50+ Article Backlink Submission Sites for Quality Links
A curated list of 50+ article submission sites that accept guest contributions and provide backlinks. Each site is vetted for domain authority, relevance, and link quality so you can build a stronger backlink profile through article marketing.
50+ Article Backlink Submission Sites for Quality Links: Key Takeaways
- Article submission sites let you publish content on established domains and earn backlinks pointing to your website
- Focus on sites with DA 40+ for meaningful link equity — low-authority article directories provide little SEO value
- Mix free and paid submission sites to build a diverse, natural-looking backlink profile
- Always write original, high-quality content for each submission — duplicate content gets rejected and can hurt your SEO
- Pair article submissions with a broader link building strategy that includes niche edits and editorial placements for maximum impact
What Are Article Backlinks and Why Do They Work
[Article backlinks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlink) are links you earn by publishing content on external websites that allow guest contributions or article submissions. When you write an article for another site and include a link back to your own website within the content or author bio, that link passes authority from the host domain to yours. The stronger the host domain, the more ranking power that link carries.
This strategy works because Google treats [editorially placed links within real content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies/link-spam) as genuine endorsements. Unlike directory submissions or forum profile links, article backlinks sit inside relevant paragraphs on pages that get indexed and crawled regularly. The key is choosing submission sites that have real domain authority, actual readership, and editorial standards — not content farms that accept anything. Understanding the three features of a quality backlink helps you evaluate which sites on this list will actually move the needle.
How to Use This List Effectively
Not every site on this list will be relevant to your niche, and that is the point. You should cherry-pick the sites that align with your industry, write genuinely useful content for their audience, and include one or two natural contextual links back to your site. Submitting to every site on the list with the same spun article is the fastest way to waste your time and get your content rejected.
Start with the highest-DA sites in your niche and work your way down. Write a unique article for each submission. Most sites have editorial guidelines — read them before writing. Include your link within the body of the article where it adds value for the reader, not just in the author bio. Before submitting, check your anchor text distribution across all placements using our free [anchor text analyzer](/tools/anchor-text-analyzer) to keep the profile natural. Sites that allow in-content dofollow links are marked accordingly below.
General High-Authority Article Submission Sites
These sites accept articles across a wide range of topics and carry strong domain authority. They are competitive to get published on but deliver the most link equity per placement.
#SiteDATypeNicheLink Type1Medium.com95FreeGeneralDoFollow (nofollow on new accounts)2LinkedIn Articles98FreeBusiness / ProfessionalNoFollow3HubPages.com88Free (revenue share)GeneralDoFollow after review4Vocal.media76Free + Paid tiersGeneral / CreativeDoFollow5Substack.com90FreeGeneral / NewsletterDoFollow6EzineArticles.com73FreeGeneralDoFollow in bio7ArticlesBase.com57FreeGeneralDoFollow8SelfGrowth.com65FreeSelf-improvement / BusinessDoFollow9Glassdoor.com (Blog)91Pitch requiredWorkplace / HRDoFollow10Business2Community.com71Pitch requiredMarketing / BusinessDoFollow
Medium is the obvious starting point. New accounts get nofollow links, but once you build a following and get curated, links become dofollow. LinkedIn Articles carry massive DA but nofollow links — still worth it for referral traffic and brand authority. HubPages requires you to pass their quality assessment program before articles go live, but the dofollow links from a DA 88 domain are worth the effort.
Marketing and SEO Niche Submission Sites
If your website is in the marketing, SEO, or digital business space, these sites give you topically relevant backlinks which carry more weight than general sites with higher DA.
#SiteDATypeFocusLink Type11SearchEngineJournal.com91Pitch requiredSEO / MarketingDoFollow12SmartBlogger.com75Pitch requiredBlogging / ContentDoFollow13Copyblogger.com79Pitch requiredCopywriting / ContentDoFollow14ContentMarketingInstitute.com82Pitch requiredContent MarketingDoFollow15SocialMediaExaminer.com85Pitch requiredSocial MediaDoFollow16MarketingProfs.com78Pitch requiredMarketingDoFollow17Ahrefs.com/blog89Invite / PitchSEO / MarketingDoFollow18Moz.com/blog91Community / PitchSEODoFollow19SearchEngineLand.com89Pitch requiredSEO / PPCDoFollow20GrowthHackers.com68Free submissionGrowth / MarketingDoFollow
Search Engine Journal and Moz accept community contributions but have strict editorial standards. If your content is genuinely useful and data-driven, these placements are among the most valuable backlinks in the SEO space. GrowthHackers lets you submit articles freely and the community votes on them — top-voted articles get significant visibility and a solid dofollow link.
