When the page is published somewhere you can't edit

Not every page you can offer a partner is a page you can edit. A guest post you wrote for another site is still your work, it still carries your byline, and a link in it is still worth something. What you cannot do is log in and add that link yourself. You have to ask whoever runs the site.

Rankbank has a small, specific tool for exactly that: a one-click page you send to the publisher, showing them precisely what would change.

When this comes up

It starts when a page is added to an inventory. On the A page I published elsewhere tab in pages you share, one question decides everything: Who can change that page?, answered either "I can edit it directly" or "The publisher makes changes".

That answer travels with the page. Anyone browsing your shared pages sees a chip saying which it is, and a partner picking such a page at step one of the builder sees it too. At the review step they get told outright: "This page is published on someone else's site, and its publisher has to apply the change. Your partner will pass the request on — it usually takes a little longer than a page they run themselves."

So by the time a request for one of these pages reaches you, nobody is surprised. You accept the request as normal with I'll add this, and then, instead of editing a page you cannot edit, you send the publisher a link.

Creating the link

On the request page, a panel appears titled Is this page published somewhere you can't edit? with the explanation "Send the publisher this link. It shows them exactly what changes and takes one click to answer — no account needed."

Press Create a link for the publisher. A web address appears in the box above the button, and the request moves to Waiting on the publisher. The status line becomes "Waiting on the publisher of that page. We'll pick it up the moment they confirm." On the requester's side it reads "They've agreed, and the page's publisher has to make the change. We'll tell you when it's in."

What the publisher sees

They open the address in any browser. There is no sign-up, no login, and no account of any kind. The page is deliberately plain, because the person reading it has no idea what Rankbank is and does not need to.

The heading is A link request for a page you publish, followed by "Someone whose article you publish has agreed to add a link to it. Here is exactly what would change."

Then a short list:

• The page: the article's address, clickable.
• Sentence to add, or Words that become a link depending on which kind of change was agreed.
• Linking to: the destination.
• Their note, if one was written.

Below that, one field and two answers. The field is Where the link ended up, pre-filled with the page address, with the hint "Only change this if you put it on a different page."

I've added this link is the button. "I can't make this change" is a plain text link underneath, and it is a real answer rather than a dead end.

Everything a person needs to make a decision is on that one screen. That is the point of it. The alternative is a paragraph of explanation in an email and a screenshot that is out of date by the time it is read.

What each answer does

I've added this link records the confirmation and shows "Thank you — that's recorded. Nothing else is needed from you." Back in Rankbank the link is treated as live at whatever address they gave, the first check runs, and once it passes the link is verified and monitored like any other. The person who asked is notified with "Your link went live".

I can't make this change shows "Noted — we've told them you can't make this change." The requester gets a notification: "The publisher couldn't add that link — {page} is published elsewhere, and they've said no. You may want to offer a different page." Nothing is left hanging, and the honest outcome is recorded rather than a request quietly rotting.

If they open the page after it has already been answered, they see the same confirmation message rather than being asked twice.

Expiry, and making a new link

The link is time limited. It lasts about two weeks from the moment you create it, and it can never be made to last longer than thirty days.

An expired link shows "This request expired. Ask whoever sent it to you to send a new link." A link that was never valid, or was replaced, shows "This link isn't valid any more. Ask whoever sent it to you for a fresh one."

Both are fixed the same way. Go back to the request and press Make a new link, which is what the button says once one has been created. A fresh address appears, and the previous one stops working.

If it never happens

Publishers are busy and some will simply not reply. Nothing breaks. The request stays at Waiting on the publisher and no link is created, because no link exists.

The graceful exit is to tell your partner and offer something else. You can accept a request on a different page any time, and the ledger keeps the record straight either way. See the partner ledger and asking a partner for a link.

For the wider picture on pages published elsewhere, including how guest posts end up in your inventory in the first place, see guest posting on Rankbank.