As we know Link Building also known as Inbound Links, is the process of gaining backlinks from other websites to your own website, assisting search engines in determining the significance and popularity of the information on your website.
However, it is essential to note that link building should be done in a natural and ethical manner, avoiding any spammy or black-hat practices that can result in fines or even getting your website blocklisted from search engines.
Building links is challenging, time-consuming, and even soul-crushing. This is the reason why many individuals turn to backlink buying. There is a lot of misunderstanding about this subject. Some argue that it’s a bad opinion that will harm your brand, while others believe it’s an excellent strategy to focus on.
If you know what you’re doing when purchasing backlinks, you may benefit from greater organic traffic, more relevant search results, and higher search engine ranks. But if you do it wrong, you can just be lining a site owner’s wallet without getting anything in return.
Buying backlinks is a way of paying for a link to your website from another website. The main aim of a link buyer while purchasing backlinks is to improve the ranking of their own website in SERPs, increase referral traffic, and generate leads. Paid links can come in many forms, like paid guest posts, paid link insertions, private blog networks, etc
Do people actually buy backlinks?
The answer is yes!
What is Link Buying?
Buying links (also known as purchased links) is the process of paying another website to include a link to your website on one of their pages. This is done in an effort to trick search engine algorithms to have a website appear more prominently on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Link buying was a common technique employed in the past by SEO experts to raise the ranking of websites. Search engines, however, are increasingly intelligent and penalize websites that use this type of approach, especially when using unethical SEO techniques like link scams.
Why Buy Backlinks?
Search engines interpret backlinks as an indication that other websites find your material interesting and relevant, which makes them crucial for search engine optimization (SEO). The authority and reliability of a website are evaluated by search engines using backlinks. Therefore, a large number of high-quality backlinks may help your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Buying backlinks may improve your website’s search engine ranking, authority, and overall online exposure. The following are some other reasons for buying backlinks:
- It saves time
- Boost Domain Authority
- Improve Search engine rankings
- Drives more traffic to your website
- Helps to get results faster
- Enhance Online Visibility
- Enhance client loyalty
- Speed up indexing
Let’s take a look at what Google says about buying backlinks!
Google does not appreciate it when people purchase backlinks or use any other strategy to manipulate search results. The practice of buying backlinks is not opposed by Google but it is against doing it in an unethical manner. Therefore, it’s important to understand Google’s stance on purchased links, since you don’t want to cross the line.
In its Webmaster Guidelines, Google makes it clear that it views purchasing or selling links as part of a link scheme.
According to Link Scheme, “Links that are part of a link scheme or that aim to influence PageRank or a site’s position in Google search results may be regarded to be against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any actions that affect links leading to or leaving your website.” As per Google’s original PageRank algorithm, Link building is one of the top three search ranking factors.
Google urges webmasters to concentrate on producing top-quality content that inevitably results in backlinks from other reliable websites. They advise website owners to stay away from using any strategies intended to intentionally increase the number of backlinks pointing to their site, such as link purchasing, link trading, and taking part in link schemes.
As per Google, the examples of link schemes that destroy the reputation of your site in SERPs include buying or selling links that pass PageRank.
Search engines including Google use links to determine the reputation of a website as link-based analysis is an extremely useful way of calculating a website’s value. Both the quality and quantity of links are important for rating. Some webmasters develop a practice of buying and selling links without taking into consideration the quality of the links, the sources, and the effect they will have on their sites.
However, as per Google, not all paid links violate their guidelines. It is a normal part of the economy of the web when buying and selling of links is done for advertising purposes and not to manipulate ranking in SERPs.
The below action needs to be taken as per Google’s guidelines:
Should You Buy Backlinks?
Although purchasing links for your website has the ability to improve its ranks, there are a number of drawbacks, the largest of which is the possibility of getting penalized by Google (since it is against their Webmaster Guidelines). Buying links with the intention of boosting or advertising your website is a risky practice.
