was a popular approach to rank well, get noticed, build a solid reputation, and acquire backlinks. All of this used to be simple to accomplish, but not anymore. Due to the level of competition, knowledge, and the vast range of factors search engines are analysing, ranking is challenging.

Going above and beyond is now required if you want to establish your personal brand and develop a writing career.

Link building is no longer as straightforward. Don't do it because Google started punishing sites with too many links, talking about guest blogging, and dissecting Link Schemes for the general public to avoid. Nofollow was advised to be used, and quite a few people began to recognise the obvious advantages of producing "excellent content."

Google has been providing advice on linking in guest blogs for ten years, and they are still available to answer queries.

You shouldn't want a follow backlink in exchange for the article in guest blogging pitches that you send out. Editors who are familiar with SEO will disregard those emails, and for those who aren't, you can end up doing more long-term harm than good.

Next, let's examine what Google has been attempting to convey to us regarding the type of content they are seeking for years so that you can produce something that will rank while accomplishing your objectives.

How Google Suggests You Should Use It to Guide Your Guest Posting - 

I could go through each algorithm and fundamental update that we are aware of, but that has already been done by many others, and it isn't what you require. I'll offer you a brief explanation of the current essential statements that will help you understand what you MUST think about before you begin guest blogging.

Remember that Google's primary goal is to give its consumers information that is timely, relevant, excellent, and accurate and matches the query's intent. They have been extremely explicit about this objective over the past ten years.

Guest Posting: Personal Branding - 

This section has been added because, as you can see, Google is looking for experience and authority as part of personal branding.

Making excellent content that exudes knowledge and authority is the best approach to stand out in any field. You must have original ideas and advice that surpasses that of the best writers in the field.

Beyond merely outlining a notion, you want to consider what questions might come up later. What do they still need to learn but don't yet understand? What knowledge do you possess that might enable them to start out by avoiding potential pitfalls? What can they do to save money and time?

One blog article won't be enough to establish you as a household name; it will take time. However, if you make sure that each guest post you write is authoritative, instructive, and helpful to readers, you will be a hundred steps ahead of the majority of people.

What Won't Work When Guest Posting to Build a Brand - 

We can all agree that there is a need to raise brand awareness, and guest blogging can help with that—BUT ONLY IF YOU DO IT RIGHT.

Avoid the following if you want somebody from your firm to be featured on a popular and well-respected blog:

1. Including a mention of your brand, offering, or service in the blog article.

By doing this, you come out as self-promotional and signal to Google, the reader, and the editor that the post's main purpose is to serve you, not the reader. Unless you were specifically asked to write about anything you offer, your company information should be in your bio.

2. Including external links on your website that are unrelated to the topic.

No editor wants to appear self-promotional to their reader or run the danger of giving the impression to Google that they are running a link scheme or selling links.

Natural links are not an issue, but links that seem forced or artificial may be subject to a manual action or penalty.

Keep in mind what John Mu mentioned earlier about linkages. Google's requirements for guest blog postings are quite explicit: nofollow links. Therefore, avoid using guest posting as a link-building tactic. He also suggested that blog links are useless:

A connection to relevant, excellent resources on your website that the reader might find useful is a good thing. Even while it's unlikely to be a follow link, it might drive a lot of traffic your way and promote your brand.

3. Flaunting your business or a product or service you provide.

Neither the reader nor the website where you wish to publish will benefit from this tactic. It's not about you; it's about their website, their audience, and building brand trust.

You don't have to boast in your content. The publisher will boast about you if you produce something outstanding on their website, on their social media pages, and possibly in their newsletters. Since you desire to visit their website, chances are good that they have a sizable audience and following.

Just be sure to include your brand and an author in your profile who can respond to queries in comments and on social media with authority. Recall that boasting has never led to trust-building.

What Works: Credibility and Outstanding Quality - 

Make a good impression on readers of a new blog with your knowledge and skills. Your guest blog posts must have excellent language, organisation, and flow. The piece's quality is crucial. Answer queries, explain concepts, look at problems, and offer answers.

