What we publish, and what we turn down

The link policy, in full

Every outbound link in a sponsored post carries rel="sponsored nofollow". This is applied automatically when the page renders, not when the post is saved — which means there is no version of this site where a paid link goes out unmarked, whoever edits what.

Google's link spam policy treats a paid link that passes ranking signal as spam, and penalises the site receiving it as well as the site hosting it. The attribute is what makes the placement safe for your domain. It is the product, not a restriction on it.

We do not remove the attribute later, and we do not offer a followed version at a higher price. There isn't one.

What you are buying

Readers, a permanent indexed page, and a citation you can point at. Our audience is people working on search, video and marketing. If your product is useful to them, a piece they read and act on is worth more than a link they never see.

What you are not buying is a ranking improvement. Anyone selling you that at any price is selling you a risk with a delay on it.

What gets accepted

• Something you learned by doing it — a migration, a test, a failure
• Numbers, screenshots, or an example we can check
• A position someone could reasonably disagree with
• Written for a reader rather than assembled around a keyword

What gets declined

Roughly a third of pitches. The most common reason is not spam — it is a piece that summarises what is already on the first page of search results. If the reader could have got it elsewhere, publishing it helps nobody, including you.

• Rewrites of existing top-ranking articles
• Links dropped into generic filler
• Anything promising guaranteed rankings, returns or results
• Content generated wholesale with no editorial pass

Topics we will not publish at any price

• Casinos, betting and gambling
• Payday loans and debt consolidation
• Adult content
• Prescription pharmaceuticals
• Cryptocurrency trading and investment advice
• Essay writing and academic services
• Anything promising guaranteed rankings or guaranteed returns

Not a judgement on those industries. These are the categories where paid placement damages a host site's standing with search engines, and where buyers are usually after exactly the ranking signal we do not sell.

Word counts and links by tier

• Standard — 700+ words, 1 sponsored link, live in 3 working days
• Featured — 1000+ words, 2 sponsored links, live in 4 working days
• Authority — 1500+ words, 3 sponsored links, live in 7 working days

We also check link density. Roughly one link per 300 words or better; beyond that the piece reads as an advert and readers stop, which defeats the point of paying for it.

Disclosure

Every sponsored post carries a visible notice above the content, naming the sponsor where one is given. The FTC requires disclosure to be clear and conspicuous, and putting it at the top rather than the foot is simply the honest version: a reader judging a recommendation should know before reading it.

Permanence

If we publish it, it stays. We do not remove posts after a period, and we do not quietly add attributes later — both of which are common enough elsewhere to be worth stating.

Editing

We edit for clarity, structure and accuracy. Substantive changes go back to you before publishing. We will not change what you are arguing, only how clearly it lands.