Link Prospecting: Build a Better Publisher Shortlist
Link prospecting is the process of finding websites and pages that could plausibly mention, cite, or publish your content. Strong prospecting starts with audience and topical fit rather than metrics.
Define prospect types
List industry publications, resource pages, partner ecosystems, blogs, associations, tools, and media that naturally cover your topic.
Mine competitors carefully
Competitor backlinks reveal patterns and publications, but copying every referring domain creates a low-quality target list.
Qualify before outreach
Remove irrelevant, abandoned, spam-heavy, or obviously pay-to-play sites unless paid placement is intentionally part of the campaign.
Prioritize
Score prospects by relevance, editorial quality, audience fit, likelihood of response, and strategic value.
Prefer a marketplace workflow?
See our guide to choosing a guest-post marketplace before comparing individual providers.
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