The short version: High DA guest posting sites are publications with a Moz Domain Authority of 50 or above that accept contributed articles from outside writers. The ones worth your time combine strong DA with real editorial standards, genuine traffic, and an audience that overlaps with yours. Chasing DA alone is a waste of effort.
Why I Bother With Guest Posting in 2025
I spent three years ignoring guest posting because I thought my own channels were enough. They were not. After a rough patch that took my business apart piece by piece, I went back to basics, and guest posting on high-authority sites became one of the fastest ways I rebuilt visibility and domain authority for lilachbullock.com without paying for ads.
It still works. Not the lazy, spray-and-pray version where you blast a templated pitch to 200 editors. The version where you pick 10 to 15 sites carefully, write something useful, and place it where the right people will read it.
Here is what I know after doing this for real, not just writing about it.
What "High DA" Means (And What It Does Not)
Domain Authority is a Moz metric scored from 1 to 100. A site with DA 70 has more link equity to pass to your site than a DA 30 site. Simple enough. But DA is not Google's metric. Google uses PageRank internally and looks at hundreds of other signals. A DA 80 site that gets no real traffic and publishes five contributed posts a day is close to worthless as a link source. Google is very good at spotting link schemes dressed up as guest post directories.
The sites I target have all of these:
- Moz DA of 60 or higher
- Ahrefs Traffic value over $5,000 per month (meaning their organic traffic is worth real money)
- A real editorial team that says no to bad pitches
- Content that matches my audience: entrepreneurs, marketers, small business owners
- A byline with a dofollow link to my site or a specific page
If a site ticks all five, I pitch it. If it sells guest post slots openly for $200 a pop, I walk away. Google penalises paid links and it is not subtle about it.
My Shortlist of High DA Guest Posting Sites Worth Your Time
These are sites I have either placed pieces on myself or researched in depth. DA scores shift, so check current figures in Moz or Ahrefs before you pitch.
Entrepreneur.com (DA 91)
One of the most credible places to land a byline in the business space. They want original, specific, story-led pieces. They are not interested in "5 tips to grow your business" fluff. The process is slow: expect four to eight weeks from pitch to publication. The link and the brand association are worth it. Pitch via their contributor network application.
Forbes (DA 95)
Harder to get into than it used to be. They now require you to be connected to an existing Forbes Council or introduced by a current contributor. I was a Forbes-listed expert and that helped enormously. If you have a legitimate angle and a strong track record, apply to Forbes Councils (paid membership, around $1,500 to $2,000 per year) which includes publishing rights. Worth it if you can back it up with substance.
HubSpot Blog (DA 93)
The HubSpot blog accepts guest contributions in marketing, sales, and service. They want data-backed, specific, actionable content. Their editorial bar is high and they rewrite heavily if your draft is not clean. One placement here sends referral traffic for years. I have seen pieces on their blog still generating clicks two years after publication.
Inc.com (DA 93)
Similar tier to Entrepreneur. They favour founder stories, leadership, and productivity angles. Pitch the editors directly on LinkedIn with a short paragraph and a clear headline. Do not send a full draft unsolicited.
Search Engine Journal (DA 83)
If your audience overlaps with SEO professionals, marketers, or agency owners, this is one of the best guest posting opportunities available. They have a formal contributor application. They want search, content marketing, social media, and PPC topics. Very process-driven, which means fewer time-wasters on both sides.
Convince and Convert (DA 79)
Jay Baer's site. Strong readership in content marketing and customer experience. They want original research, strong opinions, and practical frameworks. A great fit if you work in marketing consultancy.
Social Media Examiner (DA 87)
One of the most read marketing publications in the world. They have a rigorous pitch process and want tutorials with real screenshots, specific platform strategies, and case studies with numbers. I respect their standards enormously. Getting a byline here is a genuine badge of credibility.
Business.com (DA 72)
More accessible than the tier above and worth considering if you are earlier in your outreach journey. Covers small business, HR, technology, and finance. They have a contributor programme and move faster than most.
Addicted2Success (DA 65)
Strong in the entrepreneurship and mindset space. More accessible pitch process and they move quickly. Good for brand visibility in a motivated, business-minded audience.
How I Write a Pitch That Gets a Yes
Most pitches fail in the first two lines. Editors are reading fifty pitches a week and they decide in seconds.
My pitch template:
- Line 1: One sentence showing I know their publication. "I read your recent piece on AI in B2B sales and noticed you have not covered the implementation side."
- Line 2 to 3: My proposed headline and a two-sentence description of what the piece covers and why their readers will care.
