Guest posting: The never-ending quest to build more links. Link building is an essential part of search engine optimization (SEO). But writing blogs and emails is only half the battle. First, you need to find a website to pitch your article to.
Are you dealing with every link builder’s worst nightmare? You’ve run out of prospects. You’re sitting on a great idea for a guest blog, but you have no one to pitch it to.
It can be tough to find blogs accepting guest posts; the longer you’re in the link-building game, the harder it gets.
Wondering how to find guest posting opportunities that will build your credibility, increase your site traffic, and earn you backlinks? I’ve got a few link-building strategies for you to try out. Check out these 10 tips for finding guest blogging opportunities:
- Google It
It’s your solution for almost every problem, and for good reason. Google has the answer for everything—including where to pitch your next guest blog.
If you’ve been trying to find guest blogging opportunities for a while, you’ve likely already tried searching “[keyword] guest post” before.
You need to mix up your search queries to find new results. The sites you’re looking for might not use the words “guest post” anywhere; instead, they may use “author” or “writer”.
I’ve put together a few phrases you might not have tried yet. Enter your keyword, then follow it with any of these terms:
- Write for us
- Looking for writers
- Blog for us
- Guest blogging guidelines
- Contributor guidelines
- Submit an article
- Become a guest author
- Bloggers wanted
Unlike your typical Google search, I suggest looking past the first page. Scroll as far back as you need; you might still find guest post sites on pages 5+.
You can also check other websites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Take the same search terms I’ve listed above, and enter them into a social media site. Scroll through the results until you find what you’re looking for.
- Look for Other Guest Posts
Whenever you see a guest post on another site, it tells you one vital piece of information: That website accepts guest posts.
Even if you can’t find a page with guidelines, it’s very likely they still accept guest blogs—they might just be more selective about it. Still, it’s worth making note of these sites and putting together a personalized pitch for them.
Or, you might search for guest posts directly. Enter your keyword in Google, and add the phrases “guest post by” or “guest author”. This should pull up posts on the exact type of site you’re looking for.
When you pitch to these sites, you can mention how you found them. This helps get your foot in the door. For example: “I saw a guest post about [topic] on your site. It really caught my attention! I’d love to contribute some of my work to your site.”
- Try an Outreach Tool
You might feel like you’ve exhausted every link opportunity you can find. You’re looking for a new way to find guest posting sites that won’t take all of your time. Have you considered automating the process?
With Pitchbox, you can search for blogs using your target keyword. Type it in, and the tool will pull up all websites with blogs about that topic.
You can refine your search using different filters. For example, sort by recency (so that only websites that posted a blog in the last 48 hours will show up) or site traffic (only show blogs that meet a site traffic threshold). Integrate Pitchbox with Ahrefs to filter results by Domain Rating.
Once you’ve set your parameters, you can watch as the results roll in. In just a few clicks, you’ll have dozens of prospects to choose from.
Pitchbox is a paid tool; if it’s out of your budget, you can stick to the other strategies I’ve listed here. But if you need a long-term solution to link-building, Pitchbox is an excellent tool to have at your disposal.
- Reach Out to Your Network
Do you have connections with other digital marketers? Chances are, they’re trying to find guest post blogging opportunities of their own. Don’t be afraid to ask people directly! You can even offer them sites you’ve written for before in exchange.
It’s best to reach out to marketers in a similar industry; otherwise, they might give you sites that aren’t very relevant. Send an email, and ask if they know of any sites looking for guest posts.
Once you’ve reached out to personal connections, try a broader approach. You can search for social media posts. If you’re part of any marketing groups, those communities would be the perfect place to post. Here’s an example:
“Hey! Does anyone know of a website that will accept guest posts? If so, shoot me a message!”
And if you run your own blog, put up a brief post about it on your site. Let readers know that you’re happy to accept opportunities for guest blogging. You never know what might come through the grapevine.
- Check Out Where Other Writers Are Posting
Do you follow any prolific guest bloggers in your industry? If so, track down where their articles are getting posted. Chances are, they’ve written a guest post or two on a relevant site. Look up their name, followed by “guest post” or “guest contributions”.
A word of warning here: Some of the sites you find may only accept articles from other well-known authors. Even if you feel out of your depth, there’s no harm in trying. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right?
