Everyone wants backlinks from high authority sites. In this article, we’ll explore why these links are so valuable for SEO and provide insight into how you can effectively earn them, challenging some common misconceptions along the way.

 

What is a High Authority Backlink?

 

A high authority backlink comes from a website with a strong Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR), usually considered to be above 70.

Sites with DA or DR scores above this range typically have a long history, a large number of high-quality inbound links, and established credibility in their field.

Securing backlinks from these high authority sites is important as they increase your site’s domain authority, improve search engine rankings and increase the overall credibility of your content.

In SEO, when people talk about the “authority” of a website, they are referring to its reputation as a trusted thought leader in its industry. Authority signals that a website is trustworthy, reliable and frequently referenced by others in its field.

Moz, a well-known SEO software company, introduced the Domain Authority (DA) metric, which ranks websites on a scale of 1 to 100. A higher score indicates a stronger domain authority. For example, large websites such as Facebook and Amazon have very high DA scores, often above 95.

While DA is widely recognized, many SEOs now prefer Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR) calculation. Like DA, DR measures a site’s backlink profile on a scale of 1 to 100, but is often considered more accurate and reflects actual link impact.

If you’re interested in improving your website’s DA, check out our guide: How to Increase Domain Authority.

 

How does Google Evaluate Link Quality?

 

Not all backlinks have equal weight. Google treats links from established, authoritative sites as a signal of trust, while less reliable sources have little impact.

Links to editorial content on sites like Vice or Business Insider have far more impact than links to a small personal blog. This is because Google prioritizes backlinks from sites with a strong reputation to help determine the credibility of your own site.

When your site earns many links from high authority sources, it signals to Google that your content is trustworthy and valuable, increasing your chances of a higher search ranking.

 

The Role of Domain Authority in SEO

 

Generally, higher DA or DR correlates to better visibility in search results, especially when combined with solid on-page SEO and a strong content strategy. Sites with higher authority are more likely to rank above competitors in competitive keyword searches.

As I said, there are always exceptions. SEO is multi-dimensional and although DA/DR is a strong indicator, content quality, user experience and technical SEO also play an important role in determining search rankings.

 

Why isn’t Domain Authority Everything?

 

 

SEO is full of exceptions. While sites with high DA often dominate the top positions on Google, there are many successful sites with lower authority scores that are still ahead of stronger domains. This is because Google cares as much about relevance as authority.

If your site attracts links from sites closely related to your industry, these signals can outweigh links from irrelevant high DA domains.

Another misconception is that low authority backlinks are “worthless”. In fact, a relevant, trusted, niche-specific link can be more valuable than an unrelated high-DA link. As long as the site is legitimate – not spam or black-hat – each new backlink contributes positively to your organic growth.

 

What Exactly are High Authority Backlinks?

 

High authority backlinks are simply links from sites that are widely trusted in their industries.

Generally, sites with a DA or DR score above 70 are considered to have high authority. But it varies from place to place.

For example, in the pet industry a DA55 site may be considered “high authority” because there are fewer large sites overall than in industries such as finance or marketing.

It is also important to remember that not all sites with a high DA are high quality. Some DA75 sites exist solely to publish paid posts, providing little real value. Authority metrics should be used as indicators – not as the final decision maker.

 

Quality over Quantity

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the link volume. Many SEO studies show that websites with more backlinks often receive more search traffic. But focusing only on volume can lead you to low-impact links.

The real value lies in strategically earning backlinks from the right places. One backlink from a reputable, truly authoritative site can outperform 5-10 mid-tier links from low-impact domains.

Use link gap analysis as a guide, but don’t treat it as a last resort. What matters most is the combination of:

 

• Relevance
• Reliability
• Editorial standards
• The quality of the content

When these pieces line up, even a handful of links can change rankings.

 

How to Earn High Authority Backlinks

 

Securing high authority editorial backlinks takes time and expertise – which is why professional link building services teams put so much effort into their processes. Below are several proven methods that still work exceptionally well in 2025.

 

1. High-quality Guest Posts

 

Guest posting remains one of the most reliable ways to earn exceptional backlinks when done at a premium level.

This is not about generic lists or low-value outreach emails. These include:

• Present unique, search-driven ideas
• Tailor each article to your publication’s audience
• Create content that actually improves the host site
• Provides high research value and original insight

When done correctly, this method can secure links from top publications. But the quality must be editorial – not outsourced, recycled or templated.

 

2. Tap and ask for journalists

 

Platforms like HARO connect journalists with experts. Writers at outlets like GQ, Vice or Business Insider often request quotes, data and commentary.

 

If your insight shows:

• You get a brand mention
• You earn high quality backlinks
• Your authority as a source increases

This method is scalable and excellent for building strong backlinks to home pages.

 

3. Smart, Ethical Link Exchange

 

Link exchanges still work – when done correctly and safely.

