Note (September 2026): This guide has been updated to reflect Google’s spam policies, which treat links placed in guest posts mainly for ranking credit (including paid placements) as link spam unless they are marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, and Twitter’s renaming to X.
Guest posting means writing an article that is published on another website in your field, usually with your byline and a short author bio. Done well, a guest post reaches a new audience, builds your reputation and can send referral visitors. Google’s spam policies, however, treat links placed in guest posts mainly to gain ranking credit as link spam, so the audience matters more than the backlink.
Key Takeaways
- Guest posting is publishing your article on someone else’s site, normally with a byline and author bio.
- Find hosts with searches such as “your niche” + “write for us” or “accepting guest posts”, and on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.
- Pick sites with a real, relevant readership and read their guidelines before pitching.
- According to Google’s spam policies (last updated August 2026), paid links and links with optimized anchor text in guest posts can be link spam; paid links should carry rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
- Guest post marketplaces exist, but a link bought through one is a paid link and should be marked as such.
Guest posting has been popular among bloggers who want to increase their audience. In simple terms, guest posting means writing an article that is published on another blog or website in your field, usually under your name with a short author bio.
Why Write Guest Posts?
Guest posts come with a ton of benefits. The main benefit is that it allows you to reach a larger audience. That way, you can refer to your own blog using hyperlinks so that readers from the other blog take a look at yours, or you can add other backlinks.
For blogs funded by ads or affiliate links, income usually depends on visits. A guest post may bring new readers to your blog, which in turn can increase that income. Some blogs also allow you to add affiliate links, which can be helpful in earning more money.
Reaching out to a larger audience will not only boost your income but also build up trust. If you write your posts for some reputed sites and if your information is relevant, you will be considered a trusted author. Keep that up, and people will recognize you as an expert in this field.
If you build links from high-quality, relevant websites, your site may rank better over time. Note, though, that Google’s spam policies list links with optimized anchor text in guest posts among examples of link spam, so the safer reason to guest post is the audience it reaches, not the link itself.
Writing posts on other people’s blogs will help you build up your presence. You can add backlinks about you, your page, which may increase your subscribers. Also, if people share your post, you will be tagged on social media.
As you keep on working with different blog owners and editors, you can build up a network. This can help in building long-term relations, and you can create new partnerships in the future.
Find Guest Websites
To start writing guest posts, you need to find a blog that publishes content in which you specialize. At first, you may face some difficulty in making blog owners accept your posts, so it is better to look for multiple options.
Firstly, you can take the help of Google to find blogs that post content related to your niche. There are several ways to search for the appropriate site in Google.
Type in the format “topic + blogs” in the search bar. For example, type “technical + blogs” or any other topic. This is one of the best ways to find suitable guest sites.
You can visit their blogs and check out if they accept guest posts. You can also check out their ratings and determine whether posting there would boost the value of your website.
If you want, you can use the advanced search features of Google. The general format for these operators is “your niche” + “write for us.” Try out other phrases like “accepting guest posts,” and you may find the blog that is perfect for you.
You can also search X (the platform formerly called Twitter, renamed in July 2023) to find blogs that accept guest posts. Just type the keyword and write “guest post” beside it.
You can take a look at other communities like Reddit as well to connect with bloggers in your niche who will accept guest posts.
Taking Help of Third-Party Websites
Finding blogs that accept guest posts, setting up backlinks, contacting blog owners, and staying in touch with the target audience – all of these can be tough if you had to do all of them separately. What if you could manage all of these things in a single website so that you can focus more on writing quality content?
Guest post marketplaces try to bundle these tasks. One example is Adsy, an online platform that connects publishers with buyers of guest posts and backlinks; as of October 2026 its homepage describes it as a digital PR, blog and guest posting service. A link bought through any such marketplace is a paid link under Google’s spam policies and should be marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
On the publisher side, site owners can list their websites so advertisers can buy placements. When this article was first written, Adsy said a publisher did not have to own a site to list it, only to have edit and publish access, and that several sites could be added at once and queued for moderation; anyone listing a site should have the owner’s permission, and current terms should be checked on the platform itself.
According to Adsy, the platform also matches site owners with writers who supply content, and publishers decide which articles appear on their blogs. Publishers should compare any marketplace’s fees, payout terms and content rules before joining, and keep in mind Google’s site reputation abuse policy, which covers third-party content published mainly to borrow a host site’s ranking signals.
On the buyer side, Adsy lets marketers search for websites with good traffic where you can post your content. The platform promotes these placements as backlinks that help rankings, but because they are paid, Google expects them to be marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, and a correctly marked paid link is not meant to pass ranking credit in search engines. Buyers choose the publishing sites, and the platform says it manages the placement process.
Adsy says it places the content and the requested links on the chosen sites. Whether that branded content brings new customers depends on how relevant and trusted the host sites are to your audience.
Choosing the Right Blog
Now that you have found lots of blogs that accept guest posts, it is time to find the one where you are going to post it. Make sure that the site has content that you are familiar with.
Check out the content of that blog and see if it publishes quality content. You can also check out reviews of other people.