Technology and SaaS Submission Sites
For technology companies, SaaS products, and developer-focused businesses, these sites provide relevant article placement opportunities.
#SiteDATypeFocusLink Type21Dev.to82FreeDeveloper / TechDoFollow22DZone.com80Free submissionDeveloper / TechDoFollow23Hackernoon.com79FreeTech / StartupsDoFollow24SitePoint.com82Pitch requiredWeb DevelopmentDoFollow25Smashing Magazine85Pitch requiredWeb Design / DevDoFollow26CSS-Tricks.com82Pitch requiredFrontend DevDoFollow27TechTarget.com89Pitch requiredEnterprise TechDoFollow28ReadWrite.com76Pitch requiredTech / StartupsDoFollow29GeeksforGeeks.org80Free submissionProgrammingDoFollow30Towards Data Science95Pitch requiredData / MLDoFollow
Dev.to and Hackernoon are the easiest wins on this list. Both accept free submissions with minimal editorial friction and provide dofollow links from DA 79+ domains. The tradeoff is that content quality on these platforms varies wildly, so Google may weight individual page authority more than domain authority for links from these sites.
Business and Entrepreneurship Submission Sites
Business-focused article sites are ideal if you sell B2B products, consulting services, or business tools.
#SiteDATypeFocusLink Type31Entrepreneur.com90Pitch requiredBusiness / StartupsDoFollow32Inc.com92Pitch requiredBusinessDoFollow33FastCompany.com92Pitch requiredBusiness / InnovationDoFollow34AllBusiness.com68Pitch / SubmitSmall BusinessDoFollow35StartupNation.com60Pitch requiredStartupsDoFollow36Under30CEO.com55Pitch requiredEntrepreneurshipDoFollow37BusinessNewsDaily.com76Pitch requiredSmall BusinessDoFollow38YourStory.com75Submit / PitchStartups (India focus)DoFollow39Addicted2Success.com64Pitch requiredMotivation / BusinessDoFollow40Noobpreneur.com52Pitch requiredSmall BusinessDoFollow
Entrepreneur.com, Inc.com, and Fast Company are extremely competitive but a single placement on any of these carries more link equity than dozens of low-DA submissions. AllBusiness and StartupNation have lower barriers to entry while still providing meaningful DA 60+ backlinks.
Health, Lifestyle, and Niche Submission Sites
Niche-specific sites provide the topical relevance that general sites cannot. If your site covers health, wellness, lifestyle, or specific verticals, prioritize these.
#SiteDATypeFocusLink Type41MindBodyGreen.com82Pitch requiredHealth / WellnessDoFollow42Well+Good79Pitch requiredWellness / FitnessDoFollow43TinyBuddha.com72Pitch requiredPersonal DevelopmentDoFollow44PositivelyPresent.com48Pitch requiredMindfulnessDoFollow45LifeHack.org80Pitch requiredProductivity / LifeDoFollow46Pick the Brain58Pitch requiredSelf-improvementDoFollow47The Good Men Project72Free / PitchCulture / LifestyleDoFollow48ElephantJournal.com72Free submissionMindfulness / YogaDoFollow49Thrive Global74Pitch requiredWellness / WorkDoFollow50A Fine Parent50Pitch requiredParentingDoFollow
MindBodyGreen and Thrive Global both have strong editorial teams and reject most pitches. When you do get published, the backlink is extremely valuable because these sites have loyal readerships and high engagement metrics that Google rewards.
Additional Article Directories Worth Submitting To
These are smaller or more niche directories that still provide value when used as part of a diversified article submission strategy.
