The Power of Guest Blogging - Don't Read if you are Lazy!

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Many people miss the boat when it comes to building links because they are either lazy, think everything should be automated, or they are not willing to wait.

I have read reviews on sites like BMR, Linkvana, and many other link building services that use a blog network to help members get links. My first thought was, "great an easy way to get backlinks, more power in Google, and make more money". However, when I dug a little deeper my opinion changed quite a bit.

With longer content being favored by every one from Google to the newest publisher, why would I use sites a site like BMR that requires less than 200 words? Why would I, as a blog, want any of their posts on my site?

This leads me to a better way, Guest Blogging. However, many will not use this method because it requires quality content of more than a few hundred words.

I am not trying to say services like BMR are horrible or should not be used. Instead, let me explain why Guest Blogging is a better way to go.

For every post you write for BMR you get one link back to your website or blog from a PRwhatever (BTW PR is starting to matter less and less). Your post ends up on a blog, but it will not stay there for very long because other members are submitting posts, as well.

You get the same with Guest Blogging, but instead of a short amount of content that will produce very little traffic on its' own you get the change to have your content featured on a high traffic blog for more than just a few hours.

Guest Blogging takes longer, requires more work, and is not nearly as easy. So, why in the world should any smart marketer choose Guest Blogging over a service like BMR?

Simple.

Guest Blogging will create long term relationships with bloggers that need your content. They will publish content you provide on a regular basis creating both backlinks and traffic to your website or blog.

However, unlike BMR, your featured post on a blog in your industry will gain the attention of the reader, give you a change to show off your writing skills, and will help you gain trust.

Not to mention Guest Blogging is a long term strategy, whereas BMR posts are only long term for the backlinks.

We have already seen Google make an update and start looking at backlinks on a quality standpoint more than a quantity standpoint. As good as a service like BMR may be, I don't think they are a sustainable method for gaining traffic and ranking.

Guest Blogging, however, is a long term strategy to gain both traffic and high quality backlinks. Imagine if your guest post ends up on a blog that receives thousands of visitors every week.

I urge all the content creators new and veteran, not currently using Guest Blogging, to look deeper into this strategy and start providing HIGH QUALITY content for blogs instead of crappy little 150 word articles.

Benjamin Ehinger

P.S. - If you made it this far I hope you realize the controversy I am trying to create. We will see how many people using BMR take this way too personally.

[cashcow]

I think each have their uses and it depends on the type of blog you have. If you are fixing to become an authority in a niche, then guest blogging is a great way to help you achieve that. Some of my guest articles bring me traffic every day even though I posted them over a year ago.

But, if you are building out smaller sites for adsense or maybe product reviews, I don't think that guest blogging would be worth the time. Plus, I'm not sure that your guest post would be accepted on worthy sites unless your site looks authoritative (I could be wrong about that, its just an assumption).

I think networks like BMR, Linkvana etc… are great for back links to your "satellite sites" - secondary blogs or web2.0 properties that then link to your main site (whether that site is an authority blog or micro niche site).

Lee

[Tadresources]

I totally agree - though if someone was to go out and get me the guest posts and then write them and publish them too it would be much better.

Here's a call to outsourcers that are looking for extra work!!!

There are just other things that are much more important to me at the time that I dont have time to do the guest posting but I would if I could.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by cashcow

I think each have their uses and it depends on the type of blog you have. If you are fixing to become an authority in a niche, then guest blogging is a great way to help you achieve that. Some of my guest articles bring me traffic every day even though I posted them over a year ago.

But, if you are building out smaller sites for adsense or maybe product reviews, I don't think that guest blogging would be worth the time. Plus, I'm not sure that your guest post would be accepted on worthy sites unless your site looks authoritative (I could be wrong about that, its just an assumption).

I think networks like BMR, Linkvana etc… are great for back links to your "satellite sites" - secondary blogs or web2.0 properties that then link to your main site (whether that site is an authority blog or micro niche site).

Lee

I agree 100%!!!

Originally Posted by Tadresources

I totally agree - though if someone was to go out and get me the guest posts and then write them and publish them too it would be much better.

Here's a call to outsourcers that are looking for extra work!!!

There are just other things that are much more important to me at the time that I dont have time to do the guest posting but I would if I could.

Guest posts have to be very high quality and your writer cannot just be anybody. You really need someone that can put together good content for whatever subject you are working in. Make sure you get a good guest blogger if you are going to outsource this part of your writing.

Benjamin Ehinger

[tylerjaysen]

yes this is a very important concept to understand and so true...especially in big G's eyes. If you're posting on relevant blogs to your niche...and those discussions are frequent and recent..then google loves this type of content and you will surely get more visitors to your site and more eyeballs to your money page.

