What Is Link Buying?
The concept of buy backlinks is straightforward: a website owner agrees to feature your backlink on their site for a fee.
Including such a link in your backlink profile is believed to enhance your organic traffic and contribute to improved rankings in Google’s search results.
While achieving this outcome is desirable, it may not always be feasible, particularly if you employ unethical SEO practices such as link schemes. Opting for the ethical approach, acquiring paid links on reputable sites through the creation of high-quality content increases the likelihood of effectively leveraging purchased links for your benefit.
This white-hat strategy aligns with search engine guidelines and enhances your chances of success in the digital landscape.
Why buying backlinks is risky?
Google deems purchased links that transfer PageRank as a form of link scheme, violating its Webmaster Guidelines. While the intricacies of PageRank can be complex, most bought links are designed to pass PageRank.
When Google identifies what it perceives as paid links directed to your site, two possible outcomes may occur:
Discounting the links: These links neither benefit nor harm your search engine rankings. Google’s algorithms will devalue them, essentially treating them as if they do not exist.
Penalization: Google employs human reviewers capable of imposing manual actions on websites. If penalized, some or all of your site may be excluded from appearing in Google’s search results.
Both scenarios are far from ideal. Either your paid backlinks will exert no influence on your rankings, or they may adversely impact your search engine visibility.
Should You Buy Backlinks?
The belief that paid links can blend in seamlessly with earned ones emboldens many SEOs to take the risk. Take, for instance, a highly successful page on the best online casinos, raking in substantial organic search traffic. A closer look at its backlink profile strongly suggests that many of these links were acquired through purchase.
Now, the question of whether to buy backlinks isn’t as straightforward as a yes or no?
Refusing outright might mean missing out on opportunities for external links from high-quality, relevant websites. In certain industries like insurance, casino, and finance, buying backlinks might be the only viable option for securing crucial placements. But, it’s crucial to proceed with caution, emphasizing that paid link-building methods should genuinely add value to readers.
Even though buying and selling links is a common practice, Google explicitly discourages it in its Webmaster Guidelines, labeling it a link scheme. The potential consequences range from Google discounting the links to imposing manual penalties on the website. Interestingly, Google’s strict enforcement of penalties for buying links seems to have eased, with a shift towards devaluing links associated with link schemes.
Understanding why people opt to buy backlinks
One major reason is time-saving. Both white hat and black hat link-building tactics demand a significant time investment. Acquiring backlinks through white hat outreach involves creating quality content, prospecting opportunities, building relationships, and more. Buying backlinks essentially means acquiring a proven process, saving valuable time.
In the realm of grey/black hat SEO, Private Blog Networks (PBNs) offer an alternative. However, building and managing PBNs is a complex and time-consuming process. Buying backlinks, or more accurately, a proven process, provides efficiency and time savings. Faster results are another motivation for buying backlinks. The instant impact of paid links can expedite SEO outcomes, allowing practitioners to focus on other priorities like content creation, technical optimization, and user experience.
In essence, the decision to buy backlinks often boils down to the practical advantages it offers—time efficiency and faster results—while navigating the intricate landscape of SEO practices.
How Much Do Backlinks Cost?
Determining the cost of acquiring backlinks can be a bit of a maze. If you venture into Fiverr, you’ll stumble upon packages offering thousands of backlinks for just a few dollars. However, it’s crucial to recognize that, despite their low price, these links are unlikely to have a significant impact on improving search rankings.
Now that we’ve established that buying backlinks isn’t necessarily a negative practice, you might be curious about the associated costs. Below is a straightforward breakdown, although a comprehensive guide on the cost of backlinks is also available.
In reality, this is not the avenue most SEOs take when purchasing backlinks. Instead, they generally opt for one of two approaches:
Niche Edits: This involves approaching a site owner and proposing to add a link to an existing page on their site for a fee.
Paid Guest Posts: SEOs craft an article containing links to their site and then compensate a site owner for publishing it on their website.
Several prominent bloggers showcase substantial income streams derived mainly from selling links, typically categorized as ‘sponsored posts.’ Let’s explore some examples:
Fitmommyinheals.com
This blogger remarkably earned over 80% of her revenue through sponsored posts, emphasizing the significant role of selling backlinks in her income strategy.
Wanderluststorytellers.com:
In March 2017, this family of travel bloggers identified sponsored posts as their highest single earner, underscoring the impact of selling backlinks on their overall revenue.
Fitnancials.com:
A personal finance and money blogger disclosed earning $4,612, with sponsored posts being the primary driver of income. This highlights the financial significance of engaging in the practice of selling backlinks.
These examples make it evident that bloggers and content websites often depend on the link-building industry to generate income, fulfilling their aspirations of remote work as digital nomads. The buying and selling of backlinks are particularly prevalent in fiercely competitive niches like finance and gambling.
How to buy backlinks links safely (Paid)
Building links safely is crucial for maintaining a robust SEO strategy, emphasizing the avoidance of purchasing backlinks as a foundational principle for a secure and white-hat approach. The focus should shift towards two primary methods:
Create Content That Attracts Links Naturally:
Develop compelling content deserving of organic links. However, great content alone requires exposure. Hence, consider the second approach.
Do Outreach to Earn Links:
Proactively reach out to potential linkers, making them aware of your valuable content. This two-pronged strategy enhances the likelihood of earning high-quality, natural links.
Even in outreach-based link building, exercise due diligence by asking specific questions before approaching a website:
1. Does the Site Look Legit?
Evaluate the site’s trustworthiness based on design, content, and overall appearance. Signs of a less-than-legit site may include poor design, lack of links and images, and vague author bios.
2. Does it Get Consistent Search Traffic?
Check the website’s organic search traffic using tools like Ahrefs While organic traffic indicates value, be cautious of sudden drops linked to Google updates. Assess the site’s traffic over time to identify potential issues.
3. Website Selling Links
Avoid pursuing links from sites that overtly sell links, as this may lead to Google penalties. Look for signs of link selling, such as oddly placed links with lucrative keywords in their anchors.
4. Website Buying Links?
Avoid links from sites with evidence of buying links, as they may face penalties. Use the Anchors report in Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to identify suspicious links with unnatural anchors to the homepage.
5. Are You Proposing a Useful Link?
Ensure your link proposal is valuable and contextually relevant. Craft unique content and pitch opportunities that align with the context of the target site.
Conclusion
By adhering to these considerations and exercising caution in your link-building efforts, you can build links safely and enhance your website’s SEO performance.
Additionally, if you are contemplating paid links, consider the complexities involved and take measures to minimize the risk of Google penalties. If you seek a professional link-building agency with expertise in paid links and ethical practices, we invite you to explore our website and review our case studies. Our experience positions us as a reliable partner for enhancing your website’s SEO strategy.
