How To Use 2 Google Search Operators To Find Unlimited Guest Post Opportunities and Build Backlinks For Free

Gustavo Grossi ·

TL;DR

Two Google search operators can replace your entire guest post prospecting and content ideation workflow for free. The first (your niche intitle:"write for us") finds blogs actively accepting guest articles, and the second (site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your niche "how do I") mines real questions people are asking so you know EXACTLY what to write about. Combine them into a repeatable weekly system and you’ll earn 4+ quality backlinks per month without spending a dollar on outreach tools.

In This Post You’ll Learn

Guest posting is not dead. It never died.

What died was the lazy version. The 300-word throwaway articles on spammy directories with keyword-stuffed anchor text. Google buried those in 2014 and never looked back.

Real guest posting, where you write genuinely useful content for respected sites in your industry, is still one of the highest-ROI link building tactics available. And it’s free.

Here’s why it works so well.

Every guest post you publish earns you a backlink from a site that already has domain authority. According to Moz’s guide to link building, backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites remain one of Google’s strongest ranking signals. One quality guest post backlink can move the needle more than 50 directory submissions.

But backlinks are just the start.

A guest post also puts your name in front of a new audience. It builds credibility. It gives you content to share on LinkedIn and social media. It creates a relationship with the blog’s editor (which leads to more opportunities down the road).

The problem has always been prospecting. Finding blogs that actually accept guest posts takes hours of manual searching. Most people give up before they find 5 good targets.

That’s why the tactic I’m about to show you is so powerful.

It turns guest post prospecting into a 10-second Google search.

[SCREENSHOT 1: A Google search results page showing generic results for “marketing blogs” with no clear way to identify which ones accept guest posts. Caption: “Searching for blogs the normal way gives you zero signal on who accepts guest posts. The search operator changes that.”]

The Google Search Operator That Finds Guest Post Opportunities in 10 Seconds

This is the core hack. One Google search operator. Copy it, customize it, run it.

Here’s the formula:

your industry intitle:"write for us"

That’s it. Replace “your industry” with whatever niche you’re in. Google’s intitle: operator forces the results to only show pages that have “write for us” literally in their page title.

These are pages that EXIST specifically to invite guest contributors.

Let’s say you’re in the fitness industry. You’d search:

fitness intitle:"write for us"

And Google will return dozens of fitness blogs with dedicated “Write for Us” pages. Each one is a blog that wants your content. Each one is a potential backlink.

[SCREENSHOT 2: Google search results page for ‘fitness intitle:”write for us”’ showing multiple blogs with “Write for Us” pages. Caption: “Every result here is a fitness blog actively looking for guest contributors. That’s your prospecting list, built in 10 seconds.”]

Here are more examples you can copy and run right now:

  • SaaS: SaaS intitle:"write for us"
  • Ecommerce: ecommerce intitle:"write for us"
  • Personal finance: personal finance intitle:"write for us"
  • Digital marketing: digital marketing intitle:"write for us"
  • Real estate: real estate intitle:"write for us"

You can also swap in variations of the phrase to cast a wider net:

  • your industry intitle:"contribute"
  • your industry intitle:"guest post guidelines"
  • your industry intitle:"submit a guest post"
  • your industry inurl:write-for-us

The inurl: variation catches pages where “write-for-us” is in the URL slug even when it’s absent from the title. According to Google’s advanced search operators documentation, combining operators like intitle: and inurl: lets you filter results with surgical precision.

Run 3-4 of these variations and you’ll have 50+ potential guest post targets in under 5 minutes.

[SCREENSHOT 3: A Google search for ‘digital marketing intitle:”guest post guidelines”’ showing different results than the “write for us” search. Caption: “Swapping in ‘guest post guidelines’ returns a completely different set of blogs. Use multiple variations to build a bigger list.”]

How To Filter Your Results For Quality Sites Only

Not every “write for us” page is worth your time. Some sites are low-quality link farms that will do more harm than good.

Here’s how to quickly separate the winners from the duds.

Check their traffic. Plug the site into a free tool like Ahrefs’ free website checker or Similarweb. If the site gets zero organic traffic, skip it. You want sites that actually have readers.

Read their recent posts. If the last article was published 8 months ago, the blog is dead or dying. If the posts are 200-word filler pieces, the site has no editorial standards. Move on.

Check for real engagement. Look at comments, social shares, or even just whether the blog looks professionally maintained. A blog that cares about quality will produce better backlinks.

