{"id":148973,"date":"2022-11-18T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=148973"},"modified":"2024-07-18T11:03:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T16:03:47","slug":"buy-backlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Buy Backlinks in 2024? It Depends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Buying backlinks in&nbsp;short<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buying backlinks to help rankings violates <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google\u2019s spam policies<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google may rank your site lower in results or not at all if it detects paid&nbsp;links.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most link builders are happy to take the risk, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/link-building-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">74.3% buying backlinks<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paid links cost $83 on average\u2014but they can often cost much&nbsp;more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Due to how risky it is,<strong> our advice is not to buy backlinks<\/strong>. (<a href=\"#how-to-build-links\">Here\u2019s how to build or earn links safely<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why buying backlinks is risky\" data-section=\"risks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risks of buying backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Paid backlinks carry two risks. One is more severe than the other, but neither are&nbsp;good.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risk 1. Google will ignore your paid links, making them a waste of&nbsp;money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Penguin 4.0 update<\/a> in 2016, Google\u2019s algorithms are now able to ignore many spammy and paid backlinks. This means they won\u2019t help or hurt rankings, so buying them is money down the&nbsp;drain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risk 2. Google will penalize and demote your website\u2019s rankings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google has an army of human reviewers who can impose manual actions on websites. If you get one of these, some or all of your site will not be shown in Google\u2019s search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> You\u2019ll know if you have a manual action, as it\u2019ll show up in the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/9044175?hl=en\">Manual Actions report<\/a> in Google Search Console.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why people buy backlinks\" data-section=\"why-buy\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why people still buy backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are likely many different reasons, but in my opinion, it largely comes down to these&nbsp;two:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason 1. Buying links is <em>much<\/em> easier than building or earning them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many site owners will ask for money to place a link\u2014even if you have <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-write-great-content\/\">great content<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the unfortunate state of SEO in 2024. People are justifiably tired of receiving link outreach emails and know that many SEOs have the budget to pay them for links. Why give links for free when someone is willing to&nbsp;pay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason 2. Paid links can help rankings\u2026 if Google doesn\u2019t detect them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Paid links often look no different to earned links, so it\u2019s quite possible to \u201ctrick\u201d Google and get higher rankings with paid backlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s a page about the best online casinos that\u2019s thriving in organic search:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1562\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-casino-website-organic-traffic.png\" alt=\"Estimated organic search traffic to a casino website with many (suspected) paid links\" class=\"wp-image-148985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-casino-website-organic-traffic.png 1562w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-casino-website-organic-traffic-680x146.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-casino-website-organic-traffic-768x165.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-casino-website-organic-traffic-1536x330.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1562px) 100vw, 1562px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If we take a look at its backlink profile in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, it seems extremely likely to me that many of these links were paid&nbsp;for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"454\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2-casino-site-paid-links.png\" alt=\"Example of two suspiciously paid-looking backlinks\" class=\"wp-image-148986\" style=\"width:563px;height:341px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2-casino-site-paid-links.png 750w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2-casino-site-paid-links-680x412.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Neither of those anchors look natural or&nbsp;legit.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As time goes by, Google gets better and better at spotting and demoting paid backlinks\u2014but it\u2019s never going to be perfect. They can still move the needle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> It\u2019s entirely possible that the (likely) paid backlinks in the screenshot above are already being ignored by Google. The page\u2019s rankings may be due to earned backlinks or other factors entirely, such as the content itself.&nbsp;<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How much do links cost?\" data-section=\"cost\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much do paid links&nbsp;cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Paid links cost $83 on average according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/link-building-survey\/\">Authority Hacker\u2019s survey<\/a> of 755 link builders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can they be had for less? Yes. Head over to Fiverr and you\u2019ll find packages with thousands of backlinks for just a few dollars.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1982\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-fiverr-buy-backlinks.jpg\" alt=\"Links are cheap on Fiverr, but they won't move the needle\" class=\"wp-image-148988\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-fiverr-buy-backlinks.jpg 1982w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-fiverr-buy-backlinks-680x425.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-fiverr-buy-backlinks-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-fiverr-buy-backlinks-1536x961.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1982px) 100vw, 1982px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the reality is that these links are unlikely to improve rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For that reason, this isn\u2019t how most SEOs buy backlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most buy them in one of two&nbsp;ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Niche edits<\/strong> \u2013 You ask a site owner to add a link to an existing page on their site for a&nbsp;fee.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paid\/sponsored guest posts <\/strong>\u2013 You write an article that contains links to your site, then pay a site owner to publish it on their website.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Private blog networks (PBN<\/strong>s<strong>)<\/strong> \u2014 You build a network of sites yourself, then link to your \u201cmoney\u201d site from all of them. (This is becoming a bit less common these days, but people still do&nbsp;it).