How to choose sites for sponsored posts (and avoid wasting money)

Self-reported traffic numbers are easy to inflate. Prefer numbers that come from Google Search Console or Analytics, shared directly by the owner.

Check where readers come from too. A site with most of its traffic from another country won't help a local launch.

Read five recent articles. If they're about everything from crypto to recipes, the site is likely selling posts more than it's writing for readers. Topic fit matters for readers, for search engines and for AI assistants.

• Sponsored posts should be labelled as sponsored. In India the ASCI guidelines expect it, and so do most other countries' rules.
• Links in paid posts should carry rel="sponsored". Sites that promise "dofollow, no label" are taking a risk with your brand.
• Check the site's articles appear in Google (search site:domain.com plus a recent headline). A page search engines can't see won't be cited by AI either.

Get these in writing before you pay: word count, who writes it, how many links, the link type, how long it stays up, and how many rounds of changes you get.

Prices vary a lot by country, topic and format. Compare a few similar sites before deciding. Our price page shows current ranges across the marketplace.

Paying a stranger upfront by bank transfer leaves you with no recourse. Use a way of paying where the money is held until the post is live and checked.