Look at their domain authority. A DA of 30+ is a solid target for most niches. Anything above 50 is a home run.

The takeaway: Spend 30 seconds vetting each site before you pitch. Three guest posts on quality sites beat 30 guest posts on garbage sites. EVERY time.

[SCREENSHOT 4: Side-by-side comparison of two “write for us” pages. One from a clean, professional blog with recent posts, and one from a spammy-looking site with no recent content. Caption: “Quality check takes 30 seconds. The site on the left is a backlink goldmine. The site on the right is a waste of your time.”]

How To Mine Reddit and Quora For Guest Post Topics People Actually Care About

Now you have a list of blogs to pitch. But what do you write about?

Most people brainstorm in a vacuum and pitch topics that nobody cares about. That’s why their pitches get ignored.

Here’s the second Google search operator hack. It finds topics that real people in your industry are ALREADY asking about.

site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "how do I" OR "why does"

This search tells Google to only show results from Reddit and Quora where people are asking “how do I” or “why does” questions about your industry.

These are real questions from real people. Not keyword suggestions from a tool. Not brainstormed ideas from a whiteboard. Actual problems that humans typed out because they needed help.

Let’s see it in action. If you’re in the SaaS industry:

site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com SaaS "how do I" OR "why does"

[SCREENSHOT 5: Google search results showing Reddit and Quora threads about SaaS questions, with highlighted “how do I” and “why does” phrases visible in the snippets. Caption: “Every result is a question someone in your industry actually asked. These are proven content ideas.”]

The results will show you threads like:

  • “How do I reduce churn in my SaaS product?”
  • “Why does my SaaS trial conversion rate suck?”
  • “How do I get my first 100 customers for a B2B SaaS?”

Each of those threads is a guest post waiting to be written.

You can expand the search by swapping in other question phrases:

  • "how can I" for advice-seeking queries
  • "what is the best" for comparison and recommendation queries
  • "is it worth" for decision-stage queries
  • "tips for" for tactical, how-to queries

Turning Raw Questions Into Article Angles

A raw Reddit question like “How do I get backlinks without spending money?” is not a guest post title. But it IS the seed for one.

Here’s how to turn a raw question into a pitch-ready article angle:

Raw question: “How do I get backlinks without spending money?” Guest post angle: “7 Free Link Building Tactics That Actually Work in 2026”

Raw question: “Why does my email open rate keep dropping?” Guest post angle: “The 3 Deliverability Mistakes That Are Killing Your Email Open Rates”

Raw question: “How do I get more organic traffic to my Shopify store?” Guest post angle: “A Step-by-Step SEO Checklist for Shopify Store Owners”

Take the pain point. Add specificity (numbers, timeframe, format). Frame it as a solution.

The takeaway: Mine Reddit and Quora for proven pain points, then repackage them as actionable guest post topics. You’ll pitch articles that editors want to publish because their readers are already asking those exact questions.

[SCREENSHOT 6: A Quora thread showing a detailed question about a marketing problem, with multiple answers and upvotes visible. Caption: “Hundreds of upvotes and answers means hundreds of people care about this topic. That’s your signal to write about it.”]

Here’s the full system, from search to published backlink, in 5 steps.

Step 1: Build your prospecting list (5 minutes).

Run 3-4 variations of the intitle:"write for us" search for your industry. Open the top 20-30 results in new tabs. Quickly vet each one using the quality filters above. Add the good ones to a spreadsheet with columns for: Site Name, URL, DA, Contact Email, Status.

Step 2: Mine topics from Reddit and Quora (10 minutes).

Run the site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com search with 2-3 question phrase variations. Scan the first 2-3 pages of results. Copy the best 10-15 questions into your spreadsheet. Rewrite each one as a guest post angle.

Step 3: Match topics to sites and send pitches (15 minutes).

Look at each blog’s existing content. Find topics from your Reddit/Quora list that fill a gap on their blog. Write a short, personalized pitch email. Keep it under 150 words.

Here’s a pitch template that works:

Subject: Guest post idea: [Your Article Title]

Hi [Editor Name],

I’ve been reading [Blog Name] and noticed you cover [topic area] well. I’d love to contribute a guest post on [specific topic], covering [2-3 key points you’d cover].

I think this would resonate with your readers because [reason tied to their audience’s pain point, ideally referencing a Reddit/Quora thread you found].

Here’s a quick outline: - [Point 1] - [Point 2] - [Point 3]

I’ll include original data/examples and can turn it around in [timeframe]. Happy to adjust the angle based on your editorial calendar.

