Finding guest posting sites can be one of the most useful parts of an outreach strategy—but only when you focus on the right websites.
The goal isn’t to collect hundreds of domains with high DA or DR. You need publications that are relevant to your industry, have useful content, reach a genuine audience, and are appropriate for the topic you want to contribute.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to find guest posting sites, how to evaluate their quality, which search methods to use, how to discover opportunities beyond “Write for Us” pages, and how to organize your outreach.
What Is Guest Posting?
Guest posting is when you create an original article for publication on another website.
Depending on the publication, the contribution may be called a guest article, contributor post, expert contribution, editorial article, or sponsored article.
A typical process looks like this:
- Find relevant publications.
- Check their content and editorial standards.
- Identify suitable topics.
- Contact the editor or publisher.
- Submit a pitch or article.
- Follow the site’s publishing requirements.
- Promote the published article when appropriate.
A good guest contribution should be useful to the host site’s readers first. A link can be part of the article when it genuinely adds context, but the article shouldn’t exist solely to create backlinks.
Google’s Search Essentials recommends creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, while its spam policies warn against link schemes and content created primarily to manipulate rankings.
Why the Right Guest Posting Site Matters
Not every website that accepts guest articles is worth your time.
A relevant publication can potentially help you:
- Reach a new audience
- Generate referral traffic
- Build relationships with publishers
- Increase brand awareness
- Demonstrate subject-matter expertise
- Earn useful editorial exposure
The quality of the publication matters more than the number of placements.
For example, a marketing website that regularly publishes useful SEO content may be a much better fit for an SEO company than a general website that accepts articles about every possible industry.
How to Find Guest Posting Sites
There are several ways to build a strong prospect list. The best approach is to combine multiple methods instead of depending on one Google search.
1. Search for “Write for Us” Opportunities
The easiest place to start is Google.
Try searches that combine your topic with phrases such as:
- “write for us” + SEO
- “write for us” + digital marketing
- “guest post” + marketing
- “become a contributor” + SEO
- “guest contributor” + technology
- “submit an article” + business
You can also use Google’s search operators to narrow the results.
For example:
SEO intitle:”write for us”
Or:
digital marketing inurl:write-for-us
These searches can quickly uncover websites that openly invite contributions.
However, don’t assume that a website without a “Write for Us” page doesn’t accept outside contributors.
That leads to the next method.
2. Find Websites Already Publishing Guest Articles
Instead of searching only for submission pages, look at what websites are already publishing.
Search for phrases such as:
- “guest post by” + SEO
- “guest author” + marketing
- “contributed by” + technology
- “guest contributor” + business
- “written by” + digital marketing
The objective is to identify publications where external authors are already contributing.
This can reveal websites that don’t advertise their submission process publicly.
3. Research Authors in Your Industry
Successful contributors can become a useful source of prospecting ideas.
Suppose you work in SEO.
Find authors who regularly publish SEO articles and research where else they have contributed.
You can then:
- Identify the author.
- Review their published articles.
- Find other publications where they have appeared.
- Check whether those websites are relevant to your audience.
- Add suitable publications to your prospect list.
This method is particularly useful because you’re starting with evidence that the publication has accepted external content before.
4. Analyze Competitor Backlinks
Competitor backlink research can uncover publishing opportunities that normal Google searches miss.
Start by identifying several genuine competitors in your niche.
Then use an SEO platform to examine their referring domains.
Look for websites where competitors have received links from:
- Industry articles
- Expert contributions
- Interviews
- Resource pages
- Editorial content
- Contributor posts
Don’t assume every competitor backlink is a guest-post opportunity. First determine why the link exists.
A competitor may have earned a link naturally through research, news coverage, a partnership, or an editorial mention.
5. Search for Websites Covering Your Topic
You don’t always need a website to advertise guest contributions.
Instead, search for publications that already cover the subject you want to write about.
