Guest Post Link Building 101: A Comprehensive Guide

Guest post link building is a powerful way to increase your website's authority and drive more traffic. It's a win-win for both you and the blog you're guest posting on.

Finding the right blogs to guest post on can be a challenge, but it's crucial to your success. According to the article, a blog's domain authority and relevance to your niche are key factors to consider when selecting a blog to guest post on.

A good guest post should be informative, engaging, and relevant to the blog's audience. Research the blog's content and tone to ensure your post will fit in and provide value to their readers.

Before starting a guest blogging campaign, there are three things you must know. You should understand that getting your first guest post published can be daunting, but the process can be made easier with the right strategy.

You don't need to pitch to all the most successful sites today, as guest blogging isn't just about that. It's about finding the right sites and following a guest blogging strategy to maximize your chances of success.

To develop a portfolio, you'll need to have at least one quality guest post published on a respected site to give editors an example of your writing style and quality.

Having a published guest post will give you a leg up on getting accepted by top publications.

You don't need to start with a top authority site, just somewhere people in your niche will recognize.

Writing a stellar post and publishing it on your own blog is another option, and it can serve as an example of your writing quality when pitching editors.

Before you start your guest blogging campaign, there are three things you must know.

You need to know that getting your first guest post published can be daunting.

Understanding that the process can be easier with the right strategy is key.

To maximize your chances of success, you should follow a guest blogging strategy.

Guest blogging isn't about making a list of the most successful sites today and pitching to all of them. This approach is not only spammy but also unlikely to yield results.

To blog for success, you need to focus on finding sites that genuinely align with your niche and values. Guest blogging is a two-way street, where you're not just pitching your ideas to others, but also learning from them and building meaningful relationships.

Think about it like attending a networking event - you wouldn't just walk in and start pitching your services to everyone you meet. You'd take the time to get to know people, build connections, and see how you can help each other.

To find opportunities for guest post link building, start by looking for sites with high domain authority that align with your industry and expertise. Use comprehensive lists or search for "your niche + guest post" to discover relevant publications and businesses that offer guest posting opportunities.

You can also use Google search operators like "your keyword" + "write for us" or "your keyword" + "guest post/blogging guidelines" to find sites that solicit guest posts. However, be aware that this method often yields poor quality candidates, and top authority blogs may not have public "write for us" pages.

To narrow down your list, consider using tools like Ahrefs' Content Explorer or Buzzsumo to find guest blogging opportunities. You can also use Buzzsumo to find top-performing guest posts and add them to a separate spreadsheet.

By using these methods, you can find high-quality sites that accept guest posts and increase your chances of getting published and building links back to your site.

To find the perfect guest post topic, you'll need to brainstorm ideas that resonate with your target blogs. This means understanding what works for their audience and building upon those ideas.

Start by entering the blog's domain into Buzzsumo to find their most shared content. This will give you a good idea of what types of content their audience engages with.

Notice how Copyblogger's top content is dominated by how-to articles related to writing. This suggests that this type of content is well-received by their audience.

Consider the following when brainstorming ideas:

By analyzing these factors, you can identify patterns and trends that will help you come up with ideas that are likely to resonate with your target blogs.

You can find guest blogging opportunities by using Google search operators like "keyword" + "write for us" or "keyword" + "guest post". This will give you a list of sites that accept guest posts, but be aware that top authority blogs might not have a "write for us" page.

You can also use other search strings like "keyword" + "guest column" or "keyword" + "contributing writer" to find guest blogging opportunities. Additionally, you can use X (formerly Twitter) search to find fresh and active guest blogging opportunities.

To quickly evaluate if a site is worth pitching, check its website authority and traffic using tools like Semrush. Look for recent posts with comments, shares, or interaction, and ensure the content is relevant and likely to rank well.

You can also use lists of sites that accept guest posts, such as the one that provides 300+ guest posting sites with stats on each site. Some of the top lists include "List of 200+ Websites & Blogs That Accept Guest Posts" and "Top 150+ Guest Posting Sites List".