Find out the number of views the blog gets per month and see if posting content there can bring you new readers.
Check whether the site allows a link to your profile or blog in the author bio, and accept that many reputable publishers add rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored” to such links. You can also build up a good relationship with the owner so that you can get more freedom writing posts and can form partnerships in the future.
Choosing the Perfect Topic
Now that you have found the site, the next step is to choose a killer topic so that it gets approved by the blog owner.
The best way to do so is to find out what the people want the most. Check out the popular posts on the guest site.
There are websites like Ahrefs where you can see what the top pages in your niche are and check out their popular posts. Or you can go to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit to find out which topics are popular.
It is a good choice to check the guest site’s guidelines or ask the blog owner directly to get some ideas.
Wrapping Up
That’s all you need to know from us about how to start writing guest posts. Try to provide multiple articles at once, as it can increase your chances of getting selected.
The initial phases may be tough as you will face some competition but keep learning from your mistakes and try to do better. Marketplaces such as Adsy are one way to manage all the work related to guest posting on one platform.
What Is Guest Posting and Why Do Bloggers Do It?
Guest posting (also called guest blogging) is writing an article for another website, which publishes it under your name. The host gets free content; the writer gets exposure to a new audience, a byline that builds credibility, and usually a link in the author bio.
The goals that hold up best are audience and reputation: readers who discover you on a respected site in your niche may follow you, subscribe or visit your blog. For more on the relationship side of this work, see why blogger outreach matters.
What Do Google’s Rules Say About Guest Post Links?
Google’s spam policies (page last updated August 2026) list, as an example of link spam, advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass ranking credit, and links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites.
The same policies state that buying and selling links for advertising and sponsorship is not a violation as long as those links are qualified with rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”. Google’s separate guidance on qualifying outbound links defines the values:
| rel value | What Google says it is for | Typical guest post use |
|---|---|---|
| sponsored | Links that are advertisements or paid placements | Any link in a post you paid for, or were paid to publish |
| ugc | User-generated content such as comments and forum posts | Links in comments under the guest post |
| nofollow | When other values do not apply and the site does not want to be associated with the linked page | Author bio links on many publisher sites |
Google also has a site reputation abuse policy, which applies when third-party content is published on a host site mainly because of that host’s established ranking signals. Large volumes of unrelated guest content on a strong domain can fall under it.
How to Pitch a Guest Post: Step by Step
- Read the guidelines. Most sites that accept contributors publish a “write for us” page with topics, length and formatting rules.
- Study recent posts. Note what is already covered so you do not pitch a duplicate.
- Find the right editor. Use the contact named in the guidelines; this guide on finding bloggers’ email addresses covers other methods.
- Send a short, specific pitch. Offer two or three headline ideas, a one-line summary of each, and links to work you have published.
- Follow up once. If there is no reply after a reasonable wait, send one polite reminder, then move on.
- Deliver clean copy. Meet the word count, cite sources, and supply original images or credit them correctly.
How to Write a Guest Post That Gets Accepted
A guest post should be at least as good as your best work on your own site. Answer one clear question, use descriptive subheadings, keep paragraphs short and add examples readers cannot find elsewhere. Check length against the host’s limits with the word counter tool.
Keep self-promotion to the author bio unless the editor agrees otherwise, and link out only where it genuinely helps the reader. A useful background read is the importance of backlinks, alongside link building versus content creation.
Red Flags When Choosing a Guest Post Site
- The site publishes posts on unrelated topics, which suggests it exists mainly to sell links.
- Every article carries several commercial links with exact-match anchor text.
- The site charges for a “do-follow” link and promises ranking gains, which conflicts with Google’s spam policies.
- There is little real engagement: no comments, shares or named editorial staff.
Guest Posting Checklist
| Stage | What to check |
|---|---|
| Finding sites | Relevant niche, real readership, active publishing schedule |
| Pitching | Guidelines read, topic not already covered, named editor |
| Writing | Original, sourced, within the length limit, formatted to the host’s style |
| Links | Bio link only unless agreed; paid placements marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” |
| After publishing | Share the post, reply to comments, keep in touch with the editor |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is guest posting still worth it?
Guest posting is still worth it when the goal is reaching a relevant audience and building a reputation. It is risky when the only goal is links: Google’s spam policies treat links with optimized anchor text in guest posts as an example of link spam.
Are paid guest posts against Google’s guidelines?
Paid guest posts are not banned outright, but according to Google’s spam policies, paid links must be qualified with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”. A paid link that passes ranking credit violates the policy.
How do I find blogs that accept guest posts?
Search Google for “your niche” + “write for us” or “accepting guest posts”, search X (formerly Twitter) for your keyword plus “guest post”, and look in niche communities on Reddit.
What should a guest post pitch include?
A guest post pitch should include two or three specific headline ideas, a one-line summary of each, why they suit the host’s readers, and links to your published writing samples.
Should guest post links be nofollow?
Many publishers mark author bio links as nofollow, and any link that was paid for should be marked sponsored or nofollow, as Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links describes.
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