Link Building

Guest Posting: Every Link Built Can Be Relevant. Here’s How.

Every link builder knows that the relevancy of the links built can play a big role in increasing rankings.  So why is it that you often see link builders build crappy, non relevant links from guest posting opportunities?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of guest blogging but it’s been common practice for individuals to submit guest posts to non niche related sites simply to increase their link count.  I’m not going to lie as it can still work today and it was especially valuable pre panda/penguin days.   But there are ways to squeeze even more value from “non niche related” guest blogging opportunities without having to stuff anchor text links in your about the author box.

Make Non Niche Related Blogs Relevant.

If your trying to build links through guest posting your first thought it to seek out all niche related blogs and pitch  a post.  If your in the car industry this might include brand specific (Ford, Chevy, Dodge) related fan sites or even a mechanic or “fix-it” type site.  However, I can tell you first hand that these types of opportunities blow by fast in which your left with very few guest blogging opportunities.

There certainly is something right in between finding blogs that are in your exact niche and ones that are totally irrelevant.  The last thing you want to do is write about 5 different ways to prevent cavities on a dental blog with a anchor text link pointing back to your auto mechanic site in the “about the author” box.  This could be a blatant sign to Google of link manipulation and the irrelevance of the link may decrease any value passed.  So the secret is to make all your guest relevant regardless of niche.  It’s actually not that hard, you simply have to use your imagination.

Getting The Most Value Out of Your Guest Posts.

Let’s walk through an example.  Let’s use a car review site.  First we seek out any directly related blogs in the auto niche.  fellow auto review blogs, auto enthusiast blogs, mechanical blogs, and any other opportunities that would be niche related but not necessarily a direct competitor of yours.  Next we start looking for other sites that accept posts that aren’t directly related but can be made relevant based on the content written.  For instance, look at the following blog niches and content ideas that make a link from these blogs much more relevant and therefor more valuable.

• Wedding Blog – “5 automotive alternatives to the traditional limo on your wedding day”
• Photography Blog – “How to take pictures that make any car look like a million bucks!”
• Green Blog – “10 cars that get over 30 miles per gallon and cost less than $20,000.”
• Career Blog – “How to become an automotive tech specialist”
• Celebrity Gossip Blog – “25 hot Celebrities and their even hotter rides.”

Notice how none of these blogs are directly related to the automotive niche but we we’re able to select content that is both relevant to the blog niche and your sites theme.  Since your objective is to build links that pass the most value and don’t look deceptive this is really important when guest blogging.  Not every guest posting opportunity will send qualified traffic to your site but in this case your simply looking to build additional link equity to your site while contributing value to your guest blog host.  With content like this it’s pretty easy to place a in content link that flows with the content and offers maximum SEO value to your site.

There is definitely a right and wrong way to guest blog.   Write content that is both beneficial to the blog owner and to your site as well.  If you think outside of the box you can increase the amount of guest post opportunities available as well as links to your website.