Here are some specific search strings you can use to find guest blogging opportunities:

Remember to review the quality of the site before pitching, and look for sites with strong traffic, engagement, and content quality.

To approach your guest post targets, you need to find their email addresses. For some authority sites, you'll also need to establish a relationship with the editor first, though it's not always necessary. You can usually find these email addresses by visiting the "teams" or "about" page of the publication.

If you're lucky, the publication will provide an email address or a form on their "write for us" page. Otherwise, you can use an email discovery tool like Hunter to find their email address. Simply add the person's name and website to the tool, and it will do its magic.

Most top authority blogs don't explicitly solicit posts, so you'll need to dig a bit deeper. Try searching for "[your keyword] + this is a guest post by" or "[your keyword] + this is a guest contribution" to find blogs that have at least one post written by a guest author.

The Influencer Method can be a game-changer for finding guest blogging opportunities. To use this method, you need to find a top influencer in your niche who publishes guest posts frequently.

You can use a simple Google search to find their guest posts by typing "Guest post" + "[influencer name]". This will bring up a list of websites where the influencer has published guest posts.

You can refine your search by removing results from the influencer's own website by adding "-site:[influencer's website]" to your search string. This will give you a list of non-obvious candidates.

Since top influencers mostly publish on authority blogs, you'll get some top-quality targets. By targeting these sites, you can increase your chances of getting your guest posts published.

To approach your guest blogging targets, you need to find their email addresses first. You can use Google search operators like "[your keyword]" + "write for us" or "[your keyword]" + "guest post/blogging guidelines" to find publicly shared guest blogging guidelines.

Most top authority blogs don't maintain public "write for us" pages, but you can still find them by searching for "[your keyword]" + "this is a guest post by" or "[your keyword]" + "this is a guest contribution".

When you find a potential target, check if they have a "write for us" page, which may provide an email address or a form. If not, you can try visiting their "teams" or "about" page to find the contact information. If that doesn't work, you can search for the person on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Once you've identified the right person, use an email discovery tool like Hunter to find their email address.

Here are some key things to look for when approaching your targets:

Remember, finding the right email address is just the first step. You'll need to craft a compelling pitch and follow the submission guidelines to increase your chances of getting published.

When crafting your pitch, it's essential to keep it short and sweet. In fact, a pitch should contain only three parts: the introduction, the offer, and the ask. The introduction should include who you are and what company you work for, while the offer should highlight what research, quote, article, or insight you're providing. The ask should clearly state what you want the recipient to do with it.

A good cold pitch can be as simple as:

"The key, as with any cold outreach, is about building relationships. You don’t want the recipient to think you’re here merely for the link building transaction."

To increase your chances of getting noticed, personalize your comment by relating it to something the recipient publicly posted on Twitter recently or their last blog post.

Here are some pointers to help you narrow down your search for the right site to pitch:

Make sure you'll get a featured bio, as this will allow you to include a link back to your site for readers to follow.

Here's a battle-tested email template to use:

This template increases your chances of getting noticed and landing a pitch.

Remember, the goal of a pitch is to build relationships, not just to secure a link building transaction.

Guest post link building can be a bit overwhelming, but don't worry, I've got you covered. The Competitor Backlinks Method is a great place to start: look up a competitor's backlinks and find any sites they've guest blogged on.

This method works best for small to medium-sized competitors, as larger sites like HubSpot would have far too many backlinks to analyze effectively. With this method, you can identify potential guest blogging opportunities.

You can also use Buzzsumo to find guest blogging opportunities. Simply log into your Buzzsumo account, check only "Guest posts" in the left sidebar, and search for your target head keywords. Buzzsumo will show top performing guest posts.

To streamline your guest blogging process, consider using tools like Ahrefs, Hunter, Pitchbox, and Ahrefs' free AI writing tools. These tools can help you research guest post opportunities, find content gaps to pitch blogs, build your outlines, check backlinks from guest posts, and more.