And yeah it does take work...but if you just spent an hour a day...with no breaks in between....you could accomplish a ton of backlinking each week for free. The key is that this stuff takes time and is no over night sensation.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by tylerjaysen

yes this is a very important concept to understand and so true...especially in big G's eyes. If you're posting on relevant blogs to your niche...and those discussions are frequent and recent..then google loves this type of content and you will surely get more visitors to your site and more eyeballs to your money page.

And yeah it does take work...but if you just spent an hour a day...with no breaks in between....you could accomplish a ton of backlinking each week for free. The key is that this stuff takes time and is no over night sensation.

Well put.....it does take time and the one thing most new marketers don't have is the patience to see it through. They could be on the right track, but don't see their $10,000 like they were promised by some crappy internet marketing product, after a month, so they quit.

Consistent time with marketing will always pay off.

Benjamin Ehinger

[MikeTheBuilder]

It took quite a while for me to garner a good solid network to guest blog with, however, the results do pay off favorably. In return, I get good quality fresh content that isn't spun crap. It does take forever though to gain trust..

[bensonenterprise]

So let me ask you where do you find the guest bloggers. I just recently decided to have guest bloggers on my site that talks about internet marketing but I don't want just anyone writing articles, I want to be sure that the content is good. Any ideas on how I can go about finding these bloggers? Thanks for your post, I did a search for guest blogging and this was the first post shown!

[bhuff85]

Benjamin - I agree that guest blogging can be lucrative for anyone willing to put in the effort to network and build relationships with other popular bloggers in a variety of niches, however, guest blogging and BMR are two completely different things and can't really be compared, simply because they work differently.

Blogs on BMR are owned by BMR and not others (unlike other services like Article Ranks or Authority Link Network, which has people contribute blogs that they own personally). BMR blogs aren't really meant to be blogs that people follow or use, whereas they are there only to pass around link juice. I can say that since I started incorporating the use of private blog networks, it has made a dramatic difference in my rankings overall.

I know that when you write a guest post (which I am actually working on a couple right now for a few higher-end bloggers in the IM niche), a heck of a lot more effort is required. I know that what I'm writing is more or less to for a reputation builder AND to hopefully bring in some extra traffic to my website. I think most of us know that 150 words of content isn't going to qualify us for a guest post on a solid blog (if at all), just as most people who use tools like BMR know that their not posting to get traffic, but using it for the SEO benefits.

All in all, guest blogging is just another great way to generate traffic (and a backlink for the post), just as BMR and private blog networks are great for generating backlinks in general.

[Greg Wildermuth]

When I first started guest blogging, I saw huge spikes in traffic but then they disappeared... I was kinda disappointed, until I started getting all kinds of offers from people. I think it really helps to establish your authority and credibility, and get exposure for your work. I dunno about the traffic tho...

[Avy Smith]

I agree to both Angles of the thread:

1- Guest Blogging is more preferable to BMR as per results.

2- PR is losing its charm. Probably because people access other sources more frequently then Google itself as we compare it to PR's value few years back.

I am always in the favor of Guest Blogging.

Thanks
Avy

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by MikeTheBuilder

It took quite a while for me to garner a good solid network to guest blog with, however, the results do pay off favorably. In return, I get good quality fresh content that isn't spun crap. It does take forever though to gain trust..

It does take time, but nearly everything that takes effort and time are well worth it in the end.

Originally Posted by bensonenterprise

So let me ask you where do you find the guest bloggers. I just recently decided to have guest bloggers on my site that talks about internet marketing but I don't want just anyone writing articles, I want to be sure that the content is good. Any ideas on how I can go about finding these bloggers? Thanks for your post, I did a search for guest blogging and this was the first post shown!

Do you have a guest author page on your site? That is where I would start, but another place I really like is called My Blog Guest. It is a free forum with a paid option to get guest bloggers for your site and for guest bloggers to find sites.

Originally Posted by bhuff85

Benjamin - I agree that guest blogging can be lucrative for anyone willing to put in the effort to network and build relationships with other popular bloggers in a variety of niches, however, guest blogging and BMR are two completely different things and can't really be compared, simply because they work differently.

Blogs on BMR are owned by BMR and not others (unlike other services like Article Ranks or Authority Link Network, which has people contribute blogs that they own personally). BMR blogs aren't really meant to be blogs that people follow or use, whereas they are there only to pass around link juice. I can say that since I started incorporating the use of private blog networks, it has made a dramatic difference in my rankings overall.

I know that when you write a guest post (which I am actually working on a couple right now for a few higher-end bloggers in the IM niche), a heck of a lot more effort is required. I know that what I'm writing is more or less to for a reputation builder AND to hopefully bring in some extra traffic to my website. I think most of us know that 150 words of content isn't going to qualify us for a guest post on a solid blog (if at all), just as most people who use tools like BMR know that their not posting to get traffic, but using it for the SEO benefits.

All in all, guest blogging is just another great way to generate traffic (and a backlink for the post), just as BMR and private blog networks are great for generating backlinks in general.

