Venturing into the realm of link building often brings forth the enticing prospect of purchasing backlinks. However, it’s natural to question the wisdom of such a decision and whether to embrace this approach or proceed with caution.
The power of backlinks: Why are they essential?
Let’s kick things off with the basics! Backlinks are one of the three most influential ranking factors.
However, backlink building is widely acknowledged as the toughest challenge in SEO. But fret not. You’re not alone in this struggle: 41% of experts believe backlink building is the hardest part of their efforts.
Consequently, a staggering 52.8% of respondents splash out $1,000 – $5,000 every month to amp up their link game. And there’s a reason behind it: having a solid backlink profile can seriously up the authority of a website.
According to research conducted by Ahrefs, a strong correlation exists between the number of referring domains to a webpage and its search engine ranking position.
But hold up, it’s not just about the quantity of links you’ve got. In fact, ten super-strong and influential links can outshine a thousand links you snagged through paid guest posts or link farms.
Why? Let’s check out what Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, has to say about it:
So, choose wisely and make those backlinks count!
What’s the deal with link buying?
Link building is an ongoing adventure in the digital realm, with two main types of links: organic and paid.
Organic links
Organic links are the golden nuggets you stumble upon naturally. They hold significant value for search engines.
There are some unsophisticated ways to acquire some. For example, you can get organic PR links for free by following the algorithm of providing expert answers to journalistic queries. Mostly, you will get links to the home page. Acquiring links to internal pages is a much more difficult task.
If you’re considering investing in backlinks, it’s safer to collaborate with an agency that has strong connections across various niches and specializes in acquiring organic links that search engines favor.
Let’s visit the first page of top-rated link-building agencies on Clutch. Here we can see the agency Editorial.Link with stellar reviews. Their team is renowned for securing links from reputable sites like g2.com, Hubspot.com, cloudways.com, clickup.com, monday.com, wordstream.com and similarweb.com by virtue of content marketing and connections. These sites don’t offer paid link placements, making the acquired links highly valuable and hard to obtain.
Remember:
The greater the challenge of acquiring a link from a specific site, the more valuable it becomes.
However, when choosing an agency, it is critical to do so carefully, focusing on specialists who:
- Strictly adhere to white-hat methods;
- Show you the websites from which you can receive links and provide you with the opportunity to approve them;
- Do not promise immediate results within a couple of days;
- Do not offer excessively low prices.
Paid links
Paid links provide an opportunity to acquire links through investments. There are many sites offering links for sale. Website owners have discovered the profitability of selling links, making it harder to obtain them without payment.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial to consider several “BUTs.” First, Google explicitly labels purchased links that pass PageRank as a link scheme, directly violating its Webmaster Guidelines.
If Google detects paid links to your website, you can expect one of two outcomes:
- The links are ignored and provide no boost to your search rankings.
- Your site may be penalized and disappear from Google’s search results.
Wrap your head around the intricate concept of PageRank, and you’ll quickly realize that most bought links have the potential to pass this ranking signal. As a result, your paid backlinks might have zero impact on your search rankings, rendering your investment utterly worthless.
Moreover, if a website sells links, it is likely flying under Google’s radar, and those links may eventually become ineffective.
Secondly, such blogs are often not picky about who they work with. A prime example is a blog with impressive metrics and a DR of 73, selling link placements to anyone without much scrutiny:
To check if a website is selling links, there is an excellent tool called Linkdetective.pro. Here’s how it works:
However, it is essential to consider the potential risks associated with such a strategy.
Exploring the link-building marketplace
Let’s take a stroll through the bustling realm of link-building services on Fiverr. A quick glance reveals a plethora of enticing offers boasting high-quality links at affordable rates. However, let’s pause for a moment before diving headfirst into these seemingly golden opportunities. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”
When you come across an outsourced link-building provider promising you tens of links for a mere $100, it’s important to exercise caution. Usually, these providers refer to links obtained from platforms on where anyone can slap a link on.
And if you find yourself asking, “If they are building low-quality backlinks, how do they have so many positive reviews?” it’s worth searching on Facebook for “Fiverr reviews.”
Facebook hosts numerous groups that facilitate the creation of fake reviews on this platform.
The very fact of the need for artificially boosting positive reviews indicates that they are lacking in reality. Therefore, purchasing backlinks for a few pennies on such websites is a poor idea. But there are other options as well!
Ahrefs experimented, reaching out to numerous website representatives to determine the average cost of acquiring different types of links.
These are the totals they calculated:
- Niche edits: $361.44;
- Paid guest posts: $77.80.
If we talk about cooperating with agencies that can get you links from sites that don’t sell them, the prices for their services will be different.
Let’s go back to the Editorial.Link agency mentioned above. With their industry connections, the highly experienced team at Editorial Link implements effective strategies and acquires top-quality editorial links. Moreover, they do not require prepayment, provide domains for approval, and offer customers indexable links free from “sponsored” or “nofollow” tags. And most importantly, they get links from the sites of real businesses that do not offer them for sale (such backlinks are the most powerful). The cost of a link built by such a top agency starts at $350.
So, you probably have to be guided by these figures.
How to buy backlinks?
Navigating the world of paid and unpaid links can be challenging, as there isn’t a clear-cut answer. It all comes down to the methods and strategies you employ when purchasing backlinks and of course, the quality and relevance of those links.
Let’s explore some different approaches, from the not-so-great to the more promising:
- Watch out for freelance marketplaces. While platforms like Fiverr or PeoplePerHour may offer enticing options for buying links at affordable prices, some services on these platforms may provide low-quality or even harmful backlinks.
- Beware of PBNs. These networks are considered a black hat strategy by search engines. Buying links from PBNs can put your website at risk of penalties and a drop in rankings.
- Consider niche edits. Niche edits involve reaching out to website owners who offer link placements and requesting relevant links to your website. This approach allows you to target less-linked pages. However, it’s crucial to vet the quality and authenticity of the sites before proceeding.
- Explore paid guest posts. Paid guest posts involve paying for the opportunity to publish an article on a website. This approach grants control over website selection, content and anchor text. It’s important to choose reputable platforms and ensure the content aligns with your brand.
Remember, quality should always be a priority over quantity when it comes to backlinks.
Conclusion
Purchasing links from unknown sources at extremely low prices can carry significant risks. On the other hand, working with reputable agencies can help mitigate those risks.
A reliable agency will have established connections and the expertise to secure backlinks from reputable websites that typically do not sell them. This approach can be a more trustworthy strategy.
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