Write to arouse curiosity, impart knowledge, and foster trust. Every reader has the potential to become a fan of your writing. Their followers will learn about you and your brand if they share your material. You want to distribute blog entries from your blog that are equally authoritative as you get new readers.

You should leave timely and relevant comments on blog entries and social media sharing. The better you come across, the faster you respond to a question. And in all honesty, when a reader has the opportunity to communicate directly with an author, they develop a bond that is not quickly forgotten.

Selecting a Topic for Your Essay - 

• Where to Start.
• Doing Your Own Research.
• Topic Research for Ideation.
• Email Outreach: Focus on Real and Personal Communications.

Where to Start - 

Remember that popular and important blogs frequently have plans and objectives for their content. While some blogs are open to a wide range of ideas within their area, it is your responsibility to research the blog's needs before submitting a guest post.

You should start by searching for writing instructions and attentively reading the blog's requirements. This is what the website wants if they took the effort to write these guidelines, so pay attention.

Here is an example of our previous policy page from the days when we allowed blog posts. I can't even begin to count the number of emails I've gotten in the last three years offering to write blog posts about subjects completely unrelated to our blog. Additionally, we have received several emails with content that in no way adhered to our standards.

Avoid wasting your time or an editor's time by writing a guest post that doesn't fit the publisher's requirements.

Doing Your Own Research - 

You will have an advantage if you can identify a ranking gap for the blog you wish to publish on.

To identify a gap between the blog and its rivals, utilise a tool like the Keyword Gap tool. If the website you want to be on does not score highly for a particular search keyword but competitor blogs do, perhaps you might fill that gap.

Beyond: Making a Statement in a Sea of Millions of Guest Posts - 

Some authors are more impressive than others, and because of their well-thought-out efforts, the website they want to rank for has a better chance of doing so. A heads up: editors adore that! I've been impressed by the following things, which you may use to win over a publisher and get your material published:

In how-to posts, include crisp, easy-to-read screenshots. Make sure the editor doesn't take additional photos for you because many won't, which could lead to a rejection outright or extra time spent on emails and demands from you. Do not squander your time or theirs.

Create an educational, top-notch video that will enhance the content: Good audio quality, clear communication, and extra material the reader may use and share.

Plans for SERP features – People who have ideas for formatting to get a position 0, People Also Ask, or carousel placement go above and beyond to support the success of my site.

Unique quotations from reputable experts – Expert quotes are usually wonderful, but it is especially stunning when a writer contacts an expert and receives a pertinent and timely quote for a particular post.

Utilizing the brand/blog — anyone you want to publish you, include their blog articles and triumphs into yours. Examples include citations to pertinent literature, images of encouraging reviews, or a mention of a noteworthy action they have taken.

Images and infographics – Good editors are aware of the effort required by writers to produce excellent content. Check to see if they have a design staff that might assist with images and perhaps an infographic that would be useful to both of you. If not, look into Canva for easy ways to produce compelling pictures.

Image optimization is the process of making photographs more effective. When submitting using a CMS, use Alt Tags to reduce the size of the images for editors.

a collection of social media quotations Give editors two or three excellent points that they might use for social media sharing. Say something along the lines of, "I have some ideas for social sharing that might save you time," when you share. These are some of the best points in the article...".

After Your Guest Post Is Published: Some Advice - 

While the publisher will market the content, there are some things you need do as well if you want this article to succeed.

Being responsive in the comments section will set you apart from other authors. Be prepared to respond to any positive remarks and inquiries.

Follow the post on social media and reply to comments when appropriate.

Not just the week it is published, but all the time, promote the piece on your social media platforms. Throughout the year, create several social media posts and share them while mentioning the publication.

Keep it current; things change, including laws, procedures, algorithms, and statistics. Send the publisher an email with any updates you notice that could be made to the article to help it stay current and reliable (remember E-A-T and YMYL).

I really feel that guest posting is a terrific opportunity to develop a personal brand and raise exposure for a larger business, but like with everything, success depends on "how" you go about it.