For example, if your proposed article is about technical SEO, look for websites publishing:
- Technical SEO guides
- Google Search Console tutorials
- Website audits
- Keyword research
- Content marketing
- SEO strategy
- Website performance
Then investigate whether those publications accept expert contributions.
This is often more useful than searching for a large generic list of guest blogging sites.
6. Use SEO Content Research Tools
SEO tools can speed up prospecting, especially when you’re researching a large number of websites.
Depending on the platform, you may be able to investigate:
- Organic search visibility
- Ranking keywords
- Referring domains
- Top pages
- Competitor backlinks
- Content topics
- Author information
Content research platforms can also help identify publications that already rank for topics related to your industry.
Use these tools for discovery and comparison—not as a replacement for manually reviewing the website.
How to Evaluate a Guest Posting Site
Finding a website is only the first step.
Before contacting a publisher, check whether the publication is actually worth pursuing.
1. Check Topical Relevance
Ask yourself:
- Does the site cover my industry?
- Does it reach my target audience?
- Does it publish topics related to my expertise?
- Would my proposed article genuinely fit there?
Relevance should be one of your first filters.
2. Review Recent Articles
Open several recent posts instead of judging the site from its homepage.
Look for:
- Original information
- Helpful explanations
- Consistent writing quality
- Clear authorship
- Relevant topics
- Useful formatting
- Evidence of editorial standards
If every article feels like a generic SEO piece written only to include links, treat the site cautiously.
3. Check Organic Visibility
SEO tools can provide estimates of organic traffic and ranking keywords.
Look for evidence that the site receives search visibility for relevant topics.
But remember: third-party traffic numbers are estimates. Different platforms use different data sources, so they should not be treated as exact figures.
4. Examine the Backlink Profile
A website can have an impressive-looking SEO metric while still having a questionable backlink profile.
Check for:
- Large numbers of unrelated links
- Repetitive commercial anchor text
- Obvious link networks
- Unnatural link patterns
- Large numbers of low-quality referring domains
The objective is to find a genuine publication—not simply a domain with a high numerical score.
5. Check Publishing Activity
Look at the publication’s recent activity.
A healthy prospect usually has:
- Recent articles
- Consistent publishing
- Relevant categories
- Identifiable authors
- A functioning editorial presence
A website that hasn’t published useful content for a long period may not be worth prioritizing.
What SEO Metrics Should You Look At?
Metrics such as Domain Authority, Domain Rating, estimated organic traffic, referring domains, and ranking keywords can help with initial screening.
However, no single metric tells you whether a site is valuable.
Consider these factors together:
| Factor | What to Check |
| Relevance | Does the topic match your industry? |
| Audience | Are the readers useful to your business? |
| Content quality | Is the existing content genuinely helpful? |
| Search visibility | Does the site appear to receive organic traffic? |
| Publishing activity | Is the website active? |
| Editorial standards | Does the site maintain quality? |
| Backlink profile | Does it appear reasonably natural? |
| Reputation | Does the publication look legitimate? |
DA and DR Are Not the Same Thing
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric created by Moz.
Domain Rating (DR) is an Ahrefs metric.
Both are third-party measurements. Neither is a Google ranking score.
They can be useful for comparing prospects, but they shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
A highly relevant website with a modest third-party metric can be more useful than a high-metric website with no connection to your audience.
How to Spot Low-Quality Guest Posting Sites
Some websites are built primarily around publishing large amounts of third-party content.
Be cautious when you see:
- Dozens of unrelated categories
- Articles about completely unrelated industries
- Very thin content
- Repeated keyword-heavy writing
- Excessive commercial links
- Poor editorial standards
- Similar articles published across many domains
- Obvious link-selling patterns
- Unrealistic ranking guarantees
A “Write for Us” page by itself is not evidence of quality.
The entire publication needs to make sense.
Should You Pay for Guest Posting?
Paid publishing and link manipulation are not the same thing.
Some publications charge for sponsored or advertising content. If a commercial relationship involves links, the publisher should handle those links according to applicable search-engine guidance. Publishers accepting sponsored content can review Google’s guidance for sponsored and guest posts when deciding how links should be marked.