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A few years ago, I ran a small study to investigate the costs of the first two <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/types-of-backlinks\/\">types of links<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much do paid niche edits&nbsp;cost?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>$361.44, on average.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I arrived at this number after reaching out to 450 sites across nine competitive niches and asking to buy a link on their sites outright (these were effectively niche&nbsp;edits).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the email I&nbsp;sent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1360\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/4-link-insert-outreach-email.png\" alt=\"The email I sent asking to buy link inserts from websites\" class=\"wp-image-148989\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/4-link-insert-outreach-email.png 1360w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/4-link-insert-outreach-email-680x349.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/4-link-insert-outreach-email-768x394.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> Admittedly, this isn\u2019t the best outreach email ever. I didn\u2019t pitch any particular resource or linking page. I also pitched the link in either existing or new content. These things might have negatively impacted the response rate.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, only 12.6% of the sites I reached out to were willing to sell me a&nbsp;link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-number-of-blogs-selling-link-inserts.png\" alt=\"Percentage of blogs selling link inserts\" class=\"wp-image-148991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-number-of-blogs-selling-link-inserts.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-number-of-blogs-selling-link-inserts-374x425.png 374w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-number-of-blogs-selling-link-inserts-768x873.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-number-of-blogs-selling-link-inserts-1351x1536.png 1351w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sites in some niches also seemed more willing to sell links than others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1464\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-blogs-selling-link-inserts-by-niche.png\" alt=\"Percentage of blogs selling link inserts by niche\" class=\"wp-image-148993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-blogs-selling-link-inserts-by-niche.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-blogs-selling-link-inserts-by-niche-523x425.png 523w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-blogs-selling-link-inserts-by-niche-768x625.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-blogs-selling-link-inserts-by-niche-1536x1249.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And as you may expect, the average cost of a link correlated quite positively with the site\u2019s Domain Rating (DR):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1321\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-link-insert-cost-domain-rating.png\" alt=\"Average link insert cost by Domain Rating (DR)\n\" class=\"wp-image-148995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-link-insert-cost-domain-rating.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-link-insert-cost-domain-rating-579x425.png 579w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-link-insert-cost-domain-rating-768x564.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-link-insert-cost-domain-rating-1536x1127.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much do paid guest posts&nbsp;cost?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Much less than niche edits. $77.80, on average.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I arrived at this number after pitching a guest post to 180 sites across the same nine niches. Interestingly, I didn\u2019t offer to pay for placement. Many site owners just sent their fees anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the email I&nbsp;sent:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/8-guest-post-outreach.png\" alt=\"The email I sent asking to buy guest posts from websites\" class=\"wp-image-148996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/8-guest-post-outreach.png 1320w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/8-guest-post-outreach-680x325.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/8-guest-post-outreach-768x367.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> I only pitched to blogs that had \u201cwrite for us\u201d pages. In other words, those looking for guest&nbsp;posts.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As with niche edits, most site owners didn\u2019t respond. Of the 25.5% who did, roughly half of them asked for a fee to place a guest&nbsp;post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/9-blogs-selling-guest-posts.png\" alt=\"Percentage of blogs selling guest posts\n\" class=\"wp-image-148998\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/9-blogs-selling-guest-posts.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/9-blogs-selling-guest-posts-374x425.png 374w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/9-blogs-selling-guest-posts-768x873.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/9-blogs-selling-guest-posts-1351x1536.png 1351w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sites in some niches were also more willing to sell guest posts than others:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/10-blogs-selling-guest-posts-by-niche.png\" alt=\"Percentage of blogs selling guest posts by niche\" class=\"wp-image-148999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/10-blogs-selling-guest-posts-by-niche.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/10-blogs-selling-guest-posts-by-niche-580x425.png 580w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/10-blogs-selling-guest-posts-by-niche-768x563.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/10-blogs-selling-guest-posts-by-niche-1536x1126.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And I also noticed that the websites selling them almost all had low DR scores:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1462\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/11-dr-distribution-blogs-selling-guest-posts.png\" alt=\"DR distribution of blogs selling guest posts\" class=\"wp-image-149274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/11-dr-distribution-blogs-selling-guest-posts.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/11-dr-distribution-blogs-selling-guest-posts-523x425.png 523w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/11-dr-distribution-blogs-selling-guest-posts-768x624.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/11-dr-distribution-blogs-selling-guest-posts-1536x1248.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Just keep in mind that although average costs for guest post placements were lower than niche edits, you have to produce content for them. This adds to your expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why do links cost so much?\" data-section=\"why-links-cost-so-much\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do paid links cost so&nbsp;much?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Links help you rank higher, and ranking high for competitive terms can earn you a <em>lot<\/em> of&nbsp;money.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, let\u2019s take that page listing the best online casinos I showed you earlier. It currently gets an estimated 54K monthly search visits, according to Ahrefs. And many of the links on the page are affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/12-affiliate-disclosure.png\" alt=\"Affiliate disclosure on a casino website\n\" class=\"wp-image-149002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/12-affiliate-disclosure.