I agree, they are quite different. My point was only that most people will choose BMR because of the little work it takes. The payoff can be so much larger with guest blogging if done correctly and I will stick with what I said, BMR is not going to be around forever, whereas your guest posts on other sites could be.

Originally Posted by Greg Wildermuth

When I first started guest blogging, I saw huge spikes in traffic but then they disappeared... I was kinda disappointed, until I started getting all kinds of offers from people. I think it really helps to establish your authority and credibility, and get exposure for your work. I dunno about the traffic tho...

I always get more traffic at first, but that is because my posts are fresh on the blog's first page. There is usually a trickle of traffic after a few weeks, but 100 trickles is a nice flow. It take many posts to get to a nice flow of traffic, but over time it can be well worth the effort.

Originally Posted by Avy Smith

I agree to both Angles of the thread:

1- Guest Blogging is more preferable to BMR as per results.

2- PR is losing its charm. Probably because people access other sources more frequently then Google itself as we compare it to PR's value few years back.

I am always in the favor of Guest Blogging.

Thanks
Avy

Me too Avy....Guest Blogging is one of my favorite marketing methods.

Benjamin Ehinger

[vppromoter]

Howdy,

I have a lot of micro niche adsense sites. Now I want you to imagine this>

I found a great place where I could write my guest blog posts. I'm contacting webmaster and saying about how I could benefit him with my great content.

He won't reply. You know why? -because he saw my small adsense site which is interesting just for me to make money.

What you suggest in such situation?

[bhuff85]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

The payoff can be so much larger with guest blogging if done correctly and I will stick with what I said, BMR is not going to be around forever, whereas your guest posts on other sites could be.

That's the thing - they could be. I'm not saying that choosing one over the other is better in any way. They each have their purpose and are different techniques. Nothing is ever guaranteed to always be around.

To me, the BMR/Guest Blogging comparison is like comparing Video Marketing and Article Marketing and saying one is better than the other. One may prefer it over the other and one method could be around longer, yet they both are unique and have the capability to produce similar results (backlinks and traffic).

Like I mentioned before, guest blogging and BMR are two different methods and techniques, so comparing them really doesn't make much sense. If you say people are wasting their time with BMR and need to guest blog instead, then you may as well say that all other traffic generation and SEO methods are a waste of time and effort, regardless of how "easy" they may seem.

I know what you were trying to get across in your OP and I think you touched on some excellent points about the benefits of guest blogging, but we're basically comparing apples to oranges here.

In the end, everyone has their own methods and what will work for them. Some will use a little of everything (which is what I try to do to keep things diversified), while others will find one thing and stick to it. As long as it produces a consistent income, that's all that matters.

[sackboy127]

vppromoter, I suggest you try purchasing some high PR blog network submissions, your site'll definitely be accepted, and you get high PR, incontent links as well.

[Buyseech]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

Well put.....it does take time and the one thing most new marketers don't have is the patience to see it through. They could be on the right track, but don't see their $10,000 like they were promised by some crappy internet marketing product, after a month, so they quit.

Consistent time with marketing will always pay off.

Benjamin I couldnt agree more.

People dont realise the difference between marketing and selling.

Thinking it doenst matter and that the only thing that matters is $.

I have not yet practiced Guest Blogging, but I am planning on venturing in those waters really soon.

Thanks for the advice.

Sincerely, Buyseech

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by vppromoter

Howdy,

I have a lot of micro niche adsense sites. Now I want you to imagine this>

I found a great place where I could write my guest blog posts. I'm contacting webmaster and saying about how I could benefit him with my great content.

He won't reply. You know why? -because he saw my small adsense site which is interesting just for me to make money.

What you suggest in such situation?

This may be the perfect situation for BMR, but I will tell you there are ways to get webmasters to accept your guest posts. Try My Blog Guest. I have published many articles there and make quite a few contacts for my more authoritative sites along with my adsense sites.

Originally Posted by bhuff85

That's the thing - they could be. I'm not saying that choosing one over the other is better in any way. They each have their purpose and are different techniques. Nothing is ever guaranteed to always be around.

To me, the BMR/Guest Blogging comparison is like comparing Video Marketing and Article Marketing and saying one is better than the other. One may prefer it over the other and one method could be around longer, yet they both are unique and have the capability to produce similar results (backlinks and traffic).

Like I mentioned before, guest blogging and BMR are two different methods and techniques, so comparing them really doesn't make much sense. If you say people are wasting their time with BMR and need to guest blog instead, then you may as well say that all other traffic generation and SEO methods are a waste of time and effort, regardless of how "easy" they may seem.

I know what you were trying to get across in your OP and I think you touched on some excellent points about the benefits of guest blogging, but we're basically comparing apples to oranges here.

In the end, everyone has their own methods and what will work for them. Some will use a little of everything (which is what I try to do to keep things diversified), while others will find one thing and stick to it. As long as it produces a consistent income, that's all that matters.

