write for us
Your work deserves the readers who will use it. Share what you have learned in Gulf search with the marketers who shape it.
read by the people who do the work
Our readers run SEO, paid search and content for brands across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. They read to act, not to scroll.
your name on it, everywhere it travels
Every article carries your byline and links to your own author page: your photo, your bio, your expertise and everything you write with us.
a link back to your work
Your author bio includes a followed link to your website or profile, so readers who like your thinking can find you.
featured in the weekly brief
Strong pieces go out in The Gulf Search Brief, our Thursday newsletter, and across our channels.
edited, never rewritten
An editor works with you on structure, sources and clarity. Your voice and your argument stay yours.
how it works
From first idea to published article in four steps, usually within three weeks.
- 01step onepitchSend a working title and a few lines on the angle with the form below. No finished draft needed.
- 02step tworeviewAn editor replies within five working days: yes, yes with changes, or not this time and why.
- 03step threewrite and editYou write the draft, usually 1,200 to 2,000 words. We edit for structure, sources and clarity, and agree every change with you.
- 04step fourpublishWe publish with your byline and author page, feature it in the newsletter and send you the link to share.
the brief
what makes a strong pitch
We publish practical, evidence-led writing for search marketers in the Gulf. These five things decide most of our answers.
first-hand experience
You did the work.
Tests you ran, audits you led, campaigns you managed. We favour practitioners writing about their own work in the region, with results and lessons, including what did not work.
made for the Gulf
Regional, not generic.
Arabic search behaviour, local results pages, Ramadan and White Friday seasonality, data protection law, regional platforms. If an article could run unchanged on any global blog, it is not for us.
evidence you can show
Sources and numbers.
Cite data, link primary sources, and add screenshots or charts where they help. We check facts before we publish, as set out in our editorial standards.
original and exclusive
Written for us, by you.
Articles must be unpublished elsewhere and written by you. AI tools may help you research or edit, but the thinking and the words must be yours.
teach, do not sell
No sales pitch.
No promotional copy, paid links or link insertions. Mention your own product only where it genuinely helps the reader, and say that it is yours.
topics we want
We commission across eight beats. Read a few recent pieces in yours before you pitch.
pitch us
tell us what you know.
A working title and a few lines on the angle are enough to start. An editor replies within five working days.
what we look for
- first-hand work from the Gulf: tests, audits, campaigns, data
- something a marketer can use on Monday morning
- Arabic, English or bilingual angles
- sources and numbers we can check
Frequently asked questions
Do you pay contributors?
We do not pay for articles. Contributors get a byline, an author page, a followed link in their bio and promotion in our newsletter.
Can I link to my company in the article?
Your bio carries one followed link. Links inside the article must help the reader, and we may remove or change any that read as promotional.
Do you accept sponsored posts or paid links?
No. We never sell links, and contributed articles are never paid placements.
Can I write in Arabic?
Yes. We publish in Arabic and English. Pitch in either language and tell us which one you would like to write in.
How long should an article be?
Most run 1,200 to 2,000 words. Depth and usefulness matter more than length.
Can I republish my article elsewhere?
After 30 days you may republish it on your own site, with a canonical link to the original on Gulf Search Central.
What if my pitch is not accepted?
We reply to every pitch. If it is not right for us we say why, and you are welcome to pitch again.