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/12-affiliate-disclosure-680x119.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/12-affiliate-disclosure-768x134.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/12-affiliate-disclosure-1536x268.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that casino affiliate programs pay out generous commissions, I\u2019d estimate that this page easily generates monthly commissions in the high five figures. So it\u2019s easy to see why site owners are willing to pay big bucks for links that help them rank higher.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, site owners have caught on to the value of links for SEOs and started demanding more and&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, many link buyers and sellers know next to nothing about what makes a good backlink. This has led to an industry where even low-quality site owners are able to demand high prices for mediocre links because some SEOs are willing to&nbsp;pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why you really need to do your due diligence if you plan to buy backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to build links safely\" data-section=\"how-to-build-links\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to build links safely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying backlinks is out of the question if you want to build links in a \u201csafe\u201d and white-hat way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This leaves you two options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create content that attracts links naturally<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do outreach to earn&nbsp;links<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that content can\u2019t earn links unless people know about it, your best bet is to do both: create content that deserves to earn links, then do outreach to let potential linkers know it exists.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you should still do your due diligence even with outreach-based link building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s go through a few questions worth asking before reaching out to a website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Does the site look&nbsp;legit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on your first impressions of the site, does it look trustworthy? Would you stick around to read the content if you landed on&nbsp;it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the answer is no, it probably isn\u2019t worth pursuing a link&nbsp;from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In case you\u2019re struggling to answer, here are a few telltale signs of a less-than-legit site:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Poor design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No links in the content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No images in the content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vague or non-existent author bios<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1972\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/13-likely-pbn.jpg\" alt=\"Example of a low-quality website that's probably a PBN\" class=\"wp-image-149003\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/13-likely-pbn.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/13-likely-pbn-431x425.jpg 431w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/13-likely-pbn-768x758.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/13-likely-pbn-1536x1515.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although this site could be legit, it doesn\u2019t fill me with confidence for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The logo looks like a Fiverr job.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The only two images on the page are stock photos with no attribution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are no links in the content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The author bio is simply \u201cBridget.\u201d But <em>Bridget who?&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>My guess: This website is part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/private-blog-network\">private blog network<\/a> or set up for the sole purpose of selling backlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Does it get consistent search traffic?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If a website gets organic traffic, Google must see it as at least a somewhat valuable resource.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check this, plug the domain into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and go to the <strong>Overview<\/strong> report.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/14-organic-traffic-estimate.png\" alt=\"Estimated organic search traffic to a health website\n\" class=\"wp-image-149005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/14-organic-traffic-estimate.png 1618w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/14-organic-traffic-estimate-680x280.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/14-organic-traffic-estimate-768x316.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/14-organic-traffic-estimate-1536x632.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, relying solely on a website\u2019s current organic traffic isn\u2019t the best&nbsp;idea.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If traffic has recently fallen off a cliff or seems to fluctuate dramatically, it may have been hit by a Google update. For that reason, it\u2019s worth scrolling to the \u201cPerformance\u201d graph on the <strong>Overview<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> to see the site\u2019s organic traffic over&nbsp;time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the graph for the site&nbsp;above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1982\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/15-traffic-drop-penalty.png\" alt=\"A health website's traffic drop\n\" class=\"wp-image-149006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/15-traffic-drop-penalty.png 1982w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/15-traffic-drop-penalty-680x244.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/15-traffic-drop-penalty-768x275.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/15-traffic-drop-penalty-1536x550.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1982px) 100vw, 1982px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite still getting an estimated 4.8K monthly search visits, you can see that it used to get much more in 2018. In fact, traffic dropped by ~95% pretty much overnight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we hit the toggle to overlay <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Google updates<\/a> on the graph, we see that the traffic drop coincided with the Core Update in August 2018.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/16-core-update-traffic-drop.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' Site Explorer showing that the traffic drop coincided with a Google Core Update\n\" class=\"wp-image-149007\" style=\"width:435px;height:413px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/16-core-update-traffic-drop.png 580w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/16-core-update-traffic-drop-448x425.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the update that Barry Schwartz dubbed the \u201cmedic update\u201d because it seemed to have the most impact on health and medical sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To conclude, don\u2019t bother pursuing links from sites like these\u2014paid or otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Has the site been selling links? (AKA is it a \u201clink&nbsp;farm\u201d?)