Guest Posting7 min read
How to vet a site before you accept a guest post
A checklist for vetting a website before a guest post: traffic trends, topical relevance, outbound link density and common red flags.
Key takeaways
- Check the traffic trend, not just the current number.
- High outbound link density across many unrelated topics is a warning sign.
- If the site publishes anything for anyone, a link there is worth little.
A link is only as useful as the site it sits on. A few minutes of vetting avoids placements that bring no value or actively look manipulative.
The vetting checklist
- Organic traffic is stable or growing over the last 12 months.
- The site covers topics related to yours.
- Recent posts have a reasonable number of outbound links.
- Content is written for readers, not stuffed with commercial anchors.
- There is a real editorial team or owner you can talk to.
Red flags we reject on sight
“Write for us” pages listing every niche, sharp traffic drops, and archives full of unrelated sponsored posts. On SERPsupport you can reject any connection request that does not meet your bar.
Written by
Priya Raman
Content Lead at SERPsupport. Writes and edits guest posts across the network and runs our pitch and vetting playbooks.