I agree in some ways, but I don't think BMR and guest blogging are all that different. With BMR you are trying to get a link on a blog for PR and maybe a little traffic. (After all, high PR sites are supposed to get traffic, too) with Guest blogging you are trying to do the same thing, just in a different, my opinion better way.

My main point is most people will skip guest blogging and look into BMR simply because they hear they accept 150 word posts. This seems easy to most, but a guest post better be 450 or more words and it better be high quality or the only person that will publish it is you.

I know what you are trying to say, as well, but I just think if you really look at the core goal of BMR and guest blogging you will find they are quite similar.

Originally Posted by sackboy127

vppromoter, I suggest you try purchasing some high PR blog network submissions, your site'll definitely be accepted, and you get high PR, incontent links as well.

This is not a bad idea, but I highly recommend putting out links that not only bring link juice, but also bring traffic. What do you do when Google changes again and those backlinks no longer give you the ranking you had?

We have seen it time and time again, and PR is going to go down the tube next, or at least they will change the way they give PR to sites. Google is all about giving the searcher what they want and most searchers don't care about your links or about a 150 word post that is average at best.

If you use guest blogging instead you will have high quality content readers will want to read and will be searching for. This brings in viral marketing through social media, better search engine rankings for your guest posts, and longevity even when Google makes it's next big change.

We saw it with EZA, which used to be so easy to get a ton of traffic from. Now, you cannot just throw an article up on their site and see it rank high in Google. They are getting better, again, but they are not to the power they once had.

My point here is simply don't count on backlinks giving you ranking forever. Get some content out there that will bring you traffic no matter if it ranks high in Google or not. Guest posts get searched for on individual blogs and will always bring you some traffic no matter what and they have a better chance of holding ranking for the long term. They also end up all over social networks and can really help you spread the marketing net.

Originally Posted by Buyseech

Benjamin I couldnt agree more.

People dont realise the difference between marketing and selling.

Thinking it doenst matter and that the only thing that matters is $.

I have not yet practiced Guest Blogging, but I am planning on venturing in those waters really soon.

Thanks for the advice.

Sincerely, Buyseech

You are absolutely correct and they think a listing on Google is the main way to make money. Google is responsible for a large chunk of traffic on the internet, but not for 100% of the traffic. Using other sources will solidify traffic for the long term instead of just the instant, right now that everybody is worried about.

It cannot all be about money or it will never last. It has to be about the reader and not the Google. Google is not a god and they are not the only game in town. Taking the time to get plenty of good content out across the web will pay off for many years to come after BMR, Linkvana, and many other marketing methods have either changed or died out.

Benjamin Ehinger

[Mike Anthony]

Solid Post OP except for one point.

I see no evidence outside of Alexa Smith claiming it on several threads that PR has taken anywhere NEAR a nose dive as has been suggested in this thread. Everytime I have asked her for evidence she has never been able to provide any except confusing PR as it relates to your site and PR as it relates to LINKS.

As a professional SEO I continue to see High PR Networks being used in some of the toughests serps (including SEO related where the competition is stiff) and they are ranking on the power of high PR LINKS (not because they have higher PR ON their site which is a completely different issue).

Besides these networks I see sites like Adobe, Wikipedia, Microsoft, Ebay and AMazon continue to rank high on search results with a full line of incoming PR links. You can go to almost any competitive serp and check the backlinks and you will find that high pr links with the serps anchor text continue to rank sites.

Thats what BMR strives for but as you stated the links don't stay long on PR pages. The fact that BMR works even as well as it does with that being the case indicates how powerful links with PR still are.

Truth is guest blogging pages with Hightraffic tend to have articles that people link to and over time develop their own PR.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

This may be the perfect situation for BMR, but I will tell you there are ways to get webmasters to accept your guest posts.

Thats right. My bet though is that guest blogging will never catch on to too many here because

A) Its not instant push a button gratification link building
B) Very few Bloggers will want guest blogging with anchor text for what many particularly adsense sites are promoting.

For guest blogging to work you either have to be in a niche the blogging community has interest in or understand how to use sites to funnel juice to your site to THEN link to your money sites.

I don't know many bloggers for example that want guest bloggers to link with "sony CD player XD1200" to an adsense site. It cheapens the blog.

[Rough Outline]

In short, I've found guest posting to be a frustrating experience. Time put in and what I got out didn't make sense to me. Personally if I could find someone who offered a legitimate guest posting service then I would jump on it, but for now it's just too much time spent on poor yields.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Solid Post OP except for one point.

I see no evidence outside of Alexa Smith claiming it on several threads that PR has taken anywhere NEAR a nose dive as has been suggested in this thread. Everytime I have asked her for evidence she has never been able to provide any except confusing PR as it relates to your site and PR as it relates to LINKS.