Google’s current spam policies identify buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. They also explain that paid links used for advertising can be acceptable when appropriately qualified, such as with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
So don’t evaluate a paid placement only by asking whether the link is “dofollow.”
Instead, ask:
Would this article still provide value to the publication’s readers if the link had no ranking benefit?
If yes, the placement has a stronger editorial purpose.
How to Build a Guest Posting Prospect List
Once you’ve found potential websites, organize them in a spreadsheet.
Useful columns include:
- Website
- Niche
- Contact page
- Contributor page
- Editor
- DA/DR
- Organic visibility
- Relevant topics
- Guest contributions
- Outreach status
- Follow-up date
- Published URL
- Notes
This makes your outreach process much easier to manage.
A Simple Way to Score Prospects
Instead of relying entirely on DA or DR, give each prospect a simple score.
For example:
| Evaluation Area | Score |
| Topic relevance | /10 |
| Content quality | /10 |
| Audience fit | /10 |
| Organic visibility | /10 |
| Editorial quality | /10 |
| Backlink profile | /10 |
A website that scores well across several categories deserves more attention than one that only has a high DA.
How to Find Guest Posting Sites Without “Write for Us”
This is one of the biggest opportunities in guest-post prospecting.
Searching only for:
“Write for Us” + niche
can limit your results.
Instead, combine different discovery methods.
Search Existing Contributors
Look for authors who publish on multiple industry websites.
Research Competitor Links
Find relevant domains that already reference businesses in your industry.
Search Topic-Specific Publications
Look for sites that already publish the type of article you want to contribute.
Search Contributor Terminology
Try phrases such as:
- contributor
- guest author
- expert contributor
- submit an article
- editorial contribution
Study Industry Publications
Some publications accept expert contributions through direct relationships rather than public submission forms.
This is why manual research can uncover opportunities that a basic Google search misses.
How to Pitch a Guest Post
Once you’ve found a suitable website, don’t immediately send a generic request for a backlink.
A better pitch explains:
- Who you are
- Why you’re contacting the publication
- What topic you want to cover
- Why the topic fits its audience
- What useful information the article will provide
- Relevant examples of your work, if available
For example, instead of:
“Hi, I want to submit a guest post. Please give me a backlink.”
A stronger approach is:
“I noticed that your publication covers technical SEO and content strategy. I have an article idea about improving internal linking for large websites that could complement your existing content. I can provide original examples and a practical workflow for readers.”
The second approach focuses on editorial value rather than simply requesting a link.
Common Guest Posting Mistakes
Choosing Sites Only Because of DA
A high metric doesn’t guarantee a useful audience or quality publication.
Ignoring Relevance
A link from an unrelated website may have little value to your readers.
Sending the Same Pitch Everywhere
Generic outreach makes it difficult to demonstrate genuine interest in the publication.
Publishing the Same Article Everywhere
Your contribution should be original and appropriate for the specific audience.
Google has warned about large-scale article campaigns where the primary purpose is obtaining links, particularly when articles are distributed widely and contain keyword-rich links.
Over-Optimizing Anchor Text
Don’t force exact-match commercial keywords into every article.
Google’s link guidance recommends natural, descriptive anchor text and specifically warns against cramming keywords into link text.
Adding Unnecessary Links
Every link should have a reason.
If removing the link makes no difference to the reader, you probably don’t need it.
Ignoring Editorial Guidelines
If a publication specifies article length, formatting, images, author information, or pitch requirements, follow those instructions.
A Practical Guest Posting Workflow
Step 1: Define Your Audience
Know exactly who you want your guest content to reach.
Step 2: Choose Relevant Topics
Create a list of topics that match your expertise and the publisher’s audience.
Step 3: Find Potential Publications
Use Google searches, contributor research, competitor backlink analysis, and SEO tools.
Step 4: Qualify the Websites
Review content quality, relevance, audience, search visibility, and publishing history.
