Guest posting means writing an article for another website in your industry, usually with a short author bio and a link back to your site. Done well, it builds reputation, referral traffic and relevant links. Done badly, at scale and for links alone, it becomes a link scheme. It is one of the classic methods of link building.
Does guest posting still work?
Yes, when the site has a real audience and you are writing to help that audience. Google’s guidance targets large-scale guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor links on low-quality sites. A thoughtful article on a respected industry blog remains a legitimate way to get noticed.
How to find guest post opportunities
- Search Google for phrases like
"your topic" "write for us"or"your topic" "contributor guidelines". - Look at where competitors and industry experts have written.
- Check industry associations, trade magazines and newsletters.
- Ask partners, suppliers and clients if they accept expert articles.
How to judge a site
- Is it relevant to your audience?
- Does it get real organic traffic? Check in Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Are existing posts good quality, with comments and shares?
- Does it publish anything for anyone, with obvious casino and loan links? Walk away.
- Is domain authority reasonable for the niche? Use it as a filter, not the decision.
How to pitch
- Read their guidelines and recent posts first.
- Pitch two or three specific titles that fill gaps on their site.
- Explain briefly why you are qualified to write them.
- Link to one or two examples of your writing.
- Keep it short and personal.
Writing the post
Write something you would be proud to publish on your own site. Include original insight, examples and data. Link to helpful sources, including the host site’s own articles. Place a link to your site where it genuinely helps, or in the author bio.
Links and attributes
If you pay for placement, the link must be marked rel=”sponsored”. Many publishers add nofollow to contributor links by default. That is fine; the exposure and reputation still have value. See nofollow links for details.
Warning signs of a link scheme
- Sites that sell guest posts on a price list.
- Networks of blogs on the same server with no audience.
- Requests for exact-match commercial anchor text.
- Publishing the same article on several sites.
Frequently asked questions
How many guest posts should I write?
A few excellent ones each quarter beat dozens of thin ones.
Should I accept guest posts on my site?
Only from real experts, edited to your standards, with no paid followed links.
Related terms
See digital PR, backlinks and the SEO encyclopedia.
Mr. SEO
Mr. SEO is the webmaster at SEO TT - SEO tips and tricks, a publication about all things SEO related.