Here are some of the tools you can use:

The Google Search Method is a simple yet effective way to find guest blogging opportunities. You can use Google search operators like "your keyword" + "write for us" to find blogs that solicit guest posts.

To refine your search, try using specific phrases like "this is a guest post by" or "this is a guest contribution." This will help you find blogs that have already accepted guest posts, increasing your chances of getting accepted.

You can also use Google Search Operators like "inurl" and "allintitle" to narrow down your search results. For example, using "your keyword inurl: guest blogger" or "allintitle: your keyword + guest post" can help you find relevant results.

Some examples of search strings you can use include:

Before pitching your guest post, make sure to review the quality of the site. Check the website authority and traffic using tools like Semrush, and look for recent posts that have comments, shares, or interaction.

The BuzzSumo Method is a powerful tool for finding guest blogging opportunities. This method is not just limited to brainstorming content ideas, but also has a nifty feature to find guest blogging opportunities.

To use BuzzSumo, log into your account and go to the "Content-type" section in the left sidebar. Check only "Guest posts" and search for your target head keywords. BuzzSumo will show you top-performing guest posts.

Once you find these targets, add them to a separate spreadsheet. This will help you keep track of your potential guest blogging opportunities.

BuzzSumo is a valuable resource for finding guest blogging opportunities and can help you streamline your outreach process.

To verify the authority of a website, you need to be cautious because authority scores can be easily manipulated. Be selective and avoid domains that appear to have good metrics but lack a real audience.

Look for websites with strong, engaged readerships and a natural profile valued by search engines. A good authority score is 48, tagged as "Excellent and niche relevant" with a healthy amount of organic traffic.

When evaluating a website, consider its backlink profile and social media followers. A strong brand and great backlink profile are essential, but be wary of red flags in the Network Graph.

Here are the key factors to consider when deciding where to pitch your guest posts:

Authority scores can be easily manipulated, so be selective and avoid domains that appear to have good metrics but lack a real audience.

You're better off publishing on websites with strong, engaged readerships.

To get an idea of a website's authority, paste in the domain you want to learn more about and press "Analyze."

On the default "Overview" tab, you can see the Authority Score, which can be Excellent and niche relevant, like a domain with a score of 48.

This means the website gets a healthy amount of organic traffic, feels like it's designed for people, not search engines, and has a strong backlink profile with good quality.

A website with a strong brand and a great backlink profile is a good sign, but be cautious of red flags in the Network Graph.

Some websites may have a negative impact on your search ranking, like a domain linked to the Medic update, which impacted YMYL sites focusing on health and finance.

To verify website authority, look for sites that:

Reviewing existing posts on a blog can help you narrow down ideas for your topic.

Checking out other guest posts on a blog is a good way to get an idea of what the site owner looks for when vetting posts.

You can look at the site's "Write for Us" page to see what type of content they're interested in.

For example, The Digital Project Manager's "Write for Us" page shows that they're interested in quality content that resonates with their audience.

The Buffer blog is another example, where most of their guest posts are case studies.

By reviewing existing posts, you can get a better sense of what the site owner is looking for and increase your chances of getting accepted.

Guest post link building is a game-changer for businesses looking to improve their online presence. By leveraging guest posting, you can get your brand in front of a leading company's audience. This strategy has been used successfully by many SEOs over the years.

Guest blogging is a key component of an effective outreach strategy, and it has numerous benefits beyond improving your link profile and enhancing your SEO. You'll gain your own quality backlinks and more.

To execute a successful guest post link building strategy, consider using the Robin Hood Technique. This involves taking content ideas from top blogs and pitching them to lesser-known ones. By doing so, you can offer unique and valuable content to these smaller blogs.

Here's how to execute the Robin Hood Technique:

By following these steps, you can find content ideas that resonate with your audience and pitch them to lesser-known blogs. This can help you build high-quality backlinks and improve your online presence.