It’s no secret that link building is still regarded as the number one ranking factor for websites and a proven method for increasing your website authority.
Unfortunately, the reality of getting backlinks is very hard. On top of that, most website owners are reluctant to link to anyone for free these days.
While the odd free link here and there is possible, the truth is most people these days are going to be buying backlinks.
But is it worth it? And will a paid backlink really move the needle?
Well, in this article, you’re going to find out.
You’ll learn the best places to buy dofollow backlinks and whether or not it’s worth it.
Let’s get started.
What Is A Dofollow Backlink?
A Dofollow backlink is a link that passes authority from one website to another. Think of it like the thumbs up button or a website that’s telling search engines, “Hey, this is a good site; you should send more people here.”
In other words, dofollow backlinks not only point to another domain but also provide SEO benefits.
By default, all links are set to dofollow but can be changed to a nofollow by editing the HTML code.
There are two types of backlinks:
- Dofollow links
- Nofollow links
Unlike dofollows, nofollow backlinks are only used to refer to a particular text. This is how search engines see a dofollow backlink.
<a href=”https://juliangoldie.com”>seo keywords</a>
On the flip side, a nofollow will look like this:
<a rel=”nofollow” href=”https://juliangoldie.com”>seo keywords</a>
Nofollow links don’t pass on any SEO benefits. However, if a linking website is popular enough, this nofollow link can provide lots of exposure as it provides a clickable citation.
In a way, it is somewhat similar to a social media shoutout.
Where Can I Buy High Quality SEO Links?
Your first thought shouldn’t be to buy links. You want to try and build links in a natural manner first if possible.
If you do want to purchase links, look for reliable services in your niche. Depending on your strategy, you might have to rely on other bloggers to get your links.
As we say in SEO, it all depends.
When talking about dofollow backlinks, most people use guest posts to build links.
You can get those pretty easily by browsing blogs within your niche, outreaching to the website, and negotiating a deal.
Keep in mind that larger websites usually don’t allow guest posting, so you should probably start your search from the third or fourth page of Google.
Just remember to include your link in the desired anchor text when you give your article submission.
If your target is .edu or .org sites, you can type “site: edu” or “site: gov” in the Google search engine.
Most optimization experts get backlinks from educational sites by setting up scholarships and involving the faculty.
I’m a big fan of using HARO as it enables you to land very high DR links.
Finally, there are a plethora of websites selling links that you could find by doing a simple Google search.
It goes without saying that I’d always recommend going with a link building agency to build your links for you.
Natural organic links are always going to be better than spammy paid links.
How To Buy Backlinks?
There are numerous ways you can acquire high-quality dofollow backlinks for “free.” I say free because you’ll likely pay for it one way or another.
Some of the best ways to get a link include guest posting, organizing events, buying a website with a great link profile, etc.
Do a simple Google search for “buy dofollow backlinks services,” and you’ll see a ton of options.
Here are some ways to purchase cheap backlinks:
Fiverr
Ahhh, Fiverr. The one-stop-shop for your $5 DR90 do-follow links.
When you buy backlinks from Fiverr, this is where you can expect to get links from:
- Blog comments
- Forum comments
- Forum profiles
- Social bookmarks
- Fake social media profiles
- Image comments
- Directory links
Let me be honest here; these won’t get the job done. In fact, you have a real chance of hurting your SEO rather than boosting it.
I get a lot of people asking me if they should buy links from Fiverr, and my answer is the same every time.
Yes, you can buy dofollow backlinks from there; however, don’t expect it to move the needle long term. You might see a jump in DR or traffic but, you might also get a Google penalty.
Buying dofollow backlinks from Fiverr hasn’t worked for a long time.
Link Farms
A link farm is a website (or a group of websites) created solely to increase the number of incoming links to another website.
Most link farms look like regular web pages, but the majority of the content consists of random links to many different websites.
Link farms are often marketed as a way of buying dofollow backlinks.
Originally, link farms were created in response to Google’s ranking algorithm, PageRank.
Pages with the most links are deemed the most valuable or authoritative.
