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How can I genuinely approach high-authority websites for backlinks?
Posted by on November 10, 2025 at 11:57 amHi, I have been working in SEO for the past two years, focusing mainly on keyword research and improving factors related to Google’s E-E-A-T principles. Until now, I have built basic backlinks through free and easily available platforms such as profile submissions, image sharing, social bookmarking, and blog posts.
Now, I am planning to take my link-building strategy to a higher level by earning backlinks from high-authority websites like The Times of India, Cambridge, Forbes, and other reputable platforms. I assume the prices would be quite high if I want to earn backlinks from such sites. While checking on AIO, I found that many high-authority sites are listed with backlink options priced max USD 100.
My main question is how to approach or contact high-authority sites for backlinks since directly asking for link placement is not that easy. I believe the best way might be through editors or backend sources. I would appreciate experts's insights or suggestions on how to move forward effectively.
TIA
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1 Reply
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I would approach them cash in hand.
This is the irony, nobody wants to upset Google, but, all these big powerful websites sell backlinks.
No punishment from Google.
Why not set your sights lower, to your peers, and get links from them, and give links to them.
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Acc. to my experience, high-authority links usually come from relationships, not cold pitches. Start by building genuine connections..engage with journalists, editors, or contributors on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit & similar platforms. Offer expert quotes or data they can use in their stories instead of asking for links directly. HARO, SourceBottle, and Qwoted are great for that. Tbh paid placements on big sites under $100 are almost always junk or PBNs… skip those and aim for earned mentions that actually move the needle. Try to do 1:1 collaboration, If your site has decent authority and it will work brilliantly my friend..
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Even I’m on the same journey of securing quality backlinks and high-DA placements. SEO has evolved, and we’re seeing that even sites with lower DA are being surfaced in LLMs. That’s why many of us are shifting our focus away from chasing Domain Authority alone and toward creating relevant, user-focused content that resonates with the business’s local audience.
(Based on competitive analysis, I found this isn’t happening for me, which is why I’m rethinking my approach).
Earning backlinks from truly high-authority sites is still one of the toughest challenges in 2025. In most cases, it requires direct outreach to editors. And because those sites already carry strong authority, they’re selective—they want to link to brands with credibility, demonstrable value, and content that aligns with what they already publish.
My advice: focus on producing high-quality, localized content that genuinely helps users. Build your brand, expand your presence, and earn citations in LLMs. Once your brand authority grows, the high-DA backlinks tend to follow naturally.
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I honestly believe you don’t need to place your links on those high authority sites. Even if you get a site half their authority but with good relevance, you would be able to rank much better. Also I don’t believe content is king, you can’t really maintain the authority if website without having validation from other sites. That is why I believe you should invest in some as it is a necessary evil.
I own some low OBL PBNs myself and only link to the people who want long-term partnership, and it actually worked great. So I believe if you find a trustable partner, there is nothing wrong in spending a couple bucks for the sake of maintenance of your backlinks.
You can’t really go that far on free stuff!
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You can first try to contact them “organically”, by interacting with them in public. When you post to their socials you can get your foot in the door, and you get confirmation that they can see you before dropping the guest post, this way you can be more sure that they are seeing your pitch.
That could work for niche authority sites but for the real authority sites you will need to be paying, unless they offer writer accounts. Getting a writer account for one or two posts isn’t likely to be worth the effort so for places like The Times, Forbes etc, you may have to consult with the usual link / guest post buying marketplaces, icopify, adsy for example.
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Don’t overcomplicate things. Be ready to approach them with a fee, it will usually be well worth it if you are picking the right websites.
Look for websites that have a business purpose first and foremost, not running a website for the sole purpose of building/selling backlinks.
There are platforms out there that streamline this and yes, I run one of them for full transparency.
The easier you can make it on both parties the better. From drafting content, approving content, how much they want to charge.. all of the back and forth adds friction and the response rate drops off very fast.
If they can just do a niche edit and you have the article already picked out where you want them to add your link, that is the easiest thing you could ask for..
Good luck!
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