In the fluid ecosystem of SEO strategies, backlinks still matter, and guest posting is the most legitimate way to do that as well as to elevate your online presence, boost authority, and drive targeted traffic.
But many marketers still fall into the trap of chasing low-quality links from outdated guest posting sites, which often do more harm than good. With Google’s AI-powered SpamBrain system and March 2025 core update, the search giant has become more vigilant than ever in cracking down on link spam and low-quality content.
So, how do you find the right guest posting sites that genuinely enhance your site’s credibility?
We’ve done the heavy lifting for you, analyzing over 1,000 sites from top-ranked “guest post sites” lists to identify the top 100 that meet Google’s guidelines for link diversity, relevance, and authority, while offering real value.
In addition to the list, we cover every point to help you build genuine connections through guest posting and grow your visibility the right way.
Approaching These Free Guest Post Sites
Getting approval from the above-mentioned sites is not as simple as knocking on a door. You need to know the basic strategy of how to make a good first impression and initiate collaboration. For example, you can follow these steps:
1. Research the Site and Audience: First, thoroughly analyze the website you wish to contribute to, such as HubSpot. Review their guest post guidelines, explore the type of content they publish, and understand their target audience. This will help you identify a topic that can resonate with their readers and align with your goals.
2. Develop a Unique and Relevant Topic Idea: When you determine the audience and the rules, think of more specific and relevant topic ideas. Double-check and make sure that your topic is aligned with the site’s theme and offers tips or solutions that the audience can follow.
3. Craft a Compelling Pitch: Keep in mind that the first impression is the last one, therefore, prepare the e-mail pitch. Explain the main theme you are going to discuss, list the points you are going to focus on, and describe why the readers of the site will find the information useful.
You can also share links of your previous work or your blog to show your writing skills and experience.
4. Follow Up and Build a Relationship: I said before free guest posting is a slow process so after submitting your pitch wait for a week or two before following up. The follow-up should also be kept short and diplomatic to show interest in the issue or product.
That’s it, you can effectively approach free guest post sites, increasing your chances of acceptance and boosting your visibility and authority in your niche.
How to Select a Site for Guest Posting
A poorly chosen guest post not only fails to provide quality backlinks or traffic, but it can also be detrimental if it doesn’t follow SEO guidelines. Therefore, selecting the right sites is crucial for maximizing your efforts, building authority, and driving meaningful traffic.
A step-by-step guide on how to select a site for guest posting:
Step 1: Define Your Goals for Guest Posting: First thing first, before you start, you need to define your goals clearly. Are you looking to build backlinks for SEO, drive targeted traffic to your site, increase brand visibility, or establish yourself as an industry thought leader?
So, first, know your goals, that will help you identify the type of websites that will bring the most value.
For example: If your goal is to build high-quality backlinks: Prioritize high domain authority (DA websites, for targeted traffic: Sites with a highly engaged audience relevant to your niche.
Step 2: Evaluate the Website’s Relevance to Your Niche: Next, the site you choose should be closely related to your industry or niche. Because, relevance ensures that the audience is genuinely interested in your content, which can result in higher engagement and better conversion rates.
How to Check Relevance:
Navigate the website’s categories and content topics.
Thoroughly, read a few articles to understand the style and topics covered.
Then, check the similarity to your target audience.
Step 3: Analyze the Website’s Authority and Credibility: Now, check the website’s Domain Authority (DA), Domain Rating (DR), and E-E-A-T to ensure it is authoritative.
You can use tools like Moz to check the DA score and Ahrefs to see the site’s Domain Rating (DR) and the quality of its backlink profile.
Remember, a higher DA or DR (typically 50+) does not necessarily mean it provides better SEO value and visibility. Paralally, you should check its spam score or over-promotional content and E-E-A-T.
Tools like Moz can help you find a site’s spam score, but Google does not consider Moz’s spam score. Therefore, you should manually review the site’s backlinks, external links, internal links, and content.
A website whose content demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness has good E-E-A-T.
Step 4: Examine the Audience Engagement: A website with an active readership that comments on articles, shares content on social media, and interacts with the blog is a sign of a healthy community that will likely engage with your content.
So, Check Engagement by:
Looking at the number of comments on recent articles.
Checking social media shares, likes, and mentions.
Using tools like BuzzSumo to see the top-performing content and its social shares.
Step 5: Review the Website’s Guest Post Guidelines: Now that you’ve found the site, make sure to thoroughly read its guest posting guidelines before pitching a guest post. This will help you understand what the site is looking for, including the preferred content style, word count, and any specific rules about backlinks or promotional content.
