Did you know that pages that rank #1 on search engine results have 3.8X more backlinks than those in #2 to #10? Yet, it is surprising that 94% of the 912 million blog posts analyzed in a different study had zero backlinks.

Imagine the missed opportunities to backlink the blogs and boost their search engine results page (SERP) rank. Even worse, the passed chances to improve the associated websites’ domain ratings.

So, how do you get started with acquiring quality backlinks?

Guest posting and niche edits are arguably the easiest yet most effective ways to get good-quality backlinks and enhance your website’s SEO performance.

In this guide, you'll learn everything about these two link-building strategies, including their similarities, differences, and best use cases.

Let’s jump straight into the discussion.

TL;DR - Guest Posting vs. Niche Edits

We recommend reading the whole article to understand how to use guest blogging and niche edits to amplify your website’s SEO performance.

But if you are pressed for time, check the table below for a summary of what we discuss in this article:

Keep reading for an overview of the information highlighted in the table above.

Do you find these link-building strategies complex, or are you unsure you can implement them effectively to grow your website’s SEO performance? Outsource to a link-building agency.

At Profit Engine, we have over 10 years of experience helping online businesses, SEO agencies, and affiliates build robust backlink profiles. We leverage AI and advanced analytics to personalize link-building strategies to your SEO goals, helping your website rank for high-intent keywords.

Leverage our Guest Posts and Niche Edits services to boost your website’s domain authority and rating!

What is Guest Posting?

Also known as guest blogging, guest posting entails publishing articles on third-party websites to promote your brand. 

As a marketer, you can post guest blogs on other websites to generate readers’ interest in your brand. You can then use the backlinks to direct traffic to your website.

How Does Guest Posting Work?

The process is simple:

1. Find a website relevant to your industry and has authority in the niche.
2. Reach out to the website owner and pitch your guest post.
3. Once approved, craft a well-researched, engaging blog.
4. Include backlinks that direct readers to your website. To build credibility, ensure your author bio commands authority in your niche.
5. Promote the guest posts on your social media pages to reach a wider audience.

Guest posting helps improve your website’s authority in two ways:

• Backlinks from websites with high domain ratings signal search engines that your site contains helpful information.
• Readers who find the content insightful will follow the backlinks to your website, which increases your referral traffic.

How to Find Guest Posting Opportunities

Always look to publish your guest posts on websites related to your industry or niche. For example, if you sell sportswear, you should find websites that publish content on physical fitness and healthy living. 

The following are effective ways to identify the right guest posting opportunities for your brand:

• Google Searches: Most blogs that allow guest posting indicate it on their web pages. As such, a simple search of “[relevant keyword] + submit a guest post” should help you find them.
• Guest Blogging Directories: HubSpot, Crunchbase, Forbes, and HuffPost are some notable examples of repositories that allow third parties to publish guest posts on their websites.
• Utilize Link-Building Tools: Software like Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush can help you identify authoritative websites that allow guest blogging.
• Check Your Competitors’ Guest Posts: Analyze your competitors’ link-building profiles to see where they get their backlinks. Pick out their guest blogs and find relevant hosts where you’d also want to feature your content.
• Search on Social Media: Marketers often share their recently published guest posts on social media to stimulate engagement. This is an opportunity to fish for relevant websites that allow guest posts.

Pros and Cons of Guest Posting

Does guest posting matter? And does it help your brand? 

Here are the benefits and drawbacks of guest blogging:

Pros:

• Access to a niche audience.
• Quality backlinks improve your SEO and domain rating.
• Increased referral traffic to your website.
• Creates collaboration opportunities with other personalities in your niche.
• Opportunities to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Cons:

• Guest posting doesn’t improve your website’s authority in the short term.
• Some hosts require you to waive your ownership rights over the content.
• Guest posting on spammy websites could hurt your domain rating.

What Are Niche Edits?

Niche edits is a link-building strategy that involves adding a URL that leads to your website to an existing blog. 

Usually, the published article is hosted on a high-authority website, so adding a backlink to their content helps signal search engines that your website also contains valuable information.

Do Niche Edits Work in SEO?

Yes. Niche edits work in SEO. They help you build a powerful backlink profile, which signals search engines like Google that your website contains valuable content like the domains you are linked to. 

Niche edits offer a quick way to capitalize on other websites’ domain ratings without creating guest posts.

How Do Niche Edits Work?

Here’s how niche edits work:

1. Find a thought leadership website that you want to backlink to your domain.
2. Reach out to the domain owner and pitch your niche edit idea. Usually, they’ll require you to provide a fresh snippet of content they can post on their website alongside the backlink.
3. This triggers Google’s freshness algorithm as it has to index the page with the niche edit again.
4. Search engines identify the new link in the niche edit, which helps increase your website’s visibility.

