• Step 1: List sites your buyers read
  • Step 2: Read before you pitch

Aim for a guest post the host site's readers would want even without your link. So pick sites whose readers are your buyers, read what they publish, pitch one specific idea, write it to the editor's standards, and follow up once. Treat a link back to your site as a bonus, and don't pay for a link unless it's marked as paid.

Google's position, in its own words: a Google Search Central blog post (May 25, 2017) says: "Google does not discourage these types of articles in the cases when they inform users, educate another site's audience or bring awareness to your cause or company." The same post says the problem is "when the main intent is to build links in a large-scale way back to the author's site."

This page covers outreach for a small business or a freelancer. The wider plan for your content is in content marketing for small business.

Step 1: List sites your buyers read

Start from your buyers, not from lists of sites that accept guest posts. Write down the questions your clients ask you before they hire you, then search for those questions and note the blogs, trade publications and local business sites that answer them. Keep the sites where you'd be glad to be seen by a prospect, and drop any that publish posts on every topic.

Step 2: Read before you pitch

For each site, read its five latest posts and its contributor guidelines, if it has any. Note who edits the section you'd write for, the length and format of its posts, and topics it has already covered, so you don't pitch a repeat.

Step 3: Pitch one specific idea

Keep the email short and about the reader:

  • one line on who you are and the work you do;
  • one proposed title, with the three points the post would cover;
  • one line on why the site's readers need it now;
  • a link to one piece you've published before.

Send it to the editor by name. Keep each email to that one idea.

Step 4: Write it for their readers

Follow the guidelines on length, headings and images, and answer the question in the title in the first paragraph. Use your own examples from client work. Link to your site only where it helps the reader, such as a template or a worked example, and send the draft on the date you promised.

Step 5: Follow up once, then move on

If there's no reply after a week, send one short follow-up that repeats the title. If there's still no reply, pitch the next site. Google's 2017 post suggests that sites accepting guest articles ask: "Do I know this person? Does this person's message fit with my site's audience? Does the article contain useful content?"

Links and payment

Google's spam policies (last updated August 28, 2026) list among examples of link spam: "Advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass ranking credit, or links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites." They also say: "Google does understand that buying and selling links is a normal part of the economy of the web for advertising and sponsorship purposes." Google's page on qualifying outbound links (last updated December 10, 2025) says: "Mark links that are advertisements or paid placements (commonly called paid links) with the sponsored value."

If a site asks you to pay for a post, it's a paid placement. In the US, the FTC's Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses (December 2015) says: "Advertisements or promotional messages are deceptive if they convey to consumers expressly or by implication that they’re independent, impartial, or from a source other than the sponsoring advertiser". Ask a lawyer how to label paid content for your own case.

Worked example: a month of outreach

Sample figures from one month, not typical rates:

  • Pitches sent: 20
  • Replies: 4, so 4 ÷ 20 = 20% of pitches
  • Ideas accepted: 2, so 2 ÷ 20 = 10% of pitches
  • Posts published by month end: 1

Track the same four numbers each month. If replies are low, work on the site list and the pitch; if replies come but ideas aren't accepted, work on the ideas.

Where Billed fits

If you write articles for clients as a service, you can bill for the hours. On Billed's features page, the "Bill For Tracked Time" feature says: "Easily create invoices for the tracked time and get paid."

When this guide isn't for you

If you want links quickly and at scale, this page doesn't cover that, and Google's policies quoted above describe what happens when links come first. If your buyers find you through local search, start with local SEO for small business.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Google allow guest posts?

A Google Search Central blog post (May 25, 2017) says: "Google does not discourage these types of articles in the cases when they inform users, educate another site's audience or bring awareness to your cause or company."

What if a site asks me to pay to publish my post?

Then it's a paid placement. Google's page on qualifying outbound links (last updated December 10, 2025) says: "Mark links that are advertisements or paid placements (commonly called paid links) with the sponsored value."

What goes in a guest post pitch?

Who you are, one proposed title, the three points the post would cover, why the site's readers need it, and a link to one piece you've published.

When should I send a follow-up?

About a week. Send one short follow-up that repeats the title, then move on to the next site if there's no answer.

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