Most established brands understand the value of quality publicity, so they are often open to meaningful collaborations.

• A successful exchange requires:
• Relevance between the two sites
• Natural context
• Content of editorial quality
• A strategic approach that avoids Google’s flag pattern

 

When handled responsibly, it is one of the most underrated ways to earn good backlinks.

 

4. PR Outreach and Linkable Assets

 

This strategy is powerful but difficult to master. PR outreach is about creating content that naturally attracts attention, for example:

• Data report
• Trend study
• Curated industry insight
• Comparative research pieces

 

If executed well, these assets passively earn links over time. For example, curated statistics pages often attract journalists looking for a quick data reference.

The goal is to create evergreen, reference-worthy content that journalists, bloggers and publishers naturally cite.

 

5. Targeting Evergreen, Journalist-friendly Keywords

 

Journalists are constantly searching for industry statistics and data points. Creating content around these evergreen keywords will help you:

 

• Rank for journalist-driven queries
• Cite systematically
• Create authorization automatically

 

With the right initial outreach to give the site the first backlinks, the rest can snowball naturally.

 

HARO

 

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a platform that connects journalists with expert sources.

Writers at top publications like GQ, Business Insider, Vice and others often use HARO to solicit insights for their articles.

The process is simple:

 

• Journalists post the information or expert opinions they need, and you respond with your insights. If they choose your contribution, they will cite you in their article and link back to your site.
• This makes HARO a highly scalable way to earn authoritative backlinks to home pages.

 

Link Exchange and Swap

 

This strategy is often underrated, but when executed correctly, it is extremely effective and safe.

Most established websites have an SEO team that understands the value of quality backlinks. They know the importance of earning links and are usually willing to link – as long as your site is relevant, reliable and you return value.

You can do this:

 

• Link them to your website
• Or secure them a link from another site (for example, a guest post you’re working on).

 

This is a simple value exchange. However, you should be careful and creative – direct mass linking violates Google’s rules. Use a strategic, nuanced approach, as outlined in the link exchange guide.

 

PR Achievement of Linkable Properties

 

This is the most glorified link-building strategy, but it’s also the hardest to execute consistently.

It appears under different names – skyscraper technology, data-driven content, journalistic outreach, etc. – but the basic idea is the same:

 

Create Great Content and Put it in Front of the Right People.

 

If executed well, this method attracts high-authority editorial links from top publications.

A trending strategy is to create curated data reports by reusing existing public data in an engaging, informative way.

Example:

 

Fastmetrics compiled a list of global broadband speeds using publicly available data. Their site has now attracted hundreds of high authority backlinks – proving the power of smart content curation.

 

• For more inspiration on linkable properties, Ahrefs has an excellent guide.
• Target evergreen, journalist-friendly keywords
• PR becomes much easier when your content is built around topics that journalists are actively searching for.

 

Example:

 

You helped a client create a computerised page on “Marijuana Tax Revenue.” After getting the first 6-7 quality links through outreach, the page started to rank, and passive backlinks started coming in – because journalists often look for data on this topic.

 

Another excellent example is Junto Digital’s SEO Statistics report, which now has thousands of high authority backlinks.

This strategy helps you earn high authority passive links without constant outreach, which is the ultimate goal of link building.

 

What You Should Avoid

 

 

Link-building is a shady side of the world, with vendors selling “high authority links” to sites like the Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc. often charging $2000+ per link.

However, these are usually useless.

Here’s why:

 

• Huffington post
• In 2016, HuffPost no longer indexed all contributor articles that were not officially approved by editors.
• Meaning: 99% of contributor posts don’t show up in Google and have zero SEO value.
• Forbes and inc

 

These platforms added nofollow tags to most contributor links – meaning they no longer pass authority.

 

Buzzstream

 

Many people have contributor accounts, but all their content is set to noindex, so even though the link technically “dofollows”, Google completely ignores the page.

 

One seller even made £40,000 selling Buzzstream links that had no ranking value.

 

User-Generated Sites with High DA

 

Platforms like SelfGrowth.com have very high DA scores, but their content is user-generated, low quality, and loaded with outbound links – making those backlinks virtually worthless.

If you would like to explore our link-building strategies, workflow, or discuss earning high authority links the right way – please get in touch.

 

Conclusion

 

High authority backlinks are one of the most powerful ranking signals in SEO – but earning them requires strategy, consistency and real value creation. While metrics like DA or DR provide a useful benchmark, real authority comes from editorial trust, relevance and the quality of the link source.

 

Whether you’re building links through HARO, strategic exchanges, guest posting, or PR-driven content, the goal should always be the same:

Create something so valuable that reputable websites want to reference it.

 

Avoid shortcuts like low-quality contributor links or bloated DA sites that provide little or no real SEO value. Instead, invest your time in building relationships, creating link-worthy assets, and providing meaningful insights to reporters and editors.