#SiteDATypeFocusLink Type51GoArticles.info42FreeGeneralDoFollow52ArticleSphere.com40FreeGeneralDoFollow53SubmitYourArticle.com38FreeGeneralDoFollow54TheFreelibrary.com72FreeReference / ArticlesDoFollow55Buzzle.com57FreeGeneralDoFollow56ArticleAlley.com45FreeGeneralDoFollow57PUBhtml5.com55FreeDigital PublishingDoFollow58Issuu.com92FreeDigital PublishingDoFollow59SlideShare.net95FreePresentations / DocsDoFollow60Scribd.com93FreeDocuments / ArticlesDoFollow
Issuu, SlideShare, and Scribd deserve special attention. While technically document-sharing platforms rather than article directories, they accept long-form content in PDF or presentation format and provide dofollow links from DA 90+ domains. Repurposing your blog articles as PDF guides or slide decks for these platforms is a low-effort way to earn high-authority backlinks.
How to Write Articles That Get Accepted
The biggest mistake people make with article submissions is treating them like an SEO task rather than a content task. Editors at high-DA sites reject 80-90 percent of pitches, and the ones they reject all share the same problems: thin content written purely for the backlink, topics that have been covered a thousand times with nothing new to add, and obvious self-promotion disguised as helpful advice.
Write for the audience of the target site, not for your own website. Study the site's existing content to understand their tone, depth, and formatting preferences. Pitch a specific topic with a clear angle — not just a vague offer to write something. Include data, examples, or original insights that the site's existing content does not cover. The backlink should be a natural part of the content, not the reason the content exists.
Article Submission vs Other Link Building Methods
Article submission is one piece of a complete link building strategy, not the whole thing. It works best when combined with other approaches like niche edits, broken link building, HARO responses, and digital PR. Relying exclusively on article submissions creates a backlink profile that looks one-dimensional to Google.
The advantage of article submissions is control. You write the content, you choose the anchor text, and you decide where the link points. The disadvantage is time — writing unique, high-quality articles for 10-20 different sites is a significant content investment. This is where working with a service like Backlink Management becomes practical. Instead of spending weeks pitching and writing articles for individual sites, you get editorial placements on high-authority sites with the contextual relevance and natural placement that Google rewards.
Common Mistakes That Waste Your Time
The first mistake is submitting the same article to multiple sites. [Duplicate content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/canonicalization) gets rejected by any site with editorial standards, and even if it gets published, Google will only index one version and ignore the rest. Every submission needs to be a unique piece of content.
The second mistake is targeting quantity over quality. Publishing on 30 DA-20 article directories gives you less ranking power than a single placement on a DA 70+ site. Focus your effort on the highest-authority sites in your niche first. The third mistake is ignoring the nofollow attribute. Some sites on this list only provide nofollow links, which pass minimal direct SEO value. Use our free [dofollow link checker](/tools/dofollow-link-checker) to verify the link attribute after publication. These links still have branding and referral traffic value, but if your primary goal is link equity, prioritize sites that offer dofollow links within the article body.
Tracking Your Article Backlinks
After submitting articles, you need to verify that your links are live, indexed, and passing equity. Use a [backlink monitoring tool](/blog/backlink-monitoring-tools) to check that each placement is still active 30, 60, and 90 days after publication. Sites occasionally remove older guest posts, change links to nofollow, or restructure their content in ways that break your links. Once you're tracking more than a handful of placements, centralize the data in a dedicated backlink manager instead of a spreadsheet — it removes the manual recheck step entirely.
Set up [Google Search Console](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9044175) to monitor your referring domains and see which article placements are actually being crawled and credited by Google. Not every published link gets indexed — some sites use rendering configurations or JavaScript that prevent Google from seeing external links. Check each placement manually by searching for the exact URL in Google to confirm it is indexed and your link appears in the cached version.
Building a Long-Term Article Submission Strategy
The most effective approach is to submit 2-4 high-quality articles per month to sites in the DA 50-90 range. This pace is sustainable without burning out your content team and produces a steady accumulation of backlinks that looks natural to Google. Batch your efforts — spend one week researching and pitching, one week writing, and two weeks following up and tracking results.
Keep a spreadsheet tracking every submission: the site, DA at time of submission, article title, link URL, anchor text, publication date, and current status. This prevents you from accidentally pitching the same site twice and helps you measure which types of sites and content produce the most ranking impact over time. Over 6-12 months, a consistent article submission strategy combined with other link building methods creates a backlink profile that competitors cannot easily replicate.