Guest post pricing guide
What a guest post actually costs
Guest post prices vary more than almost anything else in SEO. The same placement can be quoted at $40 or $400 depending on the site's authority, real traffic, niche and how badly the seller needs the order. This guide explains the bands, what moves a price inside them, and how to tell a genuinely inexpensive placement from a cheap guest posting service selling links nobody reads.
Typical price bands
Ranges observed across publisher listings. Treat them as orientation, not a rate card — two sites with identical authority scores can be worth very different amounts.
Small blogs
$15 – $60DA 10–20 · Under 1,000 monthly visits
Useful for topical relevance and brand mentions. Check the site publishes on a real schedule and is not a link farm.
Growing sites
$50 – $180DA 20–35 · 1,000 – 10,000 monthly visits
The band most campaigns live in. Look for real editorial standards and a sensible number of outbound links per post.
Established publishers
$150 – $500DA 35–55 · 10,000 – 100,000 monthly visits
Slower turnaround and stricter editors. Worth it when the topic sits squarely in your niche.
Authority media
$400 – $2,000+DA 55+ · 100,000+ monthly visits
Genuine editorial review, and often a reason for readers to click. Expect a pitch, not an order form.
What moves the price
- Real traffic, not just authority. A site with 40,000 monthly visits and modest authority is often worth more than a high-score domain nobody visits.
- Topical fit. A relevant placement in your niche beats a stronger one that has nothing to do with your subject.
- Link type. Dofollow costs more than nofollow or sponsored. A healthy profile contains all three.
- Who writes it. Supplying a good draft lowers the price; asking the publisher to write and research raises it.
- Turnaround. Anything faster than a normal editorial calendar is a rush fee.
- Regulated niches. Finance, health, legal and gambling placements carry a premium because the editorial risk is higher.
Budgeting a campaign
Start from the gap, not the budget. Compare your referring domains with the sites already ranking for the terms you want, and you will see how many placements you need and in which authority band. Then spread the budget: a few stronger placements for credibility, a larger number of relevant mid-band sites for coverage, and nothing at all on domains that fail a basic quality read.
Questions buyers ask
Is a cheap guest posting service ever worth using?
Cheap can be fine when the site is small but genuine — a real blog with a real audience in your niche. It is not fine when the price is low because the site exists only to sell links. The test is not the price, it is whether anyone reads the site.
How do I spot a link farm before I pay?
Look for dozens of unrelated topics in one blog, every post linking out to commercial pages, no author identity, traffic far below the authority score, and instant acceptance of any topic. On Rankar each listing shows traffic, authority, link type and verification tier so those mismatches are visible before you order.
Should I pay more for a dofollow link?
Dofollow placements usually cost more because they pass ranking signals. A mixed profile is healthier than a wall of dofollow links, so buy some nofollow and sponsored placements too — especially on high-traffic sites where the referral clicks matter on their own.
What affects price besides authority?
Niche, country, turnaround time, whether you supply the draft, how many links you want in the post, and whether the site allows commercial anchors. Finance, legal, casino and crypto placements cost noticeably more than lifestyle or general blogs.
How many placements do I need?
There is no universal number. Compare your referring domains against the sites already ranking for your target terms — the gap tells you roughly how many you need, and which kinds. RankBridge produces that comparison for you.
Is buying links against Google's guidelines?
Paying for links that pass ranking signals goes against Google's spam policies, and Google can discount or penalise them. Many teams still buy placements; the ones who avoid trouble buy relevant, genuinely-read sites, keep anchors natural, and mark paid placements where required. Decide your own risk tolerance with that in mind.
Compare real prices across 210K+ publishers
Filter by niche, authority, traffic, country and price, see the verification tier, and order with escrow so you only pay for a link that goes live.