Guest posting websites remains one of the most direct ways to earn high-authority backlinks. A 2023 Ahrefs study found that 66.5% of pages have zero referring domains, meaning the majority of content on the web never earns a single external link.
Sites that build backlinks consistently through guest posting outrank those that rely on content alone. Adam Enfroy secured guest posts on 8 high-DA sites in 15 days in 2019 and saw a 372% increase in organic traffic within months.
This guide covers 15 verified guest posting websites with their submission links, DA scores, and traffic data, plus what actually works when pitching them.
Guest posting websites are platforms that accept externally written content in exchange for a byline and, typically, one or two backlinks to the contributor’s site.
The SEO value depends entirely on the host site’s domain authority and topical relevance to your niche. Targeting sites with DA 70+ in your industry produces meaningfully stronger ranking signals than volume-based approaches on low-DA platforms.
What makes a guest posting websites worth your time?
Not every site that accepts guest posts will move the needle on your rankings. Three metrics determine whether a placement is worth the effort:
- Domain Authority (DA): A score from 0 to 100 developed by Moz that predicts how well a site ranks in search engines. DA 70+ is the threshold where backlinks begin to produce consistent ranking improvements.
- Topical relevance: A DA 90 link from a site outside your niche carries less weight than a DA 75 link from a directly relevant publication. Google’s Helpful Content system evaluates topical authority at the site level.
- Traffic volume: A site with high DA but near-zero organic traffic signals link-selling, which Google penalizes. Prioritize sites where real audiences read the content.
Sites that fail any one of these three tests should be skipped regardless of how easy placement is.
15 best guest posting websites: verified DA, traffic, and submission links
# | Name | DA | Monthly Traffic | Niche | HQ | Submission URL |
1 | HubSpot | 76 | ~4.5M | Marketing, sales, CRM | USA | |
2 | Harvard Business Review | 69 | ~1.4M | Business strategy, leadership | USA | |
3 | Moz | 67 | ~1.4M | SEO | USA | |
4 | Creative Bloq | 63 | ~675.8K | Design, digital art, creativity | UK | creativebloq.com/news/write-creative-bloq-contributor-network |
5 | Entrepreneur | 63 | ~497.3K | Business, entrepreneurship | USA | entrepreneur.com/page/236106 |
6 | Search Engine Journal | 60 | ~279.4K | SEO, PPC | USA | searchenginejournal.com/write-for-sej |
7 | Search Engine Land | 59 | ~423K | SEO, PPC, digital marketing | USA | searchengineland.com/want-to-write-for-search-engine-land-464099 |
8 | Backlinko | 57 | ~225.3K | SEO, link building, content marketing | USA | Direct pitch via backlinko.com/contact |
9 | Content Marketing Institute | 58 | ~519.2K | Content marketing, strategy | USA | contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/blog-guidelines |
10 | Fast Company | 56 | ~904.1K | Business, technology, innovation | USA | fastcompany.com/submissions |
11 | Smashing Magazine | 51 | ~109.7K | Web design, development, UX | Germany | smashingmagazine.com/write-for-us |
12 | MarketingProfs | 48 | ~40.3K | B2B marketing | USA | marketingprofs.com/write-for-us |
13 | Social Media Examiner | 45 | ~23.4K | Social media marketing | USA | socialmediaexaminer.com/writers |
14 | A List Apart | 43 | ~14.2K | Web design, web standards | USA | alistapart.com/about/contribute |
15 | Brand Veda | 32 | ~4.3K | SEO, digital marketing (India) | India | brandveda.in/write-for-us |
Site-by-site breakdown
1. HubSpot
DA: 76 | Monthly traffic: ~4.5M | Niche: Marketing, sales, CRM Submission: hubspot.com/guest-blogging-guidelines
HubSpot accepts contributor pieces that align with inbound marketing methodology. Articles need original data, a clear practitioner angle, and no promotional language. The User Blog requires HubSpot gold partner status or above. The main marketing blog accepts general contributors with verified expertise. One of the strongest backlinks available in the marketing space.
2. Harvard Business Review
DA: 69 | Monthly traffic: ~1.4M | Niche: Business strategy, leadership Submission: hbr.org/guidelines-for-authors
HBR’s editorial standards are the most rigorous on this list. Accepted pieces need a clearly stated management or leadership argument, supporting research, and a practitioner author with verifiable credentials. The placement takes months but the backlink value and brand association are unmatched.