However, Google and other search engines have adjusted their algorithms in recent years to prevent link farms from appearing at the top of search results.
Yup, they caught on pretty quickly.
Nowadays, links farms and other sites using them are typically penalized by Google and other search engines. I wouldn’t recommend buying dofollow links from link farms.
Why?
It’s a poor “black hat” link building technique that SEO professionals have phased out. Buying “SEO backlinks” from link farms will likely do more harm than good, and who wants that for their clients.
The truth is, link farms are easy to spot and can be detected by search engines easily, so they shouldn’t be considered a legitimate long-term SEO strategy.
Guest Posts
Guest posts are the most basic and simplest way of building links. It’s stood the test of time.
Browse through enough websites, and you will notice that a lot of them allow and even encourage guest posting.
But there is a catch.
Most of them will require monetary compensation if you want your article published on their website. Therefore, it’s just another way to buy quality backlinks.
The cost of this service typically ranges from $30 to $40 for low-tier sites to several hundred dollars for premium backlinks.
Although you might get a backlink from guest posting, most of them are spam sites selling spam links.
My advice, pick and choose who you do a guest post for.
Event Sponsorships
Another way of purchasing links is by sponsoring events. You can get quality backlinks from the organizers and everyone else involved with the event if they give you a shoutout on their website or press release.
People are bound to mention you in one way or another.
In this particular case, you won’t be “buying links,” but instead, they will come as an indirect result of your event sponsorship.
I’ve seen people land some pretty high da backlinks using this technique.
Ideally, you should find an event that is close to your headquarters and is related to your industry.
Even if we disregard the link game, connecting with local entrepreneurs always has value.
Buying Websites
Building backlinks by purchasing a website is not something you see often, but it still happens.
People don’t do this to buy the website itself. They do it to buy their resources. These can also be referred to as PBN’s or Private Blog Networks.
Some of these domains are sold for a hefty price.
But, just because a website has a high DR doesn’t mean you’ll always be getting quality links. In fact, these days, you’re far more likely to receive bad backlinks from PBN’s.
For the SEO’s in the game, when was the last time you saw a quality link from a PBN?
For those looking to build long-lasting websites, I wouldn’t suggest you go get an authority backlink from a PBN.
Buying Off Content
This method is almost never talked about when it comes to building links.
With this strategy, you aren’t necessarily buying a link. Instead, you’re buying the whole article to use an asset on your site. This method is also known as Content acquisition.
Like with website purchasing, you should find a piece of content that has attained a high search engine ranking for relevant keywords that includes a ton of links.
The theory is, you can then move it to your site together with all the links attached to it. The only problem with this is most of the links will likely be broken and pass on little to no authority.
HARO
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a strategy that many SEO experts talk about, but only a handful of people has actually managed to utilize it properly.
HARO is a website that connects news outlets with people who have newsworthy stories.
It’s also FREE. Unless, of course, you outsource, in which case you’ll be paying to build links. There are also some link building services that implement HARO for you.
Now, your job is to create a story that is somehow connected to your business and share it with journalists hoping that some of them will publish it.
HARO is a great way to land very high authority dofollow backlinks that will definitely move the needle.
It’s worth noting that with HARO, the publisher will sometimes set your link as a nofollow.
If this happens to you, you can go back and ask them to set it as a dofollow link. If they don’t do that, no worries, you’re still getting a citation that can still drive traffic to your site.
The HARO approach can be utilized with some other methods on this list (for example, organizing events).
If you connect everything the right way, you can get some high quality dofollow links from several different sources.
I’m talking DR70 plus.
Share Your Product/Service With Bloggers
Most bloggers are willing to advertise a product or a service if you offer them some form of compensation.
For example, you can offer them the product itself, or you can simply pay them to promote you.
When a blogger writes an article on their site featuring your company, they should include dofollow links to your pages.
While outbound links and link juice are not part of the deal, they will come with the promotion.
What Are Some Reasons To Buy Backlinks?
There is much speculation around dofollow backlinks, but the data shows, more links equal more high authority sites.
