This week’s “Ask an SEO question” comes from John in London, UK.
“I got here from your post. Should I use Nofollow, Sponsor, or UGC links?
In the “Affiliate Links” paragraph, write, “I am posting these for the purpose of earning a commission, so these should be sponsored.”
My question is whether this strategy should be implemented for guest posts as well.
If I publish an article on someone else’s site, do I have to tell them to use the sponsored link attribution?
I run an affiliate site and I know the outbound links are sponsored, but I’m not exactly sure about the backlinks.
I hope you understand my question. We look forward to your reply. ”
Hi John,
Thanks for following up on my post and writing a great question.
Before answering, my editor asked me to share this post about Google warnings with a backlink guest post.
In other words, if you paid for a guest post, your link should have sponsored markup because you’re a sponsor.
However, having attributes attached to a link tells Google that it’s not a natural link. Keep in mind that if it’s a natural link, it likely won’t help your SEO.
There is some debate about nofollow actually passing a value, with some Googlers saying this is a suggestion, not a guarantee.
Just to be clear, I don’t think “nofollow” nor “sponsored” are beneficial for SEO.
The full answer is to determine if the link is natural, if it’s in the author’s bio, or if the person reading it clicks and finds value in it.
If you are a cited expert on the topic and the website writes you as an expert and links to a page on your website that provides a value-added explanation of the concept, to follow A link that probably makes sense.
Here are two examples:
1. You are talking about a topic that has a formula or needs detailed explanation.
But that description doesn’t add value to the article. You can give yourself a backlink to help your readers learn more.
2. The author’s biography is the same.
If you are a regular contributor and people subscribe to your column, it makes sense to have a backlink to your website so your fans can interact with you. .
This also helps build the concept of “EAT” if your website lists your publications, accolades, accreditations, etc.
But it’s a fine line.
If you paid for the post, you should have an advertising disclaimer that the payment (cash, product for review, etc.) was exchanged.
Google will eventually get better at looking for this.
When Google does, I suspect they will try to associate “dofollow” links to your site with a disclaimer.
So why not remove the disclaimer?
If the disclaimer or disclosure is not there, you may be in violation of the FTC (here’s a good guide made by the FTC) and some international guidelines. I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t say for sure, but please understand.
I believe the UK has the same restriction.
If the blog you are posting on is part of a PBN (Private Blogger Network) and the PBN is mapped or recognized by Google, using this same type of guest posting as a link acquisition strategy will result in a penalty may receive
Many people who use guest posts for backlinks try to hide their backlinks or link to competitors or other authoritative resources to make it look natural, but this is not foolproof and can be tracked. can.
You are in a very gray area. If you want to be safe, ask for sponsored or nofollow markup and post only on sites that attract relevant audiences to your girlfriend’s website.
Backlink guest posts are not a good strategy by themselves.
A good strategy is creating really good content that solves a problem or makes a topic easier to understand.
Then, without a template, contact the blog owner with your own email and tell them you enjoyed the site with a specific callout stating that you read the site.
Finally, tell them there is no AB solution on their site.
AB is where you come in.
You can provide the link, tell your readers that it might be useful, or ask if it’s okay to solicit reviews and feedback.
By asking for permission first, we were able to approach bloggers in a friendlier and more engaging manner, thus increasing our response rate.
However, you should customize your email so that it’s not about you, it’s about the other person.
Hope this helps. Great question. This topic comes up often.
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