“In our next-gen SEO stratagem, we’ll aim to maximize SERP dominance and backlink portfolio optimization via advanced, white-hat SEO tactics and high-DA link-building strategies.”
Stopped paying attention? So did we.
SEO industry experts are sadly prone to spouting long bouts of gobbledygook. Yes, that’s a real word, and it refers to language that’s overly technical and essentially meaningless.
Thankfully, guest posts and niche edits are SEO terms that actually mean something—and understanding the differences between them is absolutely crucial if you want to create an effective link-building strategy.
In this article, we’ll cover the key differences between guest posts vs. niche edits, as well as which method you should focus on in your link-building strategy.
Minus the gobbledygook, of course.
Guest posts are content pieces, usually written articles, created for the purpose of being posted on collaborating websites.
When you write a guest post, you aim to provide value to the website that posts it, as well as to their readers. In return, you’re permitted to place a backlink (or five) in strategic places within the post.
This drives referral traffic back to your website and provides a significant SEO authority-boost.
Niche edits are when backlinks are subtly placed within pieces of existing, already-published content on collaborating websites.
Similar to a guest post, a niche edit provides value to the linking website and their readers by functioning as an additional, related information source.
In return, the link drives referral traffic and SEO benefits back to your website.
In our experience, there are three main areas where guest posts and niche edits differ: effort, cost, and SEO impact.
Effort required is probably the most striking difference between guest posts and niche edits, with guest posts demanding significantly more time and work.
Both guest posts and niche edits require research, outreach, and some form of relationship-building with the linking website.
But a guest post is exactly that: a guest post. Whether a blog article, a short story, or something else, there’s always some type of content creation involved—and that takes time and effort.
For example, a thoroughly researched article that can speak effectively to the audience of the linking website and drive referral traffic back to your website, will probably take at least a day to write, even for the most seasoned content writers.
Not to mention, the linking website owner might be a little picky (but hey, aren’t we all sometimes?) and even send the post back to you with revisions and suggestions on how to improve the post and better match their standards.
All that to say, guest posting is a process, and earning backlinks this way takes quite a bit of effort. The additional effort does pay off though, as you’ll see if you actually keep reading and don’t just skim through to the end or ask ChatGPT instead.
Let's tailor your roadmap to success.
With extensive expertise in enhancing SERP ranking performance, we understand what truly works. Let us save you from wasting resources on ineffective strategies. A quick call with us with the option of an AI-Driven Strategy Blueprint might be all you need to attain the edge over your competition.
BOOKÂ AÂ CALL
Niche edits require many of the same initial steps as guest posts, namely research, outreach, and relationship-building.
But the key difference is that, once you’ve found a piece of content that can accommodate a backlink and you’ve sold the website owner on the value-add, your work is pretty much done. You just insert the backlink, wash your hands, and that’s it.
It’s true that sometimes you might need to rewrite a tiny bit of copy around your backlink, in order to add context or clarify things for the reader. But compared to writing an entire guest post, this is a pretty trivial matter.
So, because niche edits don’t require any new content (at least not in a material sense), earning backlinks this way takes much less effort. However, a backlink earned via a niche edit is not equal in value to a backlink earned via a guest post, as you’ll see later on.
Earning backlinks through guest posts is generally more costly than earning backlinks through niche edits.
Costs incurred by producing guest posts come in two forms: content creation costs and publication fees.
Content creation costs: Unless you’re running a super straightforward startup or small business, you’re probably not going to have time to spend in the trenches, personally drafting up guest posts.
Instead, you’ll probably hire a freelance writer (and maybe even an editor and graphic designer as well), to create the posts for you. And unless said freelance writer is your internship-hungry nephew, you’re going to have to pay them for their work.
Depending on your quality standards, this could come out to $100 or even $500+ for a single guest post.
Publication fees: Most popular blog websites charge fees for guest posting opportunities. After all, they’ve already “made it”—you’re the one looking to grow your online presence.
Fees can range from $100-$250 for a guest post on a lower-authority site, up to $300-$1,000+ for a post on an ultra-popular one.
The fee usually covers editing and formatting, as well as the perceived value you’ll gain by accessing the site's audience with your content and links.
Keep in mind that not every website is going to charge a publication fee—it really depends on how popular the website is, and whether or not guest posts are a regular occurrence on the site.
Costs incurred from niche edits are similar to those incurred from guest posts, minus the content creation costs. Usually, all you’ll have to do is pay some sort of link insertion fee.
Link insertion fees: Like with guest posts, link insertion fees vary tremendously based on the authority of the linking website and how much value you’ll gain from the backlink.
It’s hard to find definitive price ranges for niche edits, as not many studies have been conducted on the topic. But from our experience, they cost around $50-$500, with ultra-popular brands sometimes charging more.
On average, niche edits cost less than guest posts, primarily because there’s no need to hire anyone to create new content (as there usually is with guest posts).
Guest posts usually provide a more significant and long-lasting SEO impact than niche edits.
