Picking the right sites for link building

What are the most important metrics you look at when picking the websites for your guest posting or sponsored posts?

I want to start building links regularly for my newly launched website as soon as possible. I have a general idea of what to do, but I'd love to hear thoughts of others.

First and foremost, is the site ranking, and getting organic traffic (preferably from google)? If it's not ranking and getting traffic every other metric is pointless because it means one of these:

- the site is either penalized or in some sort of problem with google
- the site is fresh, so it most likely lacks authority, which means your backlinks will be useless for at least a few (3-4) months until - hopefully - the site starts getting links and building up its authority

If the site is in good standing with google (or gets organic traffic in some other ways, but still preferably from google), I will then look at these (in no particular order)

- DR
- number and quality of RDs
- number of OBLs on each page
- whether or not the OBLs are d0follow or nofollow
- niche relevancy
- trends for traffic, rankings, ranked keywords, and indexed / deindexed pages over the last 6 months

In my opinion, a healthy site isn’t just about numbers, it’s about trust and stability for sustainable link value. Focus on niche relevance, traffic trends, and stable keyword rankings. Check for regular content updates and a clean backlink history to ensure long term benefits.

DA(Domain Authority), PA(Page Authority), traffic and site relevance to your niche. Good luck with your website.

The main thing is the site’s relevance and whether it gets traffic from Google. That shows the website is healthy.

Then I check if it has any content related to casino, adult, CBD, or similar topics. If it does, it means the site is definitely selling links to anyone - and that’s definitely not what I’m looking for.

Finally, I look at things like DA, DR, and so on.

The spam score and what kind of posts are being posted in that website.
If it consists of low quality casino content or adult content then I don't have any use of it.

Look for a website that get real visitors. Focus on real traffic, niche relevance, and clean backlink profiles. And stay away from sites that look fake or low quality.

When it comes to picking the right sites for link building, I follow a few key filters that keep things clean and effective:

• Topical Relevance – If the site’s content isn’t related to your niche, the backlink might do more harm than good (or at best, nothing at all).
• Organic Traffic – I look for domains with consistent traffic, not just high DA/DR. Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush help spot real traffic vs inflated metrics.
• Link Profile Health – I avoid sites that are link farms or have spammy outbound link patterns. A strong link from a bad neighborhood can still hurt.
• Content Quality – If the site looks AI-spammed or has zero editorial control, I pass. It’s not worth risking manual penalties or wasted efforts.
• Indexing & Crawlability – No point getting a link on a page that’s not indexed or won’t be crawled. Always check with site: operator.

Bonus: I also check their outbound link ratio—if they link to 100 sites on a page, yours loses all value.

Quality > Quantity. Every time.

I mainly look at traffic quality, domain authority, and niche relevance. A clean backlink profile and real audience engagement matter too. Good luck with your new site!