Paid backlinks are the only option to acquire backlink placement in some businesses. Google prohibits the purchase of links, as experienced SEO Specialists and Link Builders are aware. It implies that if you pay for backlinks or offer discounts or items in exchange for mentioning your website on the Internet, you are engaging in sponsored posting.
To that end, sponsored link-building techniques must be used wisely and with the intention of benefiting readers.
Link Building Pricing
In 2016 and 2018, ahrefs conducted a study to find out the cost of buying links and they reached out to 630 blogs. It was found in their study that the average cost of buying a link was $352.92.
Why shouldn’t you risk your money buying backlinks?
It will seem attractive to give $XX and get a link. Since there will be no need to spend hours on research or customizing outreach emails or face rejections. It is not a good idea as it has its own disadvantages.
- You can buy links for a very less price
A website will not rank with a single link. Spending $362 on a link will literally burn your money fast. Actually, the links that are built via natural outreach are paid links too because outreach takes time and time is money. Now it is completely up to you whether you spend $360+ and buy a link or spend time and effort to earn a link ‘naturally’.
- Paid links are usually low-quality
If a website accepts links based on exchanging cash, it will end up linking to a lot of unrelated junk. It will create a bad link neighbourhood which is not good for your website’s reputation.
- You will receive a manual action
If your website is not in compliance with Google’s guidelines. There will be a drop in your search rankings and your site will be completely removed from Google. However, manual actions are rare nowadays and you can recover from manual actions.
Google will send you a warning in the search console. It will provide you with information about the types of pages that are affected. Google will also guide you on how you can fix the issues.
If you want Google to know about these links. You can bring it to their attention by using the paid links report option.
Are you planning to buy backlinks? Check out the Good and bad before you proceed
We will be discussing some ways in which you can buy backlinks and the risks and rewards of each one.
There are many freelance websites like Fiverr or PeoplePerHour which offer link-building services. Primarily they provide bad link-building services like they offer a large number of backlinks for a low price. Be careful when you are signing up before taking on one of these services as any service that offers many links for a low cost is taking shortcuts. Maybe using a black hat approach.
A good white hat approach is outreaching good websites, negotiating with site owners and creating high-quality content. Some freelancers also generate links using spammy forum sites. It is best to avoid such link-building services.
A. Niche Edits
Niche edits is a popular link-building service for SEO and have grown in popularity over the years. The major benefit of using niche edits is that you will be getting backlinks from aged content that has already built authority. It means your link will be getting more authority as compared to brand new backlinks acquired using other link-building methods.
The website owner will ask for payment to do this or you can offer payment in advance.
It is hard for Google’s algorithm to spot this type of backlink. If you are careful, it will be tough to differentiate a niche edit from an organic one. If a website owner is willing to link to your site for money.
You must be vigilant about how many other sites they have the same agreement with. But if these websites do it in excess then Google’s algorithm will detect this link farm and being associated with one of these sites can negatively impact your ranking in SERPs.
It is best to thoroughly analyze any website you plan to pay for niche edit links. Just make sure you buy only quality backlinks.
B. Choose Reliable Backlinks Services
One of the most effective and easiest ways to get backlinks is to buy them. You can order such links or buy them, for example, through various SEO agencies such as Marketing Lad or LinksManagement. By purchasing quality backlinks, you get the opportunity to:
- reach the top 10 in Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL and over 500 other search engines with lightning speed
- easily attract +30,000 monthly visitors to your website within the first 3-6 months
- make your backlink profile unbeatable
- increase your sales and site traffic 3-5 times in 60 days.
This way, you can be sure that your backlinks matter. Buying backlinks has been proven to be the fastest and most effective way to promote your website. If you combine organic free ways to get backlinks and the way of buying them, believe me, or not, you’ll be very impressed with the results.
C. Paid Guest Posts
Paid guest post is the guest post you write for another site. The site owners sometimes pay you in return for contributing content to their site. Sometimes they ask you to pay them for publishing your content. It is a good way to buy high-quality backlinks.
