2014 is almost behind us, which makes it great time to look into what’s been going on in the guest blogging space in the past 12 months, as well as what we can expect in the near future.

So this post lists 20 important (and interesting) articles, tutorials, and pieces of news related to guest blogging that were published in 2014.

I have to admit, there has been a lot of talk on various related topics, and we’ve seen a number of major fluctuations and direction changes across the web. While I’m still 100 percent sure that guest blogging is here to stay and that it will only continue to gain a bigger role in brands’ marketing strategies, we surely need to adjust our tactics to make them more in tune with the current rules of web publishing.

So let’s start the list with perhaps the most significant piece of guest blogging news of 2014:

The decay and fall of guest blogging for SEO. In this post, Matt Cutts – the guy who everyone is afraid of when it comes to SEO – voiced his concerns about guest blogging used for SEO purposes – he even proclaimed it completely dead. Certainly worth a read if you haven’t seen it yet.

3 Reasons Guest Blogging Isn’t as Dead as Matt Cutts Says It Is. In general, people were not that impressed with what Cutts thinks about guest blogging, and soon after he published his post, other ones started coming out explaining why guest blogging is far from done. This post from WordStream is a fine example.

Why Matt Cutts Can’t Kill Guest Blogging. Another post explaining why guest blogging is here to stay. This time coming from Search Engine Journal. Probably one of the most crucial points raised in it is that “SEO isn’t everything” when we’re talking guest blogging.

Guest Blogging and SEO: Still a Match Made in Heaven. It’s not only big brands like WordStream or Search Engine Journal that are on board with guest blogging. The internet’s very own “kind of a big deal” Neil Patel sees guest blogging as a great strategy too. You can get a hint of what his exact opinion is just be looking at the title of his post.

Google Clarifies: Guest Blogging Is OK, But “Guest Blogging For SEO” Is Not. After all the backlash, Matt Cutts and Google had to give in and clarify everything a bit. Particularly, talking about what should be avoided when guest blogging and what is still perfectly fine. In other words, here’s them trying to ease the situation.

Time for Guest Blogging With a Purpose. Just a couple of years ago, the most popular goal for guest bloggers was SEO, but those days are coming to an end, and right now you’re much better off focusing on achieving other things. This article from Moz presents a good explanation of what’s worth pursuing and why.

The Real Truth About Google and Guest Blogging. Let’s stay with the “purpose of guest blogging” topic for a while and look into this article from KISSmetrics. It presents a really on-point set of do’s and don’ts, both for brands (publishers) as well as guest bloggers.

Risk Link Management for Guest Blogging Strategy. Risk management is a very interesting issue when it comes to guest blogging. It’s worth remembering that no matter how fail-proof (we think) our strategy is, we always need to put some elements in place, just so they can save us in case of trouble.

Google’s Matt Cutts: We’ve Penalized A Guest Blogging Network. Speaking of risk, if you’ve been guest blogging for a longer while, you’ve surely heard about MyBlogGuest or even used it as part of your strategy. The site was great; it allowed guest bloggers to connect with websites and offer them specific articles directly. Then one day, Matt Cutts decided to cut it from the search rankings entirely. This article tells the story of how this happened.

Guest Blogging for SEO – How to Build Traffic and Not Overdo It. Even despite what Cutts has been saying, various brands and individuals are still getting good results from guest blogging. Luckily for us, many of them are not hesitant to share how they’ve been constructing their campaigns.

How We’ve Reached More Than 1 Million People by Guest Blogging. Another great guest blogging success story. Getting to one million people through guest blogging is more than an impressive result, and in this post, Alex Turnbull shares the details of his strategy, including even his pitch emails.

7 Examples of the Power of Guest Blogging. In this post, John Jantsch shares seven success stories that members of his network ran in support of his book launch. Some great and unusual approaches here, and a lot to learn from in general.

Never Fear Google Again: The Smart Person’s Guide to Guest Blogging. Here’s what Copyblogger thinks about guest blogging and building an effective strategy around it. You’ll find a lot of interesting details in this guide, including a handy checklist.

How To Build Your Email List Through Smart Guest Blogging. Great tutorial on how to utilize guest blogging effectively for list building – something that’s becoming one of the main goals for guest bloggers right now.

Why You Suck at Guest Blogging (and What The Pros Do Differently). Guest blogging has become much more difficult in this day and age, and sometimes it’s hard to keep refining your strategies to stay relevant. This great post from Boost Blog Traffic sheds some light on the proper way of doing things.

The Dirty Little Secret About Guest Blogging. In this post on JeffBullas.com, I had the privilege to share my personal opinion on how things are being played out in the guest blogging space right now. What’s the secret? Tune in.

How to Increase Your Guest Blogging Response Rate. Pitching is by far the most difficult part of the job. I’d say that it’s even more difficult than writing the actual posts. Here’s a great piece from BuzzStream explaining the numbers behind successful pitches.

The Definitive Guide to Guest Blogging. In this guide, Brian Dean of Backlinko shares his strategy and tactics to find quality guest blogging opportunities and then win them with a great pitch. Very insightful step-by-step tutorial.

The 5 Types of Guest Bloggers (Funny Graphic). Why not have some fun, right? Even despite the funny nature of this graphic, I have to admit that there is something to it.

Prediction on 2015: What 30 Experts Think Will Happen to Guest Posting. Finally, let’s end the list on a high note and take a look at some great predictions on what’s to come in the guest blogging space in 2015 – 30 experts weigh in.

Okay, so that’s it for our list – the 2014 edition of what’s been going on in guest blogging. It’s surely a lot of reading, but I guarantee that you’ll find some great info in each and every one of these posts. In general, if you want to find out what the current direction of guest blogging is and how to practice it going forward, these posts are definitely the place to start.