As, some websites allow “dofollow” links (which pass link juice), while others provide “nofollow” links (which do not pass link juice). It’s best to prefer sites that allow dofollow backlinks, but if they only allow nofollow links, you can still pitch to them. However, keep in mind that nofollow links may not be as effective if your primary goal is to build backlinks.
Step 6: Assess the Quality of the Website’s Content: We all know, high-quality websites like “Entrepreneur” or “Business Insider” publish well-researched, in-depth, and error-free content. So, check if the site maintains high editorial standards, as publishing on a low-quality site could harm your credibility.
To Evaluate Content Quality:
Review a few recent articles to check for grammar, depth, and value.
See if the content is original and not duplicate or spun.
And, ensure that the articles provide genuine value to readers.
Step 7: Test the Site’s Traffic Metrics: A good guest post site should have a decent amount of traffic, which increases the chances of your post being seen.
To check traffic, you cn use SimilarWeb for estimated traffic volume and traffic sources and Ahrefs’ Site Explorer for organic traffic and top pages.
Step 8: Contact the Website with a Personalized Pitch: Once you’ve selected a site that meets all the above criteria, it’s time to craft a personalized and compelling pitch.
To Write a Pitch:
Start with a friendly greeting and a brief introduction.
Mention why you’re reaching out and how your content can add value.
Propose 2-3 relevant topics with brief outlines.
For example: “Hi [Editor’s Name], I’m [Your Name], and I’ve been following [Blog Name] for a while. I noticed you recently covered [Topic], and I’d love to contribute an article on [Your Proposed Topic]. Here’s a brief outline of what I’d cover…”
In short, demonstrate that you understand their audience and suggest a few specific topics you could write about.
That’s it! Now you should wait patiently for a reply. When starting a new strategy, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and wonder whether it’s the right time to proceed or if you should wait a while.
When Should You Go for Guest Posting?
To understand this, let’s focus on the scenarios and timing for when it makes sense to pursue guest posting.
1. When Your Website is New: If your website is relatively new and lacks authority in the eyes of search engines, guest posting can help you build credibility. When you’re just starting, it’s challenging to rank for competitive keywords, but don’t worry—keep doing your work. After 4-6 months of launching, you can start approaching sites for guest posting to gain visibility, which can eventually lead to better rankings.
2. Your Organic Traffic Growth Has Stagnated: If you notice that your website’s organic traffic has plateaued, guest posting can help you break out of that rut by building authority and reaching new readers.
3. You’re Entering a New Market or Niche: Guest posting can help you quickly establish yourself as a knowledgeable player when expanding into a new market or niche. Also, if you’re shifting focus or targeting a new audience segment, getting featured on niche-specific blogs can introduce you to that audience and build brand awareness.
4. Launching a New Product, Service, or Feature: A new product or service that you want to promote, start writing about topics related to your product’s use cases, or insights on industry trends for guest blogging. Since most SaaS companies develop content based on typical industry challenges and post it on the appropriate blog to generate interest before the launch of the product.
5. When You Need to Build Relationships with Industry Experts: Guest posting is not just about SEO or traffic—it’s also about relationships. If you’re looking to grow your network with industry experts or influencers, contributing content to their blogs can be a great icebreaker. It also helps you to establish rapport and credibility when you’re trying to enter a tight-knit community or ecosystem.
6. You Want to Improve Your Content Marketing ROI: You may have great content, but it isn’t reaching its potential audience due to your current content marketing strategy’s diversification. In such cases, guest posting allows you to leverage the reach and audience of established sites. Studies show that over 60% of marketers consider guest blogging as one of the most effective marketing strategies that help maximize ROI.
7. Starting to Build Your Email List or Community: 64% of small businesses utilize email marketing to connect with customers (Campaign Monitor, 2021), and it is projected that the number of daily email users, currently at 4 billion, will increase to 4.6 billion by 2025(Statista, 2021).
So, start writing compelling content on other platforms, that allows you to reach audiences who may not have discovered you otherwise. And, offer exclusive content or a free resource within your guest post, that can help to drive readers back to your website to subscribe.
Thus, the right time to start guest posting is when it fills a gap in your current strategy or offers a way to overcome a challenge you’re facing. So, assess your goals and resources carefully, and use guest posting as a strategic tool to elevate your brand and online presence.
Sources URL: https://www.agicent.com/blog/guest-posting-sites/