Step 5: Create a Shortlist
Prioritize your strongest prospects instead of contacting every website you find.
Step 6: Research the Editor
When possible, identify the relevant editor or content manager.
Step 7: Prepare a Personalized Pitch
Suggest a specific topic that fits the publication.
Step 8: Write the Article
Create original content specifically for that audience.
Step 9: Add Links Naturally
Use links only when they provide useful context. Avoid forcing exact-match commercial anchors.
Step 10: Track the Results
Record the published article, referral traffic, engagement, brand exposure, and other meaningful outcomes.
Example: Finding Guest Posting Opportunities for an SEO Website
Suppose you run an SEO website and want to publish guest articles.
Instead of collecting a random list of 1,000 domains, you could:
- Search for websites covering SEO and digital marketing.
- Identify publications already accepting external contributors.
- Find authors who regularly write about SEO.
- Research where those authors have contributed.
- Analyze relevant competitor backlinks.
- Remove websites with weak editorial standards.
- Score the remaining prospects.
- Develop unique article ideas.
- Send personalized pitches.
- Track which publications generate useful exposure.
The result is a smaller but more relevant prospect list.
How GetGuestPosts Can Fit Into Your Strategy
If you prefer to manage prospecting and outreach yourself, the methods in this guide provide a practical starting point.
For businesses that want help with publisher outreach, content placement, or related off-page activities, GetGuestPosts provides several SEO-focused services and tools. Its website currently lists guest posting, link insertion, and other SEO-related offerings.
You can also explore its resources for visual content promotion when image-based outreach is part of your broader SEO strategy.
The important thing is to treat guest posting as one part of a wider marketing strategy—not as a shortcut to guaranteed rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find guest posting sites?
Use a combination of Google searches, contributor research, competitor backlink analysis, topic-specific searches, and SEO content research tools. Then manually evaluate each publication before contacting it.
What is a good guest posting site?
A good prospect is relevant to your industry, has useful content, reaches an appropriate audience, maintains reasonable editorial standards, and has a legitimate publishing history.
Is DA important when choosing guest posting sites?
DA can be useful as a comparison metric, but it shouldn’t be your only filter. Relevance, content quality, audience fit, search visibility, and editorial standards are also important.
Can I find guest posting opportunities without a Write for Us page?
Yes. Look for websites that already publish contributor articles, research authors in your industry, analyze competitor referring domains, and contact relevant publications directly.
Are guest posts still useful for SEO?
Guest contributions can provide audience exposure, referral traffic, brand awareness, and industry relationships. However, guest posts should not be used as large-scale link schemes designed primarily to manipulate search rankings.
Should I use exact-match anchor text in guest posts?
Not by default. Anchor text should describe the linked page naturally and make sense to readers. Excessive keyword-focused anchor text can make links look artificially optimized.
How many guest posting sites should I contact?
There is no fixed number. Quality matters more than volume. Start with a manageable shortlist of highly relevant publications and personalize your outreach.
Should every guest article contain a backlink?
No. A link should be included when it provides useful context for readers and fits the publisher’s editorial standards.
How can I tell if a guest posting website is low quality?
Look for unrelated topics, thin articles, excessive commercial links, repetitive content, poor editorial standards, suspicious backlink patterns, and websites that appear to exist primarily for publishing links.
Conclusion
Knowing how to find guest posting sites is only the beginning. The real advantage comes from knowing which opportunities are worth pursuing.
Start with Google searches, but don’t stop at “Write for Us” pages. Research existing contributors, analyze competitor backlinks, discover publications covering your topics, and use SEO tools to expand your research.
Then manually evaluate each prospect.
Look beyond DA and DR. Consider relevance, content quality, audience fit, search visibility, publishing activity, and editorial standards.
Most importantly, create guest articles that are genuinely useful to the publication’s readers. Natural links should support the content rather than becoming the main reason for publishing it.
That approach creates a more sustainable outreach strategy and is much closer to Google’s people-first guidance than producing large quantities of low-value articles simply to acquire links.