3. Moz
DA: 67 | Monthly traffic: ~1.4M | Niche: SEO | Submission: moz.com/posts/ugc_guidelines
Moz publishes SEO practitioner content. Accepted pieces include original research, case studies with specific numbers, or analyses of recent algorithm updates. Generic “SEO tips” articles are rejected quickly. Ranking for any keyword in the SEO space gets meaningfully easier with a Moz byline in your backlink profile.
4. Creative Bloq
DA: 63 | Monthly traffic: ~675.8K | Niche: Design, digital art, creativity Submission: creativebloq.com/news/write-creative-bloq-contributor-network
Creative Bloq covers design tools, techniques, and industry trends for working designers. Accepted content is typically tutorial-style, tool-focused, or trend-analysis. The combination of DA 63 and a genuinely engaged design audience makes this the strongest placement on this list for brands in the creative tools space.
5. Entrepreneur
DA: 63 | Monthly traffic: ~497.3K | Niche: Business, entrepreneurship Submission: entrepreneur.com/page/236106
Entrepreneur publishes practical business content from verified contributors. Pieces focused on specific tactics, real failure stories, or contrarian takes on common advice perform well. First-person experience is a hard requirement here, not a differentiator.
6. Search Engine Journal
DA: 60 | Monthly traffic: ~279.4K | Niche: SEO, PPC Submission: searchenginejournal.com/write-for-sej
One of the most read SEO publications. SEJ publishes tactical content from practitioners who can demonstrate hands-on experience with the topic. Algorithm update analyses, technical SEO case studies, and data-backed PPC breakdowns perform consistently well here.
7. Search Engine Land
DA: 59 | Monthly traffic: ~423K | Niche: SEO, PPC, digital marketing Submission: searchengineland.com/want-to-write-for-search-engine-land-464099
Search Engine Land is actively expanding its contributor roster in 2026, looking for seasoned experts in SEO, PPC, AI, and analytics with 5+ years of hands-on experience. This is a volunteer contributor opportunity but reaches over 1 million search marketing professionals monthly.
8. Backlinko
DA: 57 | Monthly traffic: ~225.3K | Niche: SEO, link building, content marketing Submission: Direct pitch via backlinko.com/contact
Backlinko does not have a public “write for us” page but does publish select external contributors. Brian Dean’s audience is among the most SEO-literate readerships online. Pitches that include original data, a named methodology, or a counter-intuitive finding backed by analysis have the highest chance of getting through. Expect a high rejection rate and a long editorial back-and-forth if accepted.
9. Content Marketing Institute
DA: 58 | Monthly traffic: ~519.2K | Niche: Content marketing, strategy Submission: contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/blog-guidelines
CMI’s audience is content marketing professionals and senior marketers. Pieces need to go beyond basic “write good content” advice and offer frameworks, original research, or named campaign results. The bar for originality is high relative to its DA.
10. Fast Company
DA: 56 | Monthly traffic: ~904.1K | Niche: Business, technology, innovation Submission: fastcompany.com/submissions
Fast Company publishes forward-looking business and technology content. Pitches that tie a practical argument to an emerging trend, with original data or a named case study, have the highest acceptance rate. Pure opinion pieces without evidence rarely clear the editorial review.
11. Smashing Magazine
DA: 51 | Monthly traffic: ~109.7K | Niche: Web design, development, UX Submission: smashingmagazine.com/write-for-us
One of the most cited design and development publications online. Pieces need to be technically specific, well-structured, and aimed at practitioners rather than beginners. The editorial team provides detailed feedback, which makes the back-and-forth longer but the final placement more credible.
12. MarketingProfs
DA: 48 | Monthly traffic: ~40.3K | Niche: B2B marketing Submission: marketingprofs.com/write-for-us
MarketingProfs serves B2B marketing professionals. Pieces that perform well here focus on specific channels, contain original data or survey findings, and speak to practitioners managing campaigns rather than learning the basics.
13. Social Media Examiner
DA: 45 | Monthly traffic: ~23.4K | Niche: Social media marketing Submission: socialmediaexaminer.com/writers
SME accepts step-by-step how-to content and platform-specific strategy pieces. Articles need screenshots, specific platform features named by their current UI labels, and tactics that readers can implement the same day. Theoretical content is rejected consistently.