- Line 4: One sentence on why I am qualified. Keep it short. Link to my best placed byline elsewhere.
- Line 5: Offer to send a full outline or draft. Do not attach unsolicited.
Total length: under 150 words. That is the rule I never break.
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What Almost Nobody Tells You About Guest Post Links
Most guides stop at "get the link." Here is what they skip:
The anchor text matters. A branded anchor ("Lilach Bullock") or a natural phrase ("marketing consultant") is safer and more durable than exact-match keyword anchors like "best SEO services." Editors will often change your anchor anyway, so write your bio link as a branded or natural reference from the start.
Link to something useful, not your homepage. A landing page, a free resource, a specific tool or guide. It converts better and looks less self-promotional to the editor reviewing your draft.
Internally link your guest post to other pieces on the publication's own site. It shows you have read their content and editors notice. It also makes your post feel less like a link drop.
Tools I Use to Find and Vet Sites
- Moz Link Explorer (free tier is enough to check DA quickly)
- Ahrefs (I pay for this; it gives me traffic estimates and organic keyword data)
- Google search operators: try "write for us" + your niche, or "contribute" + your topic, or "guest post guidelines" + your industry
- Hunter.io to find editorial email addresses once I have identified a target site
Spend 20 minutes vetting before you spend two hours writing a pitch. It is the most important 20 minutes in the process.
The Honest Truth About Timelines and ROI
Guest posting is slow. I am not going to pretend otherwise. A single placement rarely moves your rankings overnight. The cumulative effect of eight to twelve high-quality placements over six months is where you see real change: keyword rankings improve, referral traffic builds, and your domain authority climbs. I went from DA 42 to DA 58 in eight months doing this consistently alongside other link-building work. That is not magic, that is compounding effort.
If you want fast results, guest posting is not your tool. If you want durable, Google-resistant authority, it is one of the best tools available.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find high DA guest posting sites in my niche for free?
Use Google search operators: type "your niche" + "write for us" or "your niche" + "guest post guidelines" into Google. Then check each site's DA using the free Moz Link Explorer. Shortlist any site above DA 50 with visible editorial guidelines and real traffic.
Is paying for guest posts on high DA sites safe?
No. Google's spam policies explicitly target paid links. Sites that openly sell guest post placements are often flagged in Google's systems, and a link from a penalised site can hurt more than it helps. Stick to editorial placements where the content is reviewed on merit.
How many guest posts do I need to improve my domain authority?
There is no exact number, but a consistent programme of six to twelve high-quality placements on sites with DA 60 and above, spread over four to six months, typically produces a measurable DA improvement alongside better keyword rankings. Quality beats quantity every time.
What is a realistic DA to aim for on guest posting targets?
DA 60 and above is a solid benchmark for links that carry meaningful weight. DA 70 and above is excellent. Do not dismiss DA 55 to 60 sites if they have strong real traffic and a highly relevant audience, because relevance is a ranking factor too, not just raw authority.
Related: this free database of 4,900+ sites that accept guest posts
Related reading: Fun Careers for Women That Pay Well: 10 Real Jobs That Don't Feel Like Work and How to Sell Social Media Services (Without Underselling Yourself).
Related: Lilach Bullock free list of 5,000+ websites that accept guest posts.
Frequently asked questions
Which guest posting sites are the best pick for a small business with limited time?
Start with Entrepreneur.com (DA 91), Business2Community (DA 79), and SmallBizTrends (DA 78) because they have audiences that closely match small business owners and will really send you referral traffic, not just a backlink. If you can only pitch three sites this quarter, make it those three, and tailor every pitch to their recent editorial themes rather than sending a generic topic list.
Are there any free ways to find high DA guest posting sites without paying for tools?
Yes. Type your niche keyword plus 'write for us' or 'contribute' into Google and check each result in Moz's free DA checker, which gives you ten free searches per day without an account. You can also look at where your competitors have been published by pasting their URLs into the free version of Ubersuggest and filtering for referring domains above DA 50.
How do I choose between two high DA sites when I only have time to pitch one?
Check the site's actual organic traffic using a free tool like Similarweb's browser extension, because a DA 75 site with 10,000 monthly visitors beats a DA 85 ghost town every time. Then look at whether the comment sections and social shares on their articles show real reader engagement, which tells you the audience is paying attention.
What is the most common mistake small business owners make with guest posting?
They write a pitch that is all about themselves and their credentials rather than leading with a specific, useful article idea tied to something the publication has recently covered. Editors at high DA sites receive dozens of pitches a week, so open with your proposed headline, a two-sentence summary of the value to their readers, and one or two links to your best published writing.
