How should I use the 2nd link if a site allows 2 in the body of a guest post?

[pbhatt]

I've been doing some guest posting, and some sites allow one link, others allow more. I'm worried I might be getting too many guest posts with multiple links. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the following:

1. If there are 50+ guest posts going to my website (posted over the span of several months), each with 2 links pointing back only to my site is that too much of a pattern? How would you use the 2nd link in a guest post if not to link to your own site?

2. Does linking to .edu or .gov in the guest post make the post more valuable in terms of SEO? Some people recommend using the 2nd link to do this.

Thanks!

[KeriMorgret]

I'd say use both links for information that is relevant to the post and serves to enhance the post, and if those two links aren't enough, write such an awesome post that you'll be given an exception because the post just wouldn't work without those resources.

I manage YouMoz, where people can guest post for Moz. We don't have a number limit on links, it's just what makes sense. I'll have a post submitted with no links that I return because it needs links, I'll have a post with links that need to be removed, and I'll have posts that have a valid reason for each of the 25 links they include in the post. http://moz.com/blog/dusting-the-website-for-spring-optimization-seo-cleaning is one post that would not have been published if there had been no links, or we limited the author to just two links.

[Chris.Menke]

You should use your authorship link as the authority citation, not the links in the post. Out of 50 posts, maybe a couple could have a single link to your site and those should also have links going to other authoritative content on the topic--don't make them to a .edu or to wikipedia (not that those are bad but their so footprint-ish), make them to other sources that advance the thesis of your content.  If another one or two had both links to your site, that would likely not harm you, but in the future, who knows?.  The rest, I think I'd just link out to good, solid, non-footprinty type resources unique sources that have decent trust on your topic--some with links going to multiple resources, some with just one--the point is that your post should work to be as authoritative as possible, not appear to be a vehicle for links back to your site.