Pros and Cons of Niche Edits

Let’s outline the merits and demerits of using niche edits for link-building:

Pros:

• It is easier and faster to create than guest posts.
• Published articles with significant engagement generate referral traffic quickly.
• The article is already indexed, so the link appears more organic.
• It is an effective way to build links for keywords that are difficult to rank for.

Cons:

• Niche edits risk violating Google guidelines and could result in manual penalties.
• Adding a backlink to a low-quality niche edit could harm your website’s SEO.
• You’ll have limited control over the quality of the content and future modifications.

In-depth Comparison - Guest Posts vs. Niche Edits

Guest posts and niche edits differ significantly just based on their definitions and how they work. 

The table below outlines how the two backlink strategies compare:

Similarities and Differences   

Now that we know how niche edits and guest blogging compare, let’s discuss their similarities and key differences.

Guest Posting and Niche Edits Similarities

Here are the shared attributes between guest blogging and niche edits:

• Both options help improve your website’s SEO performance and SERP ranking.
• Guest posting and niche edits often require paying the host website a backlinking fee.
• Both methods rely on the host website’s relevance and authority (domain rating).
• The backlinks from niche edits and guest posting remain active unless they become broken or the content is removed.

Guest Posting and Niche Edits Differences

Niche edits and guest posting function differently, which results in the following differences:

• Guest posting requires you to create new content, while with niche edits, you only add a link to an already-published post.
• Niche edits impact your website’s rank and authority faster than guest posting.
• Guest posting helps you build an audience on the host website, unavailable for niche edits.
• Guest posting gives you more control over the content creation process than niche edits.

How to Choose Between Niche Edits and Guest Posts

Here’s a simple checklist to help you decide which link building strategy will work best for you. You can also use it to incorporate both methods into your backlinks profile.

Let's get to it:

1. Define Your Business Goals: What do you aim to achieve with the backlinks? Pick niche edits to boost your website’s domain rating quickly. In contrast, guest posting is effective for building a long-term SEO strategy.
2. Evaluate Your Budget: Calculate how much money you will spend on your backlinks strategy. Go with niche edits if you have a tight budget and guest blogging if you can afford it.
3. Determine Your Preferred Turnaround Time: It takes several months to see SEO results from guest blogging. You might need up to a year to improve your domain rating significantly. In contrast, niche edits quickly boost your website’s SEO performance and authority.
4. Compare Thought Leadership Opportunities: Are you only looking to grow your website’s SEO, or do you want to establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche? Use niche edits for the former and guest blogging for the latter.
5. Determine Your Audience Engagement Objectives: Opt for guest blogging if you want to build a community on the host website. You could encourage readers to follow your social media profiles or subscribe to your newsletter. On the other hand, use niche edits if your main goal is to boost your website’s referral traffic or domain rating. 

Can’t decide which backlinking strategy to go with? Let us help you figure things out. 

Whether you are an SEO agency, ecommerce site, or affiliate, we can help you build a cohesive, high-quality link-building strategy that drives referral traffic to your website.

Schedule your risk-free strategy call today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This section answers the most commonly asked questions about guest posting vs. niche edits.

Can Guest Posting and Niche Edits Lead to Google Penalties?

Yes. Guest posting and niche edits can lead to Google penalties in some situations. 

Backlinks that associate your website with low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant host websites could trigger Google manual penalties and lower your domain rating.

Can I Use Both Methods Together for Better Results?

Yes. You can combine both methods for better SEO results. 

Use niche edits to quickly improve your website’s authority and domain rating, and guest blogging to build a comprehensive backlinks profile in the long term.

What is the ROI of Guest Posting vs. Niche Edits?

The expected ROI of guest posting and niche edits is based on cost, SEO benefits, and long-term goals. 

For example, niche edits offer better ROI than guest posting if you compare each method’s cost per backlink. However, guest posting will give you better returns if you focus on long-term SEO value.

Which Option is Better for Small Businesses?

Generally, small businesses should opt for niche edits over guest posting. The former helps accelerate their SEO efforts without taking a huge toll on their operating budget.

The Bottom Line - Niche Edits vs. Guest Posts

Link-building remains an integral part of SEO. Whether through guest posting or niche edits, backlinks signal to search engines that your website contains helpful content for readers. 

We’ve outlined all the pros, cons, and use cases for using niche edits and guest blogging to elevate your website’s SEO performance.

But remember, you can always get backlinking tasks off your plate by outsourcing to the right link building agency. 

At Profit Engine, we follow a hands-on four-step process for niche edits and a five-step process for guest posting to help you get the most out of your link-building process. We also have an expansive index of high-authority sites that you can backlink to your website and accelerate your SEO efforts.

Stop guessing and start growing. Discover how our personalized link-building strategies can generate more referral traffic to your website. Sign up for a free discovery call now!