As a professional SEO I continue to see High PR Networks being used in some of the toughests serps (including SEO related where the competition is stiff) and they are ranking on the power of high PR LINKS (not because they have higher PR ON their site which is a completely different issue).

Besides these networks I see sites like Adobe, Wikipedia, Microsoft, Ebay and AMazon continue to rank high on search results with a full line of incoming PR links. You can go to almost any competitive serp and check the backlinks and you will find that high pr links with the serps anchor text continue to rank sites.

Thats what BMR strives for but as you stated the links don't stay long on PR pages. The fact that BMR works even as well as it does with that being the case indicates how powerful links with PR still are.

Truth is guest blogging pages with Hightraffic tend to have articles that people link to and over time develop their own PR.

I never said PR has taken a nose dive. I simply stated it is not a big of a deal as it once was and it will continue to become less of a big deal. You are correct it makes a difference right now. My guess is PR will not necessarily go away, but the way it is figured will probably change, as we all know Google likes to change everything.

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Thats right. My bet though is that guest blogging will never catch on to too many here because

A) Its not instant push a button gratification link building
B) Very few Bloggers will want guest blogging with anchor text for what many particularly adsense sites are promoting.

For guest blogging to work you either have to be in a niche the blogging community has interest in or understand how to use sites to funnel juice to your site to THEN link to your money sites.

I don't know many bloggers for example that want guest bloggers to link with "sony CD player XD1200" to an adsense site. It cheapens the blog.

You are absolutely right with point A. I have many adsense sites that I have been able to get other bloggers to accept posts from. The key is to have HIGH QUALITY content on your adsense site. Bloggers don't care what type of site you are linking to as long as the content on it is HIGH QUALITY.

Originally Posted by Rough Outline

In short, I've found guest posting to be a frustrating experience. Time put in and what I got out didn't make sense to me. Personally if I could find someone who offered a legitimate guest posting service then I would jump on it, but for now it's just too much time spent on poor yields.

There is a service called My Blog Guest. It is free and set up like a forum. There is a paid membership for like $20 a month that will give you access to some advanced features. I use it quite a bit. They don't have an affiliate program, it is not in my signature, and I don't get anything for promoting it. I just promote it because it is a great place for Guest blogging.

Benjamin Ehinger

[bhuff85]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Thats right. My bet though is that guest blogging will never catch on to too many here because

A) Its not instant push a button gratification link building
B) Very few Bloggers will want guest blogging with anchor text for what many particularly adsense sites are promoting.

For guest blogging to work you either have to be in a niche the blogging community has interest in or understand how to use sites to funnel juice to your site to THEN link to your money sites.

I don't know many bloggers for example that want guest bloggers to link with "sony CD player XD1200" to an adsense site. It cheapens the blog.

Spot on Mike. Guest blogging makes sense if, for example, you're in the IM niche and you write up a post for a prominent well-known blogger to get some exposure and traffic (and hopefully some repeat visitors). To me, guest blogging is more about building relationships and establishing your brand and increasing your reach within that specific community.

When it comes to my personal blog, I am always actively seeking out other high quality blogs with a similar feel and style to guest post on. I'm more concerned about increasing my visibility and earning new readers and subscribers that way, rather than using BMR or any other tools to get some high PR link juice to help rank for a specific keyword phrase. I'm looking to establish that credibility and help build my brand, and guest blogging is a good way to do that. With a few of my other sites, however, guest blogging wouldn't produce as good as a result (due to the niches and the lack of "authority" bloggers and blogs in those specific arenas).

In my eyes, anyone using BMR exclusively for the sole purpose of generating traffic alone should stop using it, as they clearly don't understand the purpose of the service. It is what it is.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

I never said PR has taken a nose dive. I simply stated it is not a big of a deal as it once was and it will continue to become less of a big deal.

Based on what? Thats what I am asking. I see people state this and never give one inkling of any proof. Every shake up I have seen in the serps over the last year have not affected PR links at all. In fact I have been able to correct problems of ranking WITH contextual PR links after Panda updates.

I see no evidence anywhere that PR is not the same deal its been for quite some time.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by bhuff85

Spot on Mike. Guest blogging makes sense if, for example, you're in the IM niche and you write up a post for a prominent well-known blogger to get some exposure and traffic (and hopefully some repeat visitors). To me, guest blogging is more about building relationships and establishing your brand and increasing your reach within that specific community.

When it comes to my personal blog, I am always actively seeking out other high quality blogs with a similar feel and style to guest post on. I'm more concerned about increasing my visibility and earning new readers and subscribers that way, rather than using BMR or any other tools to get some high PR link juice to help rank for a specific keyword phrase. I'm looking to establish that credibility and help build my brand, and guest blogging is a good way to do that. With a few of my other sites, however, guest blogging wouldn't produce as good as a result (due to the niches and the lack of "authority" bloggers and blogs in those specific arenas).