Although if you place a guest post on the wrong site, you will get a penalty. Also, you have to create the article which will add to your costs if you choose to outsource or take up time if you choose to write the post yourself. It has many advantages too as you might also find sites that won’t charge you. In many cases especially if you create good content already.
D. Sponsored Content
It is one of the ways to buy links that are completely safe. You can pay to place sponsored posts on websites. The difference from guest posts is the website owner will make it clear and keep the post as sponsored and give the link a rel=’’sponsored’’ or rel=’’nofollow’’tag.
This tag will make it clear to the Google algorithm that you have paid for the post. In that case, Google bots will not crawl the link. But these links are less valuable than regular follow links. You may generate traffic from the website and increase your brand exposure.
How Much Do Backlinks Cost?
Backlink costs can vary significantly based on a number of variables, including the authority of the website giving the backlink, the kind of backlink (e.g., dofollow or nofollow), the niche or business, and the particular SEO technique being used.
Cost of Different Link Types
Link Types | Information |
High Authority Do-Follow Links | Links from websites with a high domain authority are known as high authority do-follow links and convey link popularity to your website. The price may be $500 or higher. |
Niche Edits | Niche edits are a sort of backlink in which a link is added to existing material on a website rather than developing new content. Such a link can cost between $300 and $500 on average. |
Guest Posts | In order to develop links to your website, this link-building technique involves creating and posting material on another website or blog. This method has the benefit of giving you much more than simply a link. If you want a high-quality connection from a website with a high DR, use the Collaborator platform. Finding the ideal website to guest post on can help you build your backlink profile. |
Why Should You Pay for Backlinks?
Due to the importance of backlinks to organizations like yours, website owners charge for them. Your search engine rating may go up if you purchase backlinks, so long as you avoid getting identified. None would do it if the risk wasn’t worth it.
Placing a link on a website also requires time and work. Website owners believe that getting paid for the value they offer is only fair. Bloggers are one type of website owner that could demand money from you to include your hyperlink in their content.
If you’ve ever seen an ‘income report’ from a well-known blogger, you’ll note that sponsored posts account for a sizable amount of their money.
Bloggers Who Sell Backlinks
We found some bloggers who are earning an enormous amount of money each month via “sponsored posts“.
1. Fitmommyinheals.com
Here is a blogger who made a mind-blowing $9500 from sponsored posts in a single month!
2. Wanderluststorytellers.com
This independent travel blogger’s revenue report is much more modest. Even yet, making $1,000 a month from sponsored articles isn’t terrible.
3. Fitnancials.com
This personal finance and money blogger said that she made $4,612, with sponsored posts being her main source of income.
The motive is quite evident from the above. In order to generate money and, in many cases, to realize their ambition of working from anywhere in the world as a digital nomad, bloggers, and content websites rely on the link-building business.
A website that links to another website in its content transfers PageRank to that website. Due to the increased likelihood that the site they link to would rank for rival keywords, their own SEO efforts will be more challenging.
What is PageRank?
Google has put in place an algorithm like this to help them assess the overall authority of a website and a web page.
Based on a website’s usefulness and relevance to users, PageRank, a number between 0 and 10, is given to it.
What Is a Blogger Income Report?
The amount of money a blog earns from advertising, affiliate links, web hosting fees, and sponsored content is shown in blog income reports.
The Risks of Buying Backlinks
That is the most often-asked question concerning links. You must understand exactly what a purchased backlink is in order to respond to it. A link is considered to be a paid link whenever money, goods, or services are exchanged in return for it.
The practice of exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links, exchanging goods or services for links, or sending someone a ‘free’ product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link is frowned upon by Google.
It’s not always a good idea to purchase backlinks. There are risks especially if you don’t have a reliable SEO plan or experienced link builders working for your business. There are two key reasons to avoid purchasing backlinks.