Let’s do this section a little differently by first listing some of the key considerations behind SEO impact and then comparing guest posts and niche edits directly.
Guest posts provide a massive visibility and authority boost, since you’ll be positioned as an expert on the topic you’re writing about. Someone from a new audience will read your guest post, find it extremely helpful, and then see your brand’s stamp of approval on it. In this scenario, the reader is highly likely to dig deeper into your brand by checking out your website.
Niche edits have a smaller impact on visibility and authority, since your entire presence on the linking website will be limited to a single backlink. Your brand is much more likely to look like a random source than a bona fide authority on the topic. For example, are you more likely to check out Profit Engine’s website (as the authors of this article), or this random one? Okay, but with that anchor text, of course you were going to click on it.
Guest posts are extremely effective at increasing your rankings for specific keywords, since you can create and optimize your own content, based on the specific keywords you want to target.
Niche edits can increase your keyword rankings as well, only in a much less focused way, because the existing article has already been written and optimized for whatever keywords the linking website chose to target.
Guest posts take time to pull off, and their SEO benefits only come with time. They require the creation of brand new content, as well as approval and indexation by search engines before they start delivering any sort of SEO value.
Niche edits offer rapid SEO benefits, since the links are added articles and pages that have already been indexed and ranked. This can result in an immediate authority transfer, though usually it’s less authority than what you could get from a guest post.
Guest posts, if written on topics that stay relevant into the distant future, offer sustained SEO benefits. This type of “evergreen” content will continue to attract referral traffic and boost SEO authority for as long as the page stays active.
Niche edits have a harder time driving long-term SEO benefits. How long your niche edits provide SEO value depends on the existing content's age and relevancy. Simply because you’re at the behest of whatever was written in the original article, your SEO gains could potentially diminish over time as the content becomes outdated and viewed less.
Guest posts are generally considered to be a very safe SEO strategy with little risk of penalties, assuming the content is high-quality and posted on reputable sites. However, as a word of caution: If your guest posts are keyword-stuffed or posted on scammy websites, penalties are very much in the offing.
Niche edits inherently carry a greater risk of being perceived as unnatural by search engines and incurring penalties, since it can be hard to seamlessly integrate a backlink into an existing piece of content. This is why it’s important to sometimes rewrite and “naturalize” a portion of the copy directly surrounding your backlink.
Perhaps these differences haven’t been dramatic enough for you, and you’re still struggling to decide whether guest posts or niche edits will better serve your website’s interests.
When we evaluate our clients’ backlink profiles, here are some key criteria we take into account before advising them on a link-building strategy.
If you have a limited budget, niche edits are much more feasible, since you won’t have to spend any money on content creation.
If you have money coming out of your ears, we recommend a blend of niche edits and guest posts, depending on your specific goals (which just so happen to be addressed directly below).
If you want to build authority, guest posting is the way to go. Like we mentioned earlier, guest posts allow you to position yourself as an expert on a given topic, since you can craft an entire content piece to prove it.
If you want as many links as fast as possible, niche edits are much more efficient than guest posts, since you just can pop in your link and bow out.
If you already have an established SEO presence, we recommend a blend of guest posts and niche edits. Guest posts will be easier to land if you already have an established presence, but they’ll also be less needed, since you already have that authority.
If you’re starting from the ground up, landing guest posts is ideal for increasing your authority, but it’s also a bit of a pipe dream if you have little to no experience in your industry. Niche edits can be a great way to start building your backlink profile, since they allow you to leech off of the authority of existing articles without needing to “prove yourself” like you’d need to before publishing a guest post.
If you’re in a highly specialized niche, guest posts are a great way to showcase your knowledge and establish credibility as an expert. Authoritative content in general can sometimes be in short supply, depending on just how specialized your niche is. This allows you to more easily create highly unique content catered specifically to your industry's audience.
If you’re in a broad and highly competitive industry, niche edits are more strategic, since it’s difficult to land guest posts in highly saturated markets.
Guest posts and niche edits differ primarily in terms of effort required, cost to obtain, and nature of specific SEO impacts.
Guest posts require more effort and usually cost more, but they provide more powerful and longer-lasting SEO benefits as a result.
If you have a large budget, if you want to build authority, if you have an established online presence, and if you’re in a highly specialized niche, we recommend you prioritize guest posts.
If you have a limited budget, if you want to build links quickly, if you don’t yet have an established presence, and if you’re in a broad, competitive niche, we recommend you prioritize niche edits.
All that said, if you want to:
Be extra sure you’re going with the right strategy, and;
Get as much benefit as possible from each one of your backlinks;
Then we highly recommend booking a free strategy meeting with us at Profit Engine.
We have years of experience writing guest posts and making niche edits for brands just like yours—and we can prove it.
An industry-leading AI link building strategy.
After years of experience growing brands just like yours, we know what gets results and what doesn’t. We’ll stop you from spending too much time, resources and money on backlinks that don’t help. We’ll stop you from building links on harmful or useless websites. We’ll use our AI Link Strategy to analyze your competition and give you a personalized action plan.
Find out more