Your SEO ranking is determined by the quality of links you have. And lastly, if all things are equal, Google will analyze a website’s backlink profile to determine who ranks higher.
Sure, dofollow links represent one of the 200 factors that Google considers when determining the relevancy of a page, but in my opinion, it’s the most important.
However, for an article to succeed, it will have to meet other criteria as well. It needs to use the right text corpus, meta description, H stages etc., in order to rank.
Quality dofollow backlinks and nofollow backlinks are always going to be beneficial, but they are especially significant for new sites.
Unless you’re a major, established company, people aren’t searching for your brand within search engines. Although you might get some visitors through social media and word of mouth, you have to focus on optimization to build your online presence.
You’ll need to up your domain authority to be seen. High da sites are at the top of the food chain, especially if they are taking care of all the other aspects of SEO.
Of course, SEO is not the only way to develop your web business and get in front of potential customers. There’s an entire process.
Influencer marketing, social media marketing, PPC, email marketing are just a few ways you can garner attention.
But, search engine optimization is the best to build your online brand in the long run, especially for niche sites.
As mentioned, most website owners are reluctant to link out.
Unfortunately, one of the most common ways to secure top spots in Google for lucrative phrases is to buy high quality backlinks.
Is It Safe To Buy Backlinks?
Buying dofollow links yourself is a risky business. You need to properly analyze every link in order to get high quality backlinks. There are usually no shortcuts.
Do you really trust these websites you’re buying a link from?
This is why a lot of bloggers prefer paying for link building services.
SEO experts can differentiate high quality backlinks from bad ones.
Furthermore, when they start building them, they will build just enough over a period of time, so you don’t get in trouble with Google and other search engines.
People offering dofollow backlinks services usually have a list of “white hat” websites they regularly work with.
They might have continuous cooperation with their owners and are confident any dofollow links you obtain from them benefits you.
These might be niche authority sites but could also be websites that write on various topics.
So, if and when they buy dofollow links, you can rest assured it will be relevant to your topic and with the right anchor text.
If you still want to buy dofollow links yourself, here are a few things you need to be mindful of:
- Low-quality guest post links (this includes guest post network, guest post farms, and Fiverr links)
- Directory links (for the most part, these will have no impact on your site ranking)
- Press release sites (Google often penalizes these websites, and it is better to turn all these links into nofollows)
What Google Says About Buying Backlinks
There are many ways in which money can be exchanged for links, and Google does not guarantee any negative impact on a website’s search engine rankings from these so-called “link schemes.”
Rather, Google’s link schemes state that these schemes “can negatively impact a site’s ranking in search results.”
In summary, the less natural an exchange of money for a link is, the more direct and obvious it is.
Thus, Google will be more inclined to penalize it. Google uses “can” instead of “will” because some link-building strategies involve an exchange of money but do not fall into the same spammy bucket as some paid-for link schemes.
How Much Does A Backlink Cost?
According to AhRefs’ study, an average backlink costs $361.44. This mainly refers to situations where you directly outreach to a company and ask them for a link.
Bear in mind that this price doesn’t include outreach and other labor costs. For example, writing an average article of 1,000 words would cost the agency between $20 to $40.
If we consider all the expenses, you can buy dofollow backlinks for approximately $500.
The prices can vary significantly, though. Low-tier links usually cost between $50 to $100 (you can drop it even lower if you negotiate), while the highest-quality backlinks are around $1,000.
The most troublesome thing with authoritative dofollow backlinks is that the big websites sometimes change their policies.
There is also the possibility of major websites turning all their dofollow links into nofollow links overnight.
Of course, a similar thing can also happen with smaller blogs, but the impact is much less noticeable.
The Verdict Of Buying Dofollow Links
In a way, buying links is a necessity if you are serious about SEO and probably inevitable.
Furthermore, link building is something you will need to do continuously, as long as you’re publishing new content to stay ahead of your competition.
The main upside of link building (and SEO in general) is that it has a major domino effect.
The more you do it, the more benefits you’ll notice.
In fact, the whole process of search engine optimization is more of brand-building than anything else.
While the initial months of link building tend to be painful, the end goal is well worth it.