In my eyes, anyone using BMR exclusively for the sole purpose of generating traffic alone should stop using it, as they clearly don't understand the purpose of the service. It is what it is.

Well said!!!

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Based on what? Thats what I am asking. I see people state this and never give one inkling of any proof. Every shake up I have seen in the serps over the last year have not affected PR links at all. In fact I have been able to correct problems of ranking WITH contextual PR links after Panda updates.

I see no evidence anywhere that PR is not the same deal its been for quite some time.

There does not need to be proof as it is simply a prediction. Look at what Google did with the Panda update. It used to be that the number of backlinks you had mattered more than the quality. Now, quality matters.

This leads one to believe the next thing to change is how quality is figured. PR may still matter, but the way it is figured is what I predict will change next.

The reason Alexa does not provide you with any proof is because she does not try to rank high on Google. I follow similar strategies with some of my websites and blogs, but some of them I do try to rank. The approach is different and with the way article syndication works (what Alexa uses) Google ranking is more of an extra than the main goal.

This is why I think PR will change......why in the world would a searcher want to find one of the blogs BMR uses? To read a bunch of average 150 word posts? (I know there are some that are good and longer) However, these blogs still have a good PR. Do you really think Google is going to let that last for much longer?

I think with the way Google changed the way they rank sites and blogs in the search engines they will change the way PR is figured as well. I think it will become much more driven by the information on the site than the backlinks a site gets.

I think PR will have more to do with sites that receive high ranking in Google, where right now, you can have a PR6 site that does not rank all that well in Google. (I know that because I was writing for one this summer that went from front page to lost back on the fifth or sixth page overnight)

It is simply a prediction, and of course, it cannot be proven yet. However, it is always good to stay ahead of what Google does. Many people that were using EZA for traffic only (with low word counts) saw that traffic diminish. Sites like BMR are next, in my opinion.

Benjamin Ehinger

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

There does not need to be proof as it is simply a prediction. Look at what Google did with the Panda update. It used to be that the number of backlinks you had mattered more than the quality. Now, quality matters

But PR is an authority and QUALITY metric for links. Thats the whole point of PR. It puts a metric on a page that says - this site get a lot more votes and therefore is a better qualitatively place to get links from. Its why many of the top sites on the internet respected by everyone has high PR. Even when you count in relevancy - theres no way present technology is not going to want to take into effect the vote the community has for a page because no present computer technology can determine human quality as well as humans. Go to social networking and that can be gamed too.

The reason Alexa does not provide you with any proof is because she does not try to rank high on Google

Not quite. She has stated openly that in RANKING sites PR is no longer a big deal and she does so because she points to pages with high PR being outranked by lower PR for pages that are not even targeting the same keywords. So she does so because she does not have a clue what she is talking about.

I think PR will have more to do with sites that receive high ranking in Google, where right now, you can have a PR6 site that does not rank all that well in Google. (I know that because I was writing for one this summer that went from front page to lost back on the fifth or sixth page overnight)

For what term? This is the same kind of "evidence" pointed to I always see. That doesn't mean anything. If a site gets links that are merely its domain name to build up its PR then it will only rank for the domain name. Tell me that a PR6 that has got PR links for a specified term will not be affected by it? No thats wrong.

Like I said there is no proof for any of this stuff stated. its just rhetoric. PR is still a huge factor in link building. See it everyday. BMR has nothing to do with it. BMR buys aged domains like many networks and guess what? Before bought those domains had links from very relevant sites with the very kind of content that you are talking about. So the only way that Google could stop BMR would be to stop people from buying domains. There are ways they might pull that off but none of them need say goodbye to PR.

SO that reason for Google moving away from PR wouldn't make any sense either. Mind you if you want to believe that then thats your choice. I just would rather that newbies be not led astray by these comments. You are not really staying ahead of the game at all because theres no reason to suspect the game is going that way.

[AlphaWarrior]

Which has greater staying power and which will generate more traffic - a guest blog post or a unique article published in an article directory like EZine?

Thanks.

[charlesetna]

There is a service called My Blog Guest.

How have you enjoyed using their paid service Ben?

I recently signed up for a free account and have been reasonably impressed at the level of success I've had finding relevant web properties. I think you get to maintain a higher level of integrity dealing with a co-op like this. In the niche I promote, most blog owners won't accept articles with less than 450 words, helps keep the link juice concentrated. Mmm, LJuice concentrate.

Their email list is quite helpful too, similar to Google Alerts You can find out when new properties are looking for content.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by AlphaWarrior

Which has greater staying power and which will generate more traffic - a guest blog post or a unique article published in an article directory like EZine?

Thanks.

In my opinion, A Guest Blog Post. No offense to EZA, but they took a huge hit with the Google Panda update and I don't have nearly as much trust for them as I used to. They are still good and I still use them, but Guest Posting has certainly created more of a steady flow of traffic for me.