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Never pursue links from sites that are obvious link sellers because a Google penalty is probably just around the corner. At which point, the links you got from the sites will become worthless or&nbsp;worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can usually tell if a site has been selling links by checking recent posts for oddly placed links with lucrative keywords in their anchors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1578\" height=\"1052\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/17-unnatural-links.png\" alt=\"Example of unnatural links\n\" class=\"wp-image-149009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/17-unnatural-links.png 1578w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/17-unnatural-links-638x425.png 638w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/17-unnatural-links-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/17-unnatural-links-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1578px) 100vw, 1578px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of those links are quite unnatural, have exact-match anchors, and lead to commercial pages on the same website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An often faster way to do this is to check the <strong>Outgoing Link Anchors <\/strong>report in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> for followed external links with odd anchors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"1042\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/18-anchors-report.png\" alt=\"Examples of unnatural outbound link anchors via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-149010\" style=\"width:495px;height:521px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/18-anchors-report.png 990w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/18-anchors-report-404x425.png 404w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/18-anchors-report-768x808.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Has the site been buying links?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s obvious evidence of a link prospect buying links, it\u2019s yet another reason to avoid pursuing links from that site. After all, it could get penalized for buying links at any&nbsp;point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check, use the <strong>Anchors<\/strong> report in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> to look for followed links with unnatural anchors to its homepage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a site with many suspicious links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1302\" height=\"1576\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/19-anchors-suspicious.png\" alt=\"Examples of unnatural inbound link anchors via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-149012\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/19-anchors-suspicious.png 1302w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/19-anchors-suspicious-351x425.png 351w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/19-anchors-suspicious-768x930.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/19-anchors-suspicious-1269x1536.png 1269w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1302px) 100vw, 1302px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure whether an anchor is suspicious or not, hit the caret in the \u201cLinks to target\u201d column to see its context:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1546\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20-suspicious-link.png\" alt=\"Example of a suspicious link\" class=\"wp-image-149013\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20-suspicious-link.png 1546w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20-suspicious-link-680x289.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20-suspicious-link-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20-suspicious-link-1536x654.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1546px) 100vw, 1546px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, I\u2019d say the link looks suspiciously like a paid one because of the exact-match <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/anchor-text\/\">anchor text<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Are you proposing a useful link?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Making sure this is the case comes down to two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Creating unique and valuable content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pitching contextually useful opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, this very article contains unique data on the cost of buying backlinks. That\u2019s valuable information for most SEOs. But this doesn\u2019t mean we should pitch to every SEO article on the web. We need to look for contextual opportunities where our link will add&nbsp;value.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1616\" height=\"748\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/21-link-opportunity.png\" alt=\"Example of a potential link building opportunity\n\" class=\"wp-image-149014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/21-link-opportunity.png 1616w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/21-link-opportunity-680x315.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/21-link-opportunity-768x355.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/21-link-opportunity-1536x711.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This article already advises its readers not to buy backlinks because they\u2019re often irrelevant, of low quality, and come from scammers. But it doesn\u2019t say anything about the high costs of buying links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my opinion, this will be a useful addition to the page (with our post linked as the source).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Should you buy backlinks?\" data-section=\"should-you-buy-backlinks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, should you buy backlinks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying links is very risky, so <strong>it\u2019s not something I\u2019d recommend<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is especially true for legitimate business owners whose livelihoods rely on their Google rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you fully understand and accept the high risks of buying backlinks, there\u2019s no reason why you can\u2019t. Does it arguably make the web a worse place? Definitely. Is it illegal? Not at&nbsp;all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\">on X<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paid backlinks carry two risks. One is more severe than the other, but neither are&nbsp;good.&nbsp; Risk 1. Google will ignore your paid links, making them a waste of&nbsp;money Since the Penguin 4.0 update in 2016, Google\u2019s algorithms are now able<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":149017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-148973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-link-building","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Should You Buy Backlinks in 2024? It Depends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Buying backlinks is against Google\u2019s Webmaster Guidelines, but is it really as risky as people say it is?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should You Buy Backlinks in 2024? It Depends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s all about risk.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-18T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-18T16:03:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/fb_buying_backlinks.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joshua Hardwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"It\u2019s all about risk.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JoshuaCHardwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joshua Hardwick\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e6a89cbde8e750d22996aa26e213e712\"},\"headline\":\"Should You Buy Backlinks in 2024? 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