If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of options for guest posting, you are not alone! There are 600 million blogs out there and a whopping 1.9 billion websites worldwide. Though 60% of the bloggers write five guest posts per month, only 30% see a significant boost in their SEO ranking.

Guest posting for ranking and traffic is an intelligent game to play. Of course, not all guest posts are created equal. But the difference between a post that amplifies your brand and one that falls flat often comes down to choosing the right platform. Here are some of our tips to identify the perfect websites for your guest posts.

1. Start with the basics: Define your goals and audience

Your posts are designed to reach your audience and thus it is essential to clarify your goals. What do you want to achieve with your posts? Is it brand awareness, improved traffic to your site, better SEO, or something else? Having a clear goal can help you find the type of websites to post your blog.

You can use tools like Google Analytics and insights from your social media pages to find what your audience expects from you. This might also give you a clearer picture of where to find people who will be interested in your content.

2. Choose quality over quantity

Guest blogging might seem like an easy choice to pitch your content to a new audience but it should be done carefully. Publishing your blogs on low-quality websites might affect your brand reputation. Here are some factors to check in the guest blogging websites.

Domain authority and traffic

Every site has a domain authority (DA) and a higher score of DA indicates a reputable site. Use tools like Moz or Ahrefs to check the domain authority of the sites you have chosen for guest blogging. The higher the DA, the better the site.

Content quality and audience engagement

Spend some time on the site and check the content. Is it well-written and informative? If yes, the next step is to check for likes, comments, and shares from the audience. A highly interactive audience indicates a healthy site.

Avoid red flags

Check for overwhelming ads, pop-ups, poorly written articles, poor design, irrelevant guest posts, etc. on the site. These can negatively impact your SEO and the authenticity of your business and thus avoid them.

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Also Read: The Role of Guest Blogging in SEO and Traffic Generation

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How to find the best sites for guest posts?

Now that you have an idea about what you should expect from the sites where you guest post, here are some ways in which you can find them.

1. Use Google or whichever search engine you use

Decide on the most relevant keywords and Google the search terms. This is probably the most straightforward way to find websites that offer guest blogging opportunities.

Depending on the type of business you want to promote choose the first keyword and add with it search terms like “guest blog”, “write for us”, “guest author” and more.

For example, if you have a restaurant that specializes in continental food then you can use a combination of keywords like “continental food + guest blog”. Patiently look through the results that show up and don’t stop with the 1^st page of results.

2. Use your competitors

Find if your competitors are also publishing guest posts. If yes, they have made your job a lot easier. You can simply analyze their backlink profile using SEO audit tools like Ahrefs and find the sites on which they are guest posting.

Since they are your competitors, there is a huge chance that these websites would also work for you. Take the list of the sites with high domain ranking and try guest posting in them.

3. Research prominent guest bloggers

You must already know about the prolific guest bloggers in your industry and if not do your research. Now that you have a name, you can search for their published content in the search engines using simple phrases like “guest post by (name of the blogger)”.

This will produce the blogs written by the person on the sites that they were posted on. Filter out the ones irrelevant to your business and choose the ones with high domain authority.

4. Look for directories

If you are just starting with guest blogging and would want easy choices then we would suggest the directories. Search for directories that accept guest blogging, especially the niche ones that are relevant to your business. The directories usually have a good domain rating and thus would be a great place to start.

LocalBizNetwork

Unlock the full potential of guest blogging with us. We at LocalBizNetwork, aim to bring small businesses to the spotlight and this includes serving as the perfect platform to share your guest posts and grow your audience today! Visit our website here. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I set clear goals for guest posting? 

Start by defining whether you want to boost brand awareness, increase traffic, or improve SEO. This helps in identifying websites that align with your objectives. 

2. Why is domain authority important when selecting guest blogging sites? 

Domain authority (DA) measures a site's credibility. Sites with high DA can improve your SEO and reach, making them ideal for guest posting. 

3. What are some red flags to avoid in guest blogging websites? 

Avoid websites with excessive ads, pop-ups, poor design, and irrelevant or poorly written content, as they can hurt your brand's reputation. 

4. How can I find guest blogging opportunities using Google? 

Search relevant keywords for your business along with phrases like "guest blog" or "write for us" to discover websites open to guest posts. 

5. How can competitors help in finding guest blogging opportunities? 

Analyze your competitors' backlink profiles using tools like Ahrefs to find the websites where they guest post, which can also work for you.