14. A List Apart
DA: 43 | Monthly traffic: ~14.2K | Niche: Web design, web standards Submission: alistapart.com/about/contribute
A List Apart has defined web standards discourse for over two decades. The editorial team publishes long-form, deeply argued pieces about how the web should be built and used. Short, surface-level articles are not accepted. Placement here signals serious technical credibility in the web development space.
15. Brand Veda
DA: 32 | Monthly traffic: ~4.3K | Niche: SEO, digital marketing (India) Submission: brandveda.in/write-for-us
The lowest DA on this list, included for its relevance to brands targeting the Indian digital marketing market. For India-specific SEO campaigns, a contextually relevant DA 32 placement on a niche-aligned site outperforms a general high-DA placement with no geographic or audience alignment.
How to find guest posting opportunities beyond this list
Three methods produce the most consistent results:
- Competitor backlink analysis: Use Ahrefs or Semrush to pull the referring domain report for two or three competitors. Filter for DA 50+ and look for patterns in where they place content. Sites where multiple competitors have published are already proven to be in your niche.
- Search operators: Queries like [your niche] “write for us” or [your niche] “guest post guidelines” surface sites with open submission pages that directories miss.
- Author-based research: Find prolific writers in your niche and check where they have published. If their byline appears on five different sites, most of them likely accept external contributions.
What actually works when pitching guest posting websites?
- Personalize the first line. Reference a specific article the editor published in the last 60 days. Generic openers are deleted before the second sentence.
- Lead with the title and angle, not your bio. Editors decide on the idea first. Pitch the article in one sentence, then introduce yourself.
- Show, not tell. Instead of “I’m an expert in SEO,” include a link to one published piece that demonstrates your level.
- Match the format the site already publishes. If the site publishes data-led listicles, pitch a data-led listicle. Pitching a personal narrative to a site that publishes technical tutorials signals you have not read the publication.
Common mistakes that kill guest posting websites results
- Targeting DA without checking traffic. A high-DA site with minimal monthly visitors has likely been penalized or is a link farm. Both make the backlink worthless or harmful.
- Thin content. Submitting a 500-word article to a site that publishes 1,500-word pieces signals immediately that you have not read their content.
- Homepage-only backlinks. Backlinks to internal pages that need ranking lift produce better outcomes than homepage links, which already carry the site’s full authority.
- Ignoring the follow-up. Most editorial decisions take 10 to 20 business days. One polite follow-up after two weeks is appropriate. Two follow-ups maximum. More than that damages the relationship with that editor permanently.
Conclusion
The 15 guest posting websites in this list cover DA scores from 32 to 76 across marketing, SEO, design, technology, and business niches. The difference between placements that move rankings and those that do not come down to topical relevance, host site traffic quality, and pitch specificity.
Start with two or three sites where you have the strongest angle, publish at a quality level that matches what they already produce, and build from there. If you need consistent, research-backed guest posts placed on high-authority sites, Content Whale handles sourcing, writing, and outreach at scale.
FAQ
How many guest posts should I publish per month?
Two to four high-quality placements on DA 50+ relevant sites outperform ten placements on lower-DA or off-topic sites. Volume-based guest posting at low quality has triggered Google manual penalties in multiple documented cases.
Does guest posting still work for SEO in 2026?
Yes, with qualifications. Links from high-DA, topically relevant sites with real organic traffic still move rankings. Google’s 2024 spam update targeted mass-produced guest posts on low-quality networks, not editorially placed content on real publications.
What is a realistic DA threshold for guest posting to produce ranking impact?
DA 40 is the practical floor for most niches. In competitive verticals like finance, SaaS, and legal, DA 60 to 65 is the effective minimum for a placement to produce a measurable ranking signal.
Can I guest post on the same site more than once?
Yes. Recurring contributor relationships are more valuable than one-off placements because they signal ongoing topical authority to search engines and build audience recognition over time.
Should I use anchor text with my target keyword in guest post backlinks?
Use partial-match or branded anchor text in most cases. Exact-match keyword anchors across multiple guest posts is a pattern Google’s link spam classifier detects and discounts. Vary anchor text across placements.
What should I do after a guest post goes live?
Share it on LinkedIn and relevant communities immediately. Add an internal link from two or three of your highest-traffic pages to the published piece. Monitor the referring domain in Search Console to confirm the link is being crawled.