1. Purchasing Low-Quality Links from Spammy Sites
Some bought links, such as those sold on forums or directories, are openly ignored by Google and other search engines as black hat SEO practices, which means you’re unlikely to profit much from them.
Paying for links on less reputable sites or sites with a low domain ranking will not help you either. While the possibilities of such connections flipping around and harming your rating aren’t very huge, you’ll be wasting your money at best.
2. Google May Take Manual Action Against you
This occurs when a human reviewer determines that one or more of your website’s pages violates Google’s standards. This might cause your website’s traffic to collapse, which would be very difficult to recover from. Your website can possibly be totally deleted from Google.
However, today’s link spam manual operations are quite uncommon. Google is just becoming more skilled at simply disregarding any spam or poor links.
How to Buy Backlinks Safely?
Let’s be clear about what you shouldn’t do if you’re thinking about purchasing backlinks:
- Don’t purchase backlinks from Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, or any other website offering cheap tasks. The cost is low for a reason. Such websites almost usually sell links that are poisonous link spam that causes more harm than benefit.
- Don’t purchase backlinks from any kind of link network, such as private blog networks (PBNs), or from any website that openly sells links. These kinds of sponsored links get a rather harsh smack from Google if they can find them.
These link-building experts might offer a risk that is far larger than any potential profit.
While buying backlinks can be an efficient approach to boosting your website’s rating, it is important to do so securely and responsibly. Here are some ideas to help you acquire backlinks properly:
1. Is the Site Trustworthy?
Do you think the website appears trustworthy based on your initial impressions? If you landed on the page, would you stay and read it? If the response is no, it is usually not worthwhile to follow the link.
Here are a few indications of a questionable website in case you’re having trouble responding:
- A poor design
- No connections inside the text
- The text contains no graphics.
- Author biographies that are unclear or absent
2. Is the Site Selling Links?
Never attempt to obtain links from sites with clear link dealers since a Google penalty is not far behind. The links you obtained from the websites will then lose their value or worse.
By looking at recent articles for weirdly placed links with profitable keywords in their anchors, you can typically detect if a website has been selling links.
3. Avoid Purchasing Low-Quality or Quantity Links
The quality of the website from which you wish to obtain links determines whether or not you should purchase backlinks. This is true of all link development strategies, not just link buying.
It is impossible for Google and other search engines to tell for sure if a link was purchased or not. All they have are clues that a site is paid for links. If the search engine decides it doesn’t like a site that connects to yours, you might face a penalty, regardless of whether you paid for the link.
Before you pay for any link, you should thoroughly research the website in the issue. Look for unique material of good quality, as well as flexibility regarding who owns or controls the site, how much traffic it receives, and if it has an active audience.
If the website you wish to connect from satisfies these requirements, you can think about paying for a link. You should stay away from it if it doesn’t.
4. Keep an Eye on Your Link Profile
It’s important to constantly check your backlink profile to make sure you aren’t purchasing spammy or low-quality backlinks. To keep an eye on the quality of your backlinks and get rid of any bad ones, use a backlink checker tool. You can use Google search console, Semrush, or Ahrefs.
Conclusion
Buying backlinks may either make or kill your business, so be sure you follow the regulations. To make sure you’re getting the greatest sponsored links, though, and prevent a Google penalty, there are a few things you can do.
It’s important to develop an action plan before investing in backlinks that involves choosing the sites and keywords you want to target, ranking them in order of importance, and looking into your competition. Always keep in mind that not all backlinks are made equally, thus it’s essential to make sure the backlinks you buy will actually help your website.
If you don’t purchase links in an effort to trick Google’s algorithm, everyone benefits. If you adhere to a strict link selection procedure and criteria, buying backlinks may be quite advantageous. There is no need to distinguish between a sponsored and natural connection when careful link-building is used.
We have given an overview of whether you should buy backlinks or not. Although the success rate is high, the threat of a Google penalty is quite significant. Before buying backlinks you should carefully analyze the website.
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