[Your name] [Your site]

Step 4: Write an article so good they’ll want you back (2-4 hours).

Don’t phone it in. This is your first impression with that blog’s audience.

Write something better than what’s already on their site. Use specific examples. Include data. Make it actionable. According to HubSpot’s guide to guest blogging, the best guest posts provide unique insights that the host blog’s regular contributors don’t cover.

Include your backlink naturally in the author bio or within the article body (wherever the site’s guidelines allow). One or two links to your site is standard. Don’t stuff 10 links and burn the relationship.

Step 5: Publish, share, and compound (10 minutes).

Once your guest post goes live, share it on LinkedIn. Tag the blog. Tag the editor if you’re connected.

This does three things at once:

  • Drives traffic to the guest post (which makes the editor happy and more likely to invite you back)
  • Builds your personal brand on LinkedIn (you’re now seen as someone who publishes on industry blogs)
  • Creates social proof for your next pitch (“I recently published on [Blog X]…”)

[SCREENSHOT 7: A LinkedIn post sharing a guest article, showing engagement (likes, comments) and tagging the host blog. Caption: “Every guest post you share on LinkedIn builds your authority and creates social proof for your next pitch.”]

The takeaway: The entire workflow, from prospecting to published backlink, takes less than half a day. Run it once a week and you’ll build 4+ quality backlinks per month. That’s 48 backlinks per year from a completely free system.

Most link building tactics are linear. You do the work, you get the link, you move on.

This system is different because it compounds.

Here’s what happens when you run this workflow consistently for 90 days.

Month 1: You publish 3-4 guest posts. You earn 3-4 backlinks. Your domain authority starts climbing. You share each one on LinkedIn and start building a reputation as a contributor.

Month 2: Editors from Month 1 invite you back. New editors discover your LinkedIn posts and reach out to YOU. You’re now getting inbound guest post invitations. Your prospecting time drops by half.

Month 3: Your site’s domain authority has visibly increased. Your own content starts ranking higher. The backlinks from Month 1 are fully indexed and passing link equity. You have a LinkedIn profile full of published guest articles that makes you look like an industry authority.

That’s the compounding loop. Backlinks boost your DA. Higher DA boosts your rankings. Published articles boost your credibility. Credibility brings more guest post invitations. More invitations mean more backlinks.

According to Search Engine Journal’s link building guide, guest posting is one of the only link building tactics that simultaneously builds backlinks, referral traffic, and brand authority. Most other tactics only do one of those things.

And the best part? The two Google search operators that power this whole system are COMPLETELY free.

No Ahrefs subscription. No SEMrush credits. No outreach tool fees. Just Google, a spreadsheet, and the willingness to write useful content for other people’s audiences.

[SCREENSHOT 8: A simple diagram or flowchart showing the compounding loop: Search Operators > Find Sites > Mine Topics > Pitch > Publish > Earn Backlink > Share on LinkedIn > Build Authority > Get Invited Back > Repeat. Caption: “The compounding backlink loop. Each cycle makes the next one easier.”]

The Cheat Sheet - Copy These Search Operators Right Now

Here are all the search operators from this article in one place. Copy, paste, replace “your industry” with your niche, and go.

For finding guest post opportunities:

  • your industry intitle:"write for us"
  • your industry intitle:"contribute"
  • your industry intitle:"guest post guidelines"
  • your industry intitle:"submit a guest post"
  • your industry inurl:write-for-us

For mining content ideas from Reddit and Quora:

  • site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "how do I"
  • site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "why does"
  • site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "how can I"
  • site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "what is the best"
  • site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com your industry "is it worth"

[SCREENSHOT 9: A clean Google search bar with one of the search operator strings typed in, ready to execute. Caption: “This is what it looks like. One search. Replace ‘your industry’ with your niche and hit Enter.”]

Go Land Your First Guest Post This Week

You now have the prospecting system (the intitle:"write for us" operator).

You have the content ideation system (the site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com operator).

You have the workflow (5 steps, half a day).

You have the pitch template.

The only thing left is execution.

Open Google right now. Type your industry followed by intitle:"write for us". Open the first 10 results. Vet them. Pick the best 3. Mine Reddit for a topic. Send a pitch.

One guest post per week. 4 backlinks per month. 48 per year. From a system that costs nothing and takes less time than most people spend arguing about SEO tools on Twitter.

Go make it happen.

Follow The Growth Hacker for more tested growth tactics. The kind you can run this week, not read about and forget.

Back to Blog