Here’s another tip: Read the comments of those blogs. You might find commenters that know of other guest post opportunities. Reach out to them, and ask if they can refer you to any other guest blogging sites. It never hurts to ask!
- Find an Online Guest Post Community
You’re not the only one trying to find a site that will accept guest posts. Far from it. In fact, there are communities dedicated to collecting guest post opportunities.
A few places you can search for these communities include:
- Discord
- Slack
By joining a community, you can instantly find guest blogging sites. See what other members are saying about the sites posted there. Some communities require you to be an active participant to join; you may need to set aside some time to engage with other posts.
With this approach, you’ll need to do some digging. Most lists aren’t grouped by industry; they’re usually a collection of general guest blogging opportunities. Go through these lists with a fine-tooth comb to find ones relevant to you.
- Write for the Same Guest Blogging Site
There’s no harm in double-dipping when it comes to guest posts.
If you’ve written for a guest posting site in the past, try reaching out to them again! Chances are, if they liked your last guest post, they’ll be happy to accept another.
This is a relatively easy way to build more links; you can skip the searching process altogether. Writing your pitch is easier, too; since you’ve corresponded in the past, you have a warm introduction for the new pitch.
You might see diminishing SEO returns by guest blogging on the same site. Still, you can benefit from getting more posts under your name. This helps build your authority as a writer, which can help you secure guest post spots on other sites.
- Analyze Competitor Backlinks
Ever wondered how your competitors are ranking above you? It might be due to their backlink strategy.
If your competitor gets their guest post published on another site…chances are, that site might accept a post from you, too.
But how do you find where your competitors are posting? You’ll need to use the Site Explorer by Ahrefs.
First, paste the URL into the tool. Then, take a look at the sidebar on the left, and under “Pages”, click “Best by links”. From here, you can view the backlinks of the top pages on that website.
If you find any guest post blogs, it’s your lucky day; you’ve just found your next prospect.
Consider taking a closer look at what your competitors are doing. The benefits of this tactic are twofold:
- It’s a great way to find guest blogging opportunities that are relevant to your industry.
- You can help your site rank above your competitors.
- Find Popular Blogs in Your Industry
Where do people go to find information about your profession online? Try to track down the main resources people use for reading.
Even if they don’t typically accept guest posts, they might be receptive if you send a well-crafted pitch. Instead of using words like “guest post” in your pitch, frame it around offering valuable content to readers. Show them how your posts inform and engage readers.
Links like these can be tough to get if you aren’t an established guest blogger yet. You might want to try the other strategies I’ve listed first and work your way up to this one.
- Make a List of Sites That Accept Guest Posts
If you’ve tried any of these tactics, you’ve probably gathered a decent list of guest blogging opportunities. Nice work! Now, it’s time to narrow it down.
Once you have a list of relevant websites, you need to go through it with your (digital) red pen. Prioritize sites with:
- Domain rating. DR measures the backlink profile of a website. It looks at the quality and quantity of those links. A high DR indicates a strong backlink profile; it’s the type of site you want a link from. Sites with a low DR won’t be as beneficial for SEO purposes.
- High traffic. Trying to draw more traffic to your site? Then you’ll want to look for guest blogs with plenty of readers. Another metric to look at is engagement—are people sharing and commenting on the posts? If you’re just starting out, you may not have the luxury of being picky. But as you gain experience, choose sites with higher traffic.
- Relevant blogs. Prioritize sites in the same niche as your own. If your post is published on a generic site, it won’t mean much to search engines. But if a website that focuses on dentistry links to your post about teeth whitening? That shows Google that your site is a trusted source.
To find this out, you’ll need to look at the metrics of each site. For this part, we like to use Ahrefs. Simply paste the URL into the Site Explorer, and you’ll instantly see the traffic and DR of the website. You can read my full review of Ahrefs here.
In conclusion, link building is rarely straightforward. Guest bloggers need to get creative if they want to find new opportunities.
With these tips, you’ll find plenty of guest blogging sites, regardless of which industry you’re in. Say goodbye to that blank page of prospects! Soon enough, you’ll be known as one of the prolific guest bloggers in your industry. People will reach out to you to write a blog post for them. Imagine that! Thanks for reading this post on SerpFocus.
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