The most expensive backlink on WhitePress? A Forbes placement listed at £52,000. Nobody has bought it yet. 💸
At the Chiang Mai SEO conference, the day after we met at a party with Charles Floate, I sat down with Steven, Head of English Markets at WhitePress. 🎙️
We talked about how the platform works, its free outreach service, the Forbes story, and how he builds relationships with SEO’s top names. 🔗
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🔗 What WhitePress is
- 🆓 Free outreach for links not on the platform
- 💷 The £52,000 Forbes link
- 🤝 How to build relationships with SEO’s top dogs
- 🛥️ SEO Vibes Dubai
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🔗 What WhitePress Is
WhitePress is “quite simply a link building platform” operating in about 30 markets, with what Steven calls the biggest inventory and quickest turnaround times. Big brands and agencies use it. 🌍
It’s been around 11 years, with 200 people and physical offices worldwide. The inventory was about 87,000 websites, with 500–600 new sites onboarded every month in every language. 📈
In “the messy world of link building,” people trust it for its transparency: SEO metrics, data, analytics and editorial guidelines are visible, and there are no contracts. 🔍
For the company’s backstory, read my interview with WhitePress International CEO Tomasz Domanski. 🔗
🆓 Free Outreach for Links Not on the Platform
A big differentiator: if a site isn’t on the platform, send a list (say, 20 sites) to your account manager. WhitePress does the outreach and comes back within about two weeks. 📬
Clients don’t have to do outreach, negotiate, or hire a team, and WhitePress doesn’t charge for the outreach itself. It hopes for about 50% conversion on the list, and that’s where it earns. 💼
💷 The £52,000 Forbes Link
The most expensive listing is forbes.com at £52,000. “No one bought it… it’s just like a shining star.” ⭐
Why list it? Many people claim they can get a Forbes link for £3,000–4,000. Forbes used to accept sponsored and guest posts years ago, and old data still circulates. Steven has even offered such sellers £10,000 to prove it, plus a revenue share. 🧐
He says WhitePress has a personal relationship with Forbes’s editorial team, and that six months earlier Forbes stopped accepting guest or sponsored posts from anyone else. It’s also a memorable story: “they got Forbes for £52,000.” 🏷️
For more on links, read Charles Floate on parasite SEO and authority. 🔗
🤝 How to Build Relationships With SEO’s Top Dogs
“That’s where all the best relationships are made: over a drink.” A month after joining, he started attending SEO conferences. Clients there referred him to bigger names. 🍻
After that first connection, “it all comes down to your own personality”: how engaging and funny you are, whether you make sense, and what trust or benefit you bring. Top SEOs want value and respect. 🤝
Swap a few messages after meeting, and “they’re almost your mates,” not just a business relationship. That’s the power of networking I’ve seen over 10 years too. 🌱
For more on conference networking, read Jabez Reuben on being shameless as an introvert. 🔗
🛥️ SEO Vibes Dubai
Steven was promoting SEO Vibes Dubai (February 22–24, 2024): AI-themed, limited to about 100 people, with a five-hour luxury yacht networking session and speakers including Kyle Roof and Charles Floate as keynote. 🛥️
The idea: when top SEOs recommend your agency or brand after building trust, “that is worth gold.” 🏆
That event has passed. To explore the platform, visit WhitePress. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Steven (WhitePress) Interview
- 🔍 Transparency builds trust in link building
- 🆓 Ask platforms to do outreach for sites they don’t list
- 🧐 Be skeptical of cheap “Forbes link” offers
- 🍻 Real relationships start in person and continue with follow-up
- 🤝 Offer value and respect to top experts
❓ FAQs About Steven
What is WhitePress?
A link building and content marketing platform operating in about 30 markets, with around 87,000 sites in its inventory at the time of this interview.
Does WhitePress charge for outreach?
According to Steven, outreach to sites not on the platform is free. WhitePress earns when the placements convert.
How much is a Forbes backlink on WhitePress?
It was listed at £52,000, and Steven said no one had bought it.
How do you build relationships with top SEOs?
Meet them at conferences, be engaging and genuine, follow up, and offer value and respect.
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- Dixon Jones Talks About Link Building Strategies & Link Analysis
- Navneet Kaushal: Building a Million-Dollar SEO Agency and Life Lessons 🧐
Have you ever been offered a “cheap Forbes link”? Share this with someone about to buy one. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.