Guest post link building is one of the easiest ways to set up indirect link exchanges without providing any links from your own site.
In this article, we’ll be breaking down:
- Why ABC link exchanges through guest posts are one of the best ways to build links
- 2 step-by-step strategies for securing guest posts
- How to become a guest blogger on websites that don’t have a “Write for Us” page
Let’s get into it.
Link building cheat sheet
Why You Should Use Guest Post Link Building
Guest posts are a natural link building that can not only get you top-notch backlinks on relevant website groups but also allow you to include indirect placements for your other link-building partners.
So, in addition to your author’s bio link, depending on the publishing site’s guidelines, you would also be getting 2-7 other placements for your partners – which will return the favor by linking to you from their own site or guest post.
This way, from just one guest post, you can get upwards of 10 high quality backlinks.
Doing just one guest post per week, even with 2-3 backlinks with it will get you ten monthly links, for a minimal time investment (provided you have the right tools),
However, guest posts take a bit of time to get published—think weeks or even months.
This delay is actually a good thing.
It helps you space out your links in a natural manner, making it harder for Google to identify any patterns that look like an exchange.
While not necessarily as valuable as a quick niche edit in an already-performing article, guest post link building is a good way to bulk up your backlink profile.
In addition, securing guest post placements is relatively easy – even if a website dosn’t have a “Write for Us” page.
In the next section, we’ll teach you how to do that.
How to Find Guest Post Opportunities
For the first strategy, we’ll be using our tool, Respona to find and reach out to a guest posting service.
Strategy 1: “Write for Us” Pages
Respona simplifies the process of finding and securing guest post opportunities through its dedicated guest blogging campaign template.
To use it, go to your dashboard, click on “Create Campaign”, and select the template.
In the ашкіе field, input keywords that relate to your expertise. These keywords will be used to generate search strings.
We recommend putting several keywords, or using Respona’s AI keyword suggestions to expand the search and get more results.
In the last field, provide a link to a recent piece of content you’ve written. This will be included in your guest post outreach emails as a sample of your work.
Once everything is filled out, click “Use this template” to get into the campaign editor.
The first step here is to prepare your blogger outreach sequence. Since we used a template, ours is already pre-set.
We recommend treating our email templates more as an inspiration for creating your own ones instead of using them word-for-word.
We’ll stick with our wording, but we’ll take some extra steps to make sure our emails get read.
First, let’s add an AI-driven variable like the “Icebreaker” or “P.S.” to.
These will come up with unique personalizations for every opportunity in your campaign on auto-pilot.
For example, the “Icebreaker” can be a personalized introduction based on the target website’s content or their latest blog posts.
Let’s also include an unsubscribe link to comply with email regulations and provide an easy way for recipients to opt-out.
Before moving on to the next step, let’s also check our email for spam words.
Next, Respona’s search engine will automatically use advanced search operators (e.g., `intitle:”write for us”`) combined with your target keywords to find potential guest post opportunities.
The tool will run multiple Google queries simultaneously to gather a comprehensive list of sites.
Click “Continue” and apply additional SEO filters to narrow down the results.
These can include criteria like domain authority, traffic estimates, and relevance to ensure you’re targeting high quality link targets.
On the next screen, you’ll find some more advanced settings.
The first one is its email finder – also already pre-set.
For guest post link building, Respona will search for the most relevant contacts associated with each website, focusing on roles related to SEO, content marketing, partnerships – along with the website owner.
Keep the tool set to find up to two employees for all guest posting opportunities to maximize your reach.
Next, you can provide the AI with additional instructions regarding your personalizations.
We recommend being very precise with them and include several examples of your manual personalization to train it and make it sound more like you.
Finally, let’s make the search recurring. This way, Respona will automatically add fresh opportunities to your campaign at your set time interval.
Click “Run automation” to start looking for guest posting sites, their contact information, as well as personalizing your pitches in one go.
Results will start appearing on the screen as soon as they’re found.
It’s all in the cloud – so you don’t have to sit and wait for the progress bar to complete. You’ll get an email once it’s done.
When ready, move on to the final step.
Here’s where you can check the AI-generated personalizations for each email to ensure they make sense and add a personal touch.
These personalizations can significantly improve your response rate.
Use the LinkedIn profiles pulled by Respona to create another touchpoint in your outreach.
Before sending out your emails, Respona will perform some pre-launch checks.
These include ensuring you’re not contacting anyone on your unsubscribe list, verifying recipient details, and checking for empty placeholders in your emails.
Once everything is reviewed and ready, launch your guest bloger outreach campaign and look out for replies.
Respona’s shared inbox allows you to manage all your responses in one place. Keep an eye on replies, follow up as necessary (beyond the automatic follow-up), and manage your ongoing conversations.
From there, agree on guest blog placements, write your articles and share them with your partners to add their links!
On to the next strategy.
Strategy 2: Content Gap Pitch
Our personal favorite way to secure guest posts is by pitching one after wrapping up each successful SEO link building collaboration.
Even if they don’t have a “Write for Us” page.
It goes like this:
You finish a previous link exchange, then check your partner’s website’s content gap report in the SEO tool of your choice (Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.).
You then pick out a relatively low-difficulty keyword, come up with a topic to cover it, and send your partner the screenshot along with our idea.
From the recipient’s point of view, they have just had a good experience with you (previous collaboration), and you have made the effort to research their content gap.
This shows you know what you’re talking about (and it’s just a little flattering when a digital marketing manager receives a hyper-personalized pitch like that), and massively increases your chances of landing that guest post.
Here’s how to do it:
- Enter the target site’s URL into the Keyword Gap tool on Semrush or Ahrefs.
We recommend Semrush since it automatically selects competitors, whereas Ahrefs requires manual research and input.
- Compare the site against its competitors and go to the “Missing” tab.
- Pick a few relevant keywords and brainstorm article ideas to fill these content gaps.
- Draft your email pitch, showcasing your research.
- Include a screenshot of the missing keywords as proof of your due diligence.
You can also tweak this pitch for cold emails, but it works best when you’ve already established a touchpoint.
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
So, guest post link building, why should you do it?
Because it’s the best and safest way to do ABC link exchanges, and it’s relatively easy.
Need help getting your campaigns off the ground?
Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day free trial with Respona to see how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is guest post link building?
The guest post link building strategy involves you writing articles for other websites in your niche, including links back to your own site within the content or author bio.
This helps you gain high-quality backlinks, improve SEO, and drive targeted traffic to your site.
How can I find guest post opportunities?
You can find guest blog post opportunities by searching for websites in your niche with “Write for Us” pages or by using SEO tools like Respona, Semrush, or Ahrefs to identify potential sites.
Social media and niche forums are also great places to discover blogs open to guest contributions.
What should I include in my guest article pitch?
A compelling guest blog post pitch should include a personalized introduction, a clear value proposition, and topic ideas relevant to the target site.
Back up your pitch with examples of your previous work to showcase your writing quality and expertise.
Can I do guest post backlink building on a site without a “Write for Us” page?
Yes, you can still secure guest post opportunities on websites without a “Write for Us” page by using methods like the keyword gap strategy.
In this approach, you identify content gaps on the target site and propose filling those gaps with high-quality content, making your pitch hard to refuse.
How many backlinks can I get from a single guest post?
The number of backlinks you can get from a single guest post varies but typically falls between 2-7, depending on the hosting site’s guidelines and the content’s relevance.
By strategically including links to your own site and your partners’ sites, you can maximize the SEO benefits from each guest post.