Originally Posted by charlesetna

How have you enjoyed using their paid service Ben?

I recently signed up for a free account and have been reasonably impressed at the level of success I've had finding relevant web properties. I think you get to maintain a higher level of integrity dealing with a co-op like this. In the niche I promote, most blog owners won't accept articles with less than 450 words, helps keep the link juice concentrated. Mmm, LJuice concentrate.

Their email list is quite helpful too, similar to Google Alerts You can find out when new properties are looking for content.

Yes I love their paid service. For $20 a month I can write my posts, submit them to the gallery, and accept the offer I like most. Usually I wait a day or two after submitting and I will get 5 - 10 offers.

Benjamin Ehinger

[bensonenterprise]

I don't have that set up yet but thanks for the help. I am going to look into your suggestion. Really appreciate it.

Jennifer

[bmcgoff]

Anyone know of any good guest blogging networks where you can find people who will write for your blog in exchange for a reciprocal post or backlink? I've been looking...

[MrWonton]

Originally Posted by bmcgoff

Anyone know of any good guest blogging networks where you can find people who will write for your blog in exchange for a reciprocal post or backlink? I've been looking...

MyBlogGuest. I use it every day with good results

[bmcgoff]

Thanks...just signed up.

[Rough Outline]

I've actually used My Blog Guest's paid service in the past and you have to write over 400 words per article, that's a major cost especially if you want to do that multiple times frequently.

For pure white hat SEO, guest blogging is the best way to rank as you're building legitimate backlinks but it's awfully expensive either in terms of time or money, even with a service like My Blog Guest.

I think services like BMR offer a much more cost and time effective backlinking solution for people on a lean budget.

[Andy Hart]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

For guest blogging to work you either have to be in a niche the blogging community has interest in

That's one of the main problems I find with guest blogging, not all niches have the opportunity to do guest blogging.

Sure, the main niches everybody and their dog talks about are great for guest blogging but what about the other 99% of niches.

Andy

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by Andy Hart

That's one of the main problems I find with guest blogging, not all niches have the opportunity to do guest blogging.

Sure, the main niches everybody and their dog talks about are great for guest blogging but what about the other 99% of niches.

Andy

Sometimes you have to get a bit creative and realize there are many other niches that you can benefit from the traffic and the backlink coming from the blog. Example - If you have a review site/blog for Lego toys, you could get backlinks from guest posting on other blogs about toys, legos, different types of legos, and other things for children.

You can always find blogs that make sense if you think outside the box.

Benjamin Ehinger

[Clarkjackson]

Totally agreed,

Now these days most of ezine sites has considered as a content farming, but blogs of real people has awesome value, OFF COURSE it's take a long time to create a blog network but once you have it , you will be the kind of search engine.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by Clarkjackson

Totally agreed,

Now these days most of ezine sites has considered as a content farming, but blogs of real people has awesome value, OFF COURSE it's take a long time to create a blog network but once you have it , you will be the kind of search engine.

You are absolutely correct. I wanted to add one more thing about guest posting as well. If you have a blog or blog network guest posts from other authors can help you get a variety of voices on your blogs.

Benjamin Ehinger

[uttoransen]

Originally Posted by cashcow

But, if you are building out smaller sites for adsense or maybe product reviews, I don't think that guest blogging would be worth the time. Plus, I'm not sure that your guest post would be accepted on worthy sites unless your site looks authoritative (I could be wrong about that, its just an assumption).

I would say you are wrong on this. When i pitch a guest post request, here is the list of things that has the most value.
1) Networking - If i know the blogger well, that is the biggest score.
2) Next comes the pitch which also includes the title.
3) Next is the guest post itself.

if all these go through properly, then there is nothing much to worry about your own blog that will be linked from the bio. Unless it has nothing or is getting re-directed or has a virus or something... most good-for-nothing blogs will be a Pass+.

Originally Posted by Tadresources

I totally agree - though if someone was to go out and get me the guest posts and then write them and publish them too it would be much better.

Here's a call to outsourcers that are looking for extra work!!!

honestly, i would like to shout on top of my voice - hire me - but i also have to look like a non-self-promoting guy.

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

Guest posts have to be very high quality and your writer cannot just be anybody. You really need someone that can put together good content for whatever subject you are working in. Make sure you get a good guest blogger if you are going to outsource this part of your writing.

Benjamin, i absolutely agree. A cheap article does not even have the ezine quality which is nothing when you compare it to a guest post. One needs engaging content, articles that are not just copyscape pass but also unique in ideas... very few writers can do this, also the followups and revisions and much more is included in it.

Originally Posted by bensonenterprise

So let me ask you where do you find the guest bloggers. I just recently decided to have guest bloggers on my site that talks about internet marketing but I don't want just anyone writing articles, I want to be sure that the content is good. Any ideas on how I can go about finding these bloggers? Thanks for your post, I did a search for guest blogging and this was the first post shown!

