Good guest posting vs link schemes#
| Valuable | Risky |
|---|---|
| Respected publication in your industry with a real audience | Sites that accept anything for a fee (“write for us — $50”) |
| Original, expert article written for that site’s readers | Spun or mass-produced articles |
| Natural author bio link | Keyword-rich anchor links stuffed into the body |
| Occasional, selective | Large-scale campaigns aimed only at links |
Google’s spam policies specifically mention “large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links” as link schemes. Links from such posts may be ignored, and if the pattern is obvious, they can lead to a manual action.
How to do it well#
- List publications your customers actually read.
- Study what they publish and pitch a specific, useful idea — not a generic article.
- Write your best work: data, examples, a framework they can’t get elsewhere.
- Accept their editorial rules; if the link is nofollow or sponsored, it can still bring audience and authority.
- Promote the article to your own audience too.
Related: backlinks, link building strategies, white hat SEO.