Once you start accepting guest posts, you will get a lot of pitches. Remember, it is the quality of your site that matters too. If your site is not good, you won't get good offers.

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

I don't know many bloggers for example that want guest bloggers to link with "sony CD player XD1200" to an adsense site. It cheapens the blog.

Most blogs that accept guest posts are ok with whatever you put in your bio. A short 2 line bio with a keyword like that as the anchor... can work out.

You can even have the guest post title as:
sony CD player XD1200 Review.

or -

17 Ground Breaking features of sony CD player XD1200 that will Rock your World

Originally Posted by Rough Outline

In short, I've found guest posting to be a frustrating experience. Time put in and what I got out didn't make sense to me. Personally if I could find someone who offered a legitimate guest posting service then I would jump on it, but for now it's just too much time spent on poor yields.

Here are a few things guest blogging can do for you:
1) Get you a very targeted link from a real blog on your niche.
2) You can get referral traffic for years to come.
3) Social media boost - good article on a big blog can explode the social media votes...
4) Increase feed readership
5) Increase comments and loyal readers.
6) Make you an expert.

Benefits of guest blogging are plenty, outsource it if you can not do it yourself... just like you said, must be legitimate else it will just contribute to "poor yields"

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by uttoransen

I would say you are wrong on this. When i pitch a guest post request, here is the list of things that has the most value.
1) Networking - If i know the blogger well, that is the biggest score.
2) Next comes the pitch which also includes the title.
3) Next is the guest post itself.

if all these go through properly, then there is nothing much to worry about your own blog that will be linked from the bio. Unless it has nothing or is getting re-directed or has a virus or something... most good-for-nothing blogs will be a Pass+.




honestly, i would like to shout on top of my voice - hire me - but i also have to look like a non-self-promoting guy.



Benjamin, i absolutely agree. A cheap article does not even have the ezine quality which is nothing when you compare it to a guest post. One needs engaging content, articles that are not just copyscape pass but also unique in ideas... very few writers can do this, also the followups and revisions and much more is included in it.



Once you start accepting guest posts, you will get a lot of pitches. Remember, it is the quality of your site that matters too. If your site is not good, you won't get good offers.



Most blogs that accept guest posts are ok with whatever you put in your bio. A short 2 line bio with a keyword like that as the anchor... can work out.

You can even have the guest post title as:
sony CD player XD1200 Review.

or -

17 Ground Breaking features of sony CD player XD1200 that will Rock your World



Here are a few things guest blogging can do for you:
1) Get you a very targeted link from a real blog on your niche.
2) You can get referral traffic for years to come.
3) Social media boost - good article on a big blog can explode the social media votes...
4) Increase feed readership
5) Increase comments and loyal readers.
6) Make you an expert.

Benefits of guest blogging are plenty, outsource it if you can not do it yourself... just like you said, must be legitimate else it will just contribute to "poor yields"

This is exactly why the title tells the lazy people not to read. So many marketers try to take the easy way out and the path of least resistance when the benefits almost always are found when you actually put the time into the work.

QUALITY over QUANTITY is always better and Guest Blogging can bring you many benefits we probably have not even listed here.

Benjamin Ehinger

[mosthost]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

QUALITY over QUANTITY is always better and Guest Blogging can bring you many benefits we probably have not even listed here.

Benjamin Ehinger

Really? Would you rather have 1 high-quality dollar bill or 2 billion low quality ones?

[uttoransen]

Originally Posted by mosthost

Really? Would you rather have 1 high-quality dollar bill or 2 billion low quality ones?

No, it does not work that way, 2 billion low quality links will only get you banned, while one guest post on a solid blog will give it a great authority boost.

[AudioRoxor]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ehinger

Sometimes you have to get a bit creative and realize there are many other niches that you can benefit from the traffic and the backlink coming from the blog. Example - If you have a review site/blog for Lego toys, you could get backlinks from guest posting on other blogs about toys, legos, different types of legos, and other things for children.

You can always find blogs that make sense if you think outside the box.

Benjamin Ehinger

Exactly. I can think shoot off different ideas for articles on legos in my head... like activities parents can do with their kids using legos, how legos help kids learn, how playing with legos with your kids can better your relationship with them, etc.

[Benjamin Ehinger]

Originally Posted by mosthost

Really? Would you rather have 1 high-quality dollar bill or 2 billion low quality ones?

You keep getting your low quality links and see where that gets you....I will stick with high quality links that also bring me traffic, so that I don't have to depend on Google nearly as much.

Besides one High Quality Dollar Bill can be worth a large sum of money and that is not even what we are talking about.

Originally Posted by uttoransen

No, it does not work that way, 2 billion low quality links will only get you banned, while one guest post on a solid blog will give it a great authority boost.

